What makes a good teacher?

Qualities that make a teacher great include creativity, adaptability, dedication to students, empathy, the ability to engage, organization skills, collaboration, passion and patience. A good teacher loves working with students and possesses an ongoing love of learning. However, a good teacher must also be able to handle the unique stresses of a career in teaching.

Teaching requires reaching out to students with learning disabilities and behavior problems. A good teacher must be able to challenge students who are bright and find themselves bored but also back up and help students who are struggling and falling behind in school. A good teacher must also communicate with parents. Sometimes this means dealing patiently with angry or upset parents. In addition to working with students and parents, teachers need to collaborate with each other and their school's administration. A good teacher is willing to be a team player.

According to the Washington Post, good teachers are also resilient and have a strong work ethic. All teachers inevitably encounter rough days with students, angry parents or any number of other problems. A good teacher bounces back from those bad days and comes in each new day with a joyful attitude and a willingness to learn and change.