As we've been looking at the characteristics of a good teacher or educator, I've realized that these individuals often share similar roles in addition to similar qualities.   One of those roles is that of advocate.  All good educators are advocates for their students.  They will argue and fight on behalf of their students, even when the students know nothing of it.  An advocate not only identifies the rights and needs of their students but they are also willing to put the energy and effort into defending them.

Teachers in the school system advocate for their students in myriad ways.  They fight local governments for better education funding, they go to battle with the state departments over unfair or unrealistic testing expectations, and they advocate within the school for programs that they believe will enhance learning.  Educators in other realms advocate for their students, too.  They present data on how training programs benefit the individual and the bottom line.  

Being an advocate isn't so much about a character trait as it is about realizing a responsibility that is inherent to this particular position.  Teachers who deny this responsibility are probably lacking in several of the other traits that make a good teacher.  Being a teacher who is also an advocate for their students is a time consuming practice but it is essential.

"Bueller."  "Bueller."  You've probably seen the clip I've referenced here.  A teacher in monotone calls roll, teaches class, and dismisses students without ever looking up.  Test time comes and they are virtually word-for-word from the lecture notes (where at least half of the class was asleep).  The problem isn't that the teacher doesn't know his/her stuff, it's that they offer no personality or life to their classroom.

I had a prof like this one in college for European History. He was extremely knowledgeable.  Some days I wondered if he had actually lived through Charlemagne's rule.  Some of the things he talked about were fascinating but I couldn't get passed the monotone, no-personality, lecture and listen style approach.  I fell asleep nearly every day.  Needless to say, I didn't do so well in that class.

I'll take some of the blame for that, but not all of it.  This prof was severely lacking in a vital area.  Personality.  He either had none or decided not to share it with his students.  That is a fatal mistake.  Students are looking for you to inject a little bit of life into what might be and otherwise boring topic.  Discussing the finer points of the subjunctive mood?  Great!  Be excited, use your hands to talk, tell jokes about how you learned, and in general, have fun with what you are teaching. 

The best teacher in the world is no good to anyone if s/he can't seem to make it to class.  Teachers who are effective are also present and accounted for on a regular basis.  The best educators can be counted on by their students and by the other faculty, too.  

Great lesson plans are no use to a substitute or a cancelled class.  Great lesson plans are useless when they are not followed up on the next day and the next day.  Teachers must make every effort to be in their classrooms or with their students.  

With that said, the best teacher in the world can't teach students who don't show up.  Students must make every effort to be in class so that they may absorb all that the educators have to offer.  

"Being there" is often overlooked but essential to the successful educator.

It might seem a bit unusual to have trust listed as a trait necessary for teachers to possess but it is essential to the success of the classroom setting.  Educators must be trustworthy in the eyes and minds of their students whether you are teaching a four-year old in preschool or a forty-year old in night school.  You may think that trust is something reserved for relationships, like friends, couples, families, etc., but teaching and learning create a unique relationship that requires trust at its foundation.

Educators must be worthy of their student's trust.  They can achieve this by being consistent in their teaching and classroom management style but also in their out-of-class life style, too.  Students who observe contradictory behavior are less likely to believe and adhere to the teaching of the one who seems at odds with themselves.  For example, the nutritionist who teaches student to maintain a balanced diet for myriad reasons and who also maintains a healthy weight and diet will be trusted.  However, the nutritionist who is seen in the snack room eating cheese balls and drinking soda before each class is likely to earn disdain, not trust.  

Trust is essential.  It doesn't happen overnight but it is worth the wait.  Students who trust their educator are more likely to want to learn from them.

All good teachers ought to have a passion not only for what they are teaching, but also for who they are teaching.  Passion is a motivating factor for the one who possesses it, but it is also a contagious source of momentum for those who are exposed to it.  Is teaching possible without passion?  Yes.  Is it enjoyable? No.  Neither student nor teacher will enjoy their experience if the teacher lacks passion for either their audience or their material.

I could never, ever teach a math class.  There is absolutely no passion in any fiber of my being towards math.  Languages, on the other hand, fascinate me.  I love to explore different languages and the different ways people communicate.  Even when I was faced with teaching languages I didn't know, I enjoyed the experience.  (Not sure the students learned so much, since I was learning for the first time, too.)  I am passionate about languages.  Folks who are passionate about their subject often burn out or "bore" out.  

While I happen to enjoy most stages and ages of life, I am not passionate about the middle school age group.  I would prefer to work with high school aged students.  Teachers who love middle school aged students, love teaching middle school aged students.  They enjoy all the things that come with that territory while others would rather poke their eyes out.  You need to be passionate about the type of audience that will be staring you in the face day after day.

Passion is an essential quality for a good teacher to possess.

There is much debate over what constitutes a good teacher and how to calculate that measure of "goodness".  Some recommend looking at student's test scores.  Others suggest peer evaluation.  Still others recommend a "laissez-faire" approach that gives the teacher free reign so long as no one complains.  Perhaps it is important, first of all, to identify what a teacher's responsibility is.  Do we expect them to produce students who can fill in all the correct bubbles on an answer sheet, do we expect them to teach their students a set of skills, or do we expect them to produce philosophers and thinkers?

After defining the desired outcome, you can begin to identify the characteristics that will lead to that end.  You will find, no matter which outcome you desire, that all educators ought to possess certain traits, or at least strive to possess them.  

We will attempt to identify and describe those traits over the next several weeks.  

An NY Times article reports on a school that is doing some creative things to prepare their special education students for success in the world.  In this particular case autistic students are in charge of running a school coffee shop that is open to teachers.  Reportedly, students are responsible for greeting customers, taking orders, serving, clean-up, and billing.  All of which are essential life skills.  And, reportedly, the students love it.  

Programs like these are what we need to be backing with financial support and words of encouragement.  The students in this project are showing remarkable gains in the one area they struggle the most; socialization.  What a huge benefit to the autistic population.  And the learning that occurs in the coffee shop is legitimate.  It's not forced or contrived.  It's real.  Real coffee.  Real money.  Real learning.

With tightening budgets across the country it is a wonder that this was allowed to happen.  But look at the success.  If only other schools across the country could actually implement their creative ideas to teach our kids in real-life settings the importance of what they are learning.  There is no better learning then real-life learning.  

An article in the NY Times discusses what is known as the gap.  The gap is the notable difference between the achievement of white and black students.  This article focuses on the efforts of one man to understand and evaluate the source and reason for the gap.  While I am no expert on the subject, I think it is of great importance to study this issue.  Our students, all of them, deserve to have an equal opportunity to academic success, even if they don't all reach that end.  

What struck me most about this article though was the researchers commitment to the facts, even when they weren't the most popular.  I think the gap exists, at least in part, because we have allowed the thought of racial tensions to dictate our actions.  Being too afraid of being too extreme in one direction or the other, has lead to apathy and indifference in education.  

Dr. Ferguson, the subject of the article, is committed to presenting the information based on the numbers.  He shows no fear or outrage, anger or upset.  He simply tells us how it is.  Now it is up to us to figure out what to do about it.  We can keep on ignoring it or tiptoeing around it, or we can face it and erase it.  It's up to us to close the gap.  

The New York Times is introducing a new website designed for teenagers to air, share, and pair their literary works.  Figment.com will allow teens to write all forms of literary composition.  They will be able to read each other's work and partner up to create new works with peers they have never met.  Publishers will be able to use this site to gauge teen interests and talent for future writers.  

The underlying hope is that teens will use this new, modern forum to practice, hone, and improve their writing skills.  I think it is also an attempt to bring literature into the technology based world in which teenagers live.  Just because texting, emailing, and blogging are the latest rage, doesn't mean that well-written, well-thought out compositions need be lost on this generation.

I think the concept behind this new website is great: encourage teens to be writers, readers, and contributors in a teen-like way.  Hopefully the trend will catch on, not be abused, and give kids a forum for their craft.  English teachers can see the possibilities for incorporating the concept into their classes just as publishers can see the benefit to their industry.  It looks like a win/win situation.

For those of you who have been trained or educated in one discipline and and ended up working in another, you understand the necessity of learning on the job.  In fact, most everyone understands that it is inevitable that learning on the job will be necessary.  But what happens when the expectations are set to perfection from the beginning?Disappointment and frustration happen.  

If for example, you are going to start a new business with a partner, both bringing necessary but different skills to the table, it is likely that you will begin by working through various predictable scenarios and plans that would allow you to develop you business management plan.  Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to predict every situation and you typically end up overlooking something.  It is at this point that you need to be flexible and forgiving.  

On a larger scale, it is important to make it understood that when amendments need to be made the employees are also prepared to be flexible and forgiving.  Learning on the job is not the easiest way to accomplish things but it is one of the best ways to learn.  You come away with concrete, first-hand experience that translates into various circumstances and situations.