Most people remember one teacher long after they graduate. Not because of a specific test or chapter in a textbook, but rather because of something more difficult to pinpoint: a listening style, an almost unreasonable level of patience, or a tendency to make the difficult seem doable. It’s difficult not to wonder what made that individual different from every other teacher who entered a classroom.
Effective teachers have a greater impact on student achievement than school facilities, resources, or even school leadership, according to research from the Economic Policy Institute. That’s a startling conclusion, and it begs the question, “What exactly makes a teacher good in the first place?”
For good reason, effective communication usually comes first. A teacher who can read the classroom is doing more than just imparting knowledge; they can tell when a student is struggling not with the subject matter but rather with their fear of it. Dr. Daniel Tanguay began his career as a high school math teacher before becoming the academic dean of education at Southern New Hampshire University. Many of his students were terrified of the topic and had unresolved issues from classrooms where they had felt lost or ashamed. He discovered a path that would never have been possible with just instruction by starting early discussions about how math truly appeared in students’ interests and aspirations. In that sense, communication is more than just a teaching tool. It’s more akin to establishing trust.
Listening is equally important, and it may be underappreciated because it appears insignificant. Good teachers are able to read students’ body language during a challenging lesson and their hesitation before responding. Peer mentor Kristine Ducote, who was a student for many years, has personally witnessed this. Something changes when a teacher observes anxiety without waiting for a student to express it. Being truly seen is where confidence begins to rebuild.
Then there is flexibility, and at this moment, it seems especially important. Over the past 20 years, the field of education has undergone significant change. The pandemic alone forced educators to virtually immediately abandon tried-and-true methods and start over. Dr. Audrey Rogers, who has worked in education as a university professor and a high school teacher, has witnessed changes in the field that at the beginning of her career would have seemed unthinkable. She suggests that one thing that seems certain is that change itself is here to stay. Students will sense that a teacher who digs in and resists it may survive, but they are unlikely to thrive.
Patience and empathy are frequently mentioned as soft skills, as if they are less important than the technical aspects of teaching. It seems worthwhile to challenge that framing. Tanguay once observed that it is frequently more difficult to be patient with parents than with students because parents come with their own experiences, anxieties, and recollections of failing classrooms. A teacher is doing something truly challenging if they can accommodate all of that without getting defensive.
Additionally, there is merit to educators who are lifelong learners. Students tend to remember teachers who maintain their curiosity about their subject, experiment with teaching methods, and remain receptive to new ideas. According to Jennifer Gardner, who first studied mathematics before moving on to data analytics, a teacher’s enthusiasm for learning is what makes them exceptional. Because it must be genuine, this quality may also be the most difficult to teach in any training program.
There isn’t a certification or a method that connects all of this. It’s a form of paying attention to the person seated in front of you. That seems to come naturally to the best educators. It’s probably worth practicing for everyone else.
