Ten Florida educators, including National Board Certified Teachers, who offered their thoughts in this article on what makes a good teacher -- a definition that has been in the spotlight since the state's merit-pay debate began. "Good teachers teach reading, writing, math and technology effectively. Good teachers integrate art, music, social studies and science gracefully. Good teachers possess creativity, flexibility and good time-management skills," one NBCT said.According to the article, determining who is an outstanding teacher, however, is tricky. Teachers are not factory workers, Reasoner said, who are assessed based on how many gadgets they can assemble per hour, or car salespersons measured by how many deals they broker in a week.
Unlike gadgets, students come in all shapes and sizes, all ability and skill levels. Teachers are charged with guiding every child from Point A, wherever that is on the learning spectrum, to Point B in 180 school days.
Unlike gadgets, students come in all shapes and sizes, all ability and skill levels. Teachers are charged with guiding every child from Point A, wherever that is on the learning spectrum, to Point B in 180 school days.
I know from experience that becoming a great classroom teacher does not happen overnight, there is no silver bullet, there are no shortcuts. It takes a lot of patience and perseverance, and a rigorous process of research and reflection focused on the best teaching practices and the core propositions of the national teaching standards to become an effective teacher. It requires innovative collaboration (with educators, professionals and education advocates in school, in the school district, across the nation and even globally) and meaningful exchange and discussion of what is working and what is not with their classroom practice that is focused on supporting the child as a whole (not just the academic part).
WHAT THEY SAID
“A good teacher is a facilitator of learning, one who gives out the information and explains things. It’s someone who sees students as a whole person, and tries to address the whole child. They have high expectations, but also compassion.”
— Hana Ahmad, fifth-grade teacher at Orangewood Elementary in Fort Myers and a 2001 Golden Apple award winner.
“How can you measure a teacher that changes a child’s life? He or she may still not earn a high score on a test, but you could have changed the course of their life.”
— Tonya Reasoner, a gifted teacher at Pinewoods Elementary in Estero who has 41 years of teaching experience.
“Good teachers teach reading, writing, math and technology effectively. Good teachers integrate art, music, social studies and science gracefully. Good teachers possess creativity, flexibility and good time-management skills.”
— Helen Valdez-Garcia, an art teacher at Hector A. Cafferata Jr. Elementary in Cape Coral and a National Board Certified teacher.
“You have to be flexible because you never know what will happen on any given day. You have to be fair to all students and be consistent. A good teacher really cares about their students. It’s almost like a motherly instinct.”
— Jeanne Dozier, Lee County School Board member and 1988 national teacher of the year.
“A good teacher makes learning fun. If a kid enjoys school, and connects with a teacher, they are going to perform better.”
— Derrick Donnell, principal at Caloosa Middle and a 1999 Golden Apple award winner.
“It’s about lighting the fire of education in those students that may not believe in themselves, and it’s about showing parents and families the strengths in their children that they may not yet see. It’s late nights of reflecting about how to reach that one child that seems barely beyond reach, yet you know is within your grasp.”
— Megan Allen, a fourth-grade teacher at Cleveland Elementary in Tampa and Florida’s 2010 Teacher of the Year.
— Hana Ahmad, fifth-grade teacher at Orangewood Elementary in Fort Myers and a 2001 Golden Apple award winner.
“How can you measure a teacher that changes a child’s life? He or she may still not earn a high score on a test, but you could have changed the course of their life.”
— Tonya Reasoner, a gifted teacher at Pinewoods Elementary in Estero who has 41 years of teaching experience.
“Good teachers teach reading, writing, math and technology effectively. Good teachers integrate art, music, social studies and science gracefully. Good teachers possess creativity, flexibility and good time-management skills.”
— Helen Valdez-Garcia, an art teacher at Hector A. Cafferata Jr. Elementary in Cape Coral and a National Board Certified teacher.
“You have to be flexible because you never know what will happen on any given day. You have to be fair to all students and be consistent. A good teacher really cares about their students. It’s almost like a motherly instinct.”
— Jeanne Dozier, Lee County School Board member and 1988 national teacher of the year.
“A good teacher makes learning fun. If a kid enjoys school, and connects with a teacher, they are going to perform better.”
— Derrick Donnell, principal at Caloosa Middle and a 1999 Golden Apple award winner.
“It’s about lighting the fire of education in those students that may not believe in themselves, and it’s about showing parents and families the strengths in their children that they may not yet see. It’s late nights of reflecting about how to reach that one child that seems barely beyond reach, yet you know is within your grasp.”
— Megan Allen, a fourth-grade teacher at Cleveland Elementary in Tampa and Florida’s 2010 Teacher of the Year.
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