What Makes a Great Teacher?

As a former educator I love reading education articles.  Someone had tweeted about this article online and I had to check it out.  As a parent, school is looming in the distance for my daughters but even I know how quickly time flies.  I am just getting ready to look at preschools for my two year old.  Can you believe that you have to start calling in January to have your child enrolled in a preschool for September? 

In an age where test scores rule and many parents choose to homeschool their children or use cyberschool, the question is often asked about how to measure teacher effectiveness. The article on The Atlantic is called "What Makes a Great Teacher".   How do you quantify qualities that make a good teacher?  An associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania and her peers seem to have determined a way to quantify perseverance.  It seems that based on teachers in the Teach for America Program (they recruit teachers for urban and rural schools), teachers who persevered, had long-term goals, and were satisfied with their lives made better teachers.  Other predictors included college grade point average the last two years of college and meeting or exceeding previous leadership goals. There are also video links that allow you to take a peak inside the classroom of four teachers who demonstrate effective teaching skills.  

Since we as parents are our little ones first teachers and we continue to be role models, this article and the videos were reminders of how we can better teach our children.  It's not just about subject matter but also about making our children believe in themselves and that they can do whatever they set their minds to.  It is also about consequences and accountability.  It is also about working with our children's teachers to make sure our children are getting the best education possible.  Maybe one day, our children will be at the head of the class.