Factors That Make Our Children's Teachers Successful

Our children will be successful if their teachers are effective and successful teachers. Effective teaching is positively identified by children outcome and improvements that are the results of the correct combinations of methods, materials, student and teacher characteristics, and the context in which teaching and learning occur. Quality teaching is teaching that maximizes learning for all students in the classroom environment or even at home during home schooling. The essence of teaching is human interaction through a balance of interpersonal and technical competence. So when our children teachers meet certain characteristics and become effective successful teachers, our children are will most certainly benefit and become successful students. But what are the attainable factors that make a teacher successful?

Parents need to know that teachers set the tone in a classroom and what teachers do and say encourages or discourages their students. Teachers who model acceptance and caring for all students, will see students following their example with great respect and admiration. Therefore, children as students will learn effectively when their teachers - sincerely like them and believe in their worth; are dedicated to helping them learn effectively; are enthusiastic about teaching and inspire them; are always prepared, consistent and firm; provide a nurturing and safe environment; accepts their own mistakes; model fairness, honesty and dependability; listen carefully and give recognition freely; are sensitive and respectful of children's individual differences; and provide an opportunity for children to help formulate classroom rules.

Additionally, teachers should help children - feel important by allowing them to make choices; have clear, high, reasonable expectations for children's work; acknowledge children's efforts and successes no matter how small, emphasize that it's okay to make mistakes because that is a natural part of learning; avoid threats, sarcasm, favoritism, and pity; consistently focus on solutions to problems rather than on punishment; teach children how to solve their problems peacefully by listening to each other and compromising; provide opportunities for children to encourage and help each other; always involve parents in their children's education; and always encourage and teach their students to have goals in life and how to be successful in achieving their life objectives. These are progressive, positive, effective and successful classroom climate characteristics that parents and teachers need to know and implement for the long-term growth and real sustainable development of our children.

Since we know that human interaction is critically important in teaching, parents need to know if their children teachers are enhancing their collaboration and communication skills. Why? Positive interaction with students, parents and colleagues is an essential factor in effective teaching. Within this context, parents should be concerned about the teaching ability of their children teachers to - show a genuine interest in teaching their kids; have pride in their personal appearance as teachers; possess the correct skills in adapting to changes; demonstrate the ability to adhere to and accept policies and procedures of the school system; show acceptance for their actions inside and outside the classroom; have the desire to take a cooperative approach towards parents and school personnel; and demonstrate the ability to have a genuine rapport with their kids. Hence, empathy, respect, warmth, genuineness, self-disclosure, immediacy, congruence, and spontaneity are effective interpersonal features that parents should monitor and which teachers should possess and practice.

Teachers also need to demonstrate skills in organizing and presenting content knowledge for our children successful learning Such skills should include: the ability to demonstrate planning, assessment and evaluation; making assignments; the development of good work-study habits; the ability to use instrumental materials resourcefully; skills in motivating and questioning techniques; the ability to recognize and provide for individual differences; skills in oral and written communication; and speech, articulation and voice quality abilities. Parents need to know that successful teachers are those who will show competence in these skilled areas and who are also committed to enhancing their abilities as well.

Experts in education and teaching will agree that successful teachers will demonstrate the following features in teacher preparation and procedural purpose: a deeper knowledge base with respect to curriculum and educational goals that are ambitious; the ability to distinguish between short-term and long-term goals; the ability to encourage conceptualization, problem-solving, and critical-thinking skills; the ability to develop lesson plans that are complex and mutifaceted; be able to develop extensive evaluation procedures; show complexity and diversity in their teaching style; and have the ability to vary the environment to compensate learning goals. While these are critical characteristics that all teachers need to have, parents as part of their interaction with school officials and fellow parents, need to have some awareness or knowledge of the existence or lack-of the above as well.

A final important area is that of Subject Knowledge. Parents need to know who are teaching their kids because successful teachers must possess a professional knowledge base and exhibit knowledge of the subject matter. Real successful teachers have a vast repertoire of instructional strategies and techniques that reflect their knowledge of the subject. Importantly, the very skilful and knowledgeable teachers are those that consciously reflect upon, conceptualized, and apply understanding from one classroom experience to the next. A successful teacher is not usually the one who has little knowledge of the subject area in which he/she is teaching. So for example, a teacher trained in the social sciences like in government, will not be successful if he/she is assigned to teach in and area of the natural sciences like biology, without some education and training in biology.

Therefore, parents and teachers need to know what characteristics constitute successful and effective teaching in the interest of their children and students, respectively. There are specific steps teachers can take to ensure that they are successful in teaching children. Interpersonal social skills and knowledge of the subject area are very important. Quality teaching will maximize learning for all students.