What Makes a Teacher Great?
I occasionally take a break from writing about risk and human behavior to write about education—a kind of slow-motion disaster. This fall, I spent months obsessing over an old puzzle, using very cool new tools. The question was, What makes some teachers truly exceptional—and others, well, unremarkable? The story, which appears in this month’s Atlantic magazine, is my attempt to solve the mystery.
I had a lot of help. I got access to a treasure trove of data from Teach for America, which has been studying this mystery longer and more rigorously than any other outfit. Then I spent days sitting in classrooms in DC public schools—classrooms that ran like powerhouses and classrooms where time just oozed by, with nothing much happening. I am grateful to all the teachers, principals and students who so graciously allowed me to observe and who talked to me about the realities of their classrooms.
Eventually, I learned that the way to spot a great teacher is not to watch the teacher. The secret is to watch the kids. In great classrooms, the students were in a hurry, and not just some of them. Their eyes tracked the teacher as he or she moved across the room. When the kids got an answer right, they whisper-shouted, “Yes!” and pumped their fists.
In other classrooms in the very same school, I saw the very same students stare off into space. They took extraordinary amounts of time to staple their homework or sharpen their pencils. They danced silent steps in their sneakers on the linoleum floors under their desks. They smiled at me and waved. When I sneezed, they offered me tissues. They were the same kids, but the adult standing in front of them was not.
This all matters because, as Kevin Huffman put it in a Washington Post column the other day:
[T]oo often when we look at the sorry state of public education (on the most recent international benchmark exam conducted by the Program for International Student Assessment, U.S. high schoolers ranked 25th out of 30 industrialized nations in math and 24th in science) we believe the results are driven by factors beyond our control, such as funding and families. This leads to lethargy, which leads to inaction, which perpetuates a broken system that contributes to our economic decline.
By now, the research is clear: the one factor that matters most in a child’s education is the child’s teacher. As kids, we knew this. There were great teachers—the kind who made you believe anything was possible. But we always chalked it up to some kind of magical power that few teachers could be expected to possess. Turns out we were wrong.
Finally, we can identify extraordinary teachers—with data, not hearsay—and investigate what they are doing differently. We can even make more of them. The question is, Will we?
Andy Kroll said on January 08, 2010 at 12:44 pm
Hey Amanda,
Thanks for your recent piece on teachers in The Atlantic. It was nice to see a major magazine commit so many words to a critical yet under-reported subject.
I was, however, a bit dismayed to such a narrow approach taken toward such a broad, consequential question—What makes a great teacher? The way it read, the piece’s title, I felt, should’ve been: “What Does Teach for America Thinks Makes a Great Teacher?”
I’ve posted a longer response at Mother Jones, where I work, on my thoughts after reading the piece. It’s here—http://motherjones.com/mojo/2010/01/hail-teach-america
Best,
Andy Kroll
Mother Jones magazine
Bill said on January 10, 2010 at 3:52 pm
I enjoyed your article, but the one item overlooked by TFA and pretty much every other study of effective teaching is “How long can they keep it up” Take a look at all of the famous Motivating Teachers (Stand and Deliver, Dangerous Minds, etc. etc.) None of them are in the classroom anymore. As a teacher, I know that the reasons that they can burn out are many and varied, but we need to not only look at what makes a good teacher, but how do we keep them in the classroom and keep them from burning out.
anonymous frustrated lawyer said on February 01, 2010 at 12:44 pm
A few questions
1) Why did you include Mr. Taylor in your piece as opposed to a TFA teacher?
2) Did you talk to any TFA teachers that weren’t any good, or struggling at teaching?
Amanda said on February 01, 2010 at 1:35 pm
I chose to profile a non-TFA teacher like Mr. Taylor because I wanted to do a story about great teachers. And most teachers have nothing to do with TFA, as I’m guessing you know. It just so happens that, relatively speaking, TFA does some of the more rigorous research into highly effective and ineffective teaching. So I was curious to see how the organization’s findings overlapped with other research—and with the experiences of traditional teachers like Mr. Taylor.
I was less interested in doing a story about the pros and cons of TFA—and more interested in whether some of TFA’s findings, over 20 years of trial and error, could help us understand the practices of high effective and ineffective teachers everywhere. And yes, I did talk to and observe TFA teachers who were struggling quite a bit. Like most teachers, TFA recruits find their jobs extremely challenging. As I think we can probably all agree, teaching in a low-income school is an extremely difficult job, one that most people could not do very well.
And Bill, I could not agree more with your comment about burn out. It seems to me that we need to figure out what works in the classroom and then direct every resource—from training to evaluation, from the principal’s office to the state house—to supporting those practices.
Until we do that, teachers—even the great ones—will need to work much harder than they should have to in order to get results.
eren said on April 09, 2010 at 2:49 pm
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Matthew said on April 22, 2010 at 9:26 am
For years, the secrets to great teaching have seemed more like alchemy than science, a mix of motivational mumbo jumbo and misty-eyed tales of inspiration and dedication.
John said on July 06, 2010 at 10:30 am
Yes, I think that education is the key for bettering our future, by educating our kids the right way. Thanks for this interesting article and I will keep searching for more great articles like this, electric grill griddle
Alex said on September 02, 2010 at 4:01 am
A great teacher doesn’t care about money, poor resources etc. The only one thing he or she really cares about is TEACHING and making it good. I wish every teacher was such a devoted person as you are talking about.
Bolso said on September 23, 2010 at 4:38 pm
Thank you very much indeed. I like such articles. Especially as I am inclined to be a teacher myself.
Shared Shares said on October 08, 2010 at 3:23 am
There are many things that make up a great teacher but there are some things that sometimes stand in our way. One thing that a great teacher must have is creativity and charisma. Lately though, these two elements have been missing in the classroom. Teachers are teaching towards test scores anymore. It is a reflection of how well of a teacher you are. I believe that an observation of your classroom, methodologies, and instruction should be the true test of merit. Teaching to a test day after day would cause a teacher to become “burned out”. I agree completely with the last statement of the passage and believe as well that we need to take a step back and look at the “human side” of teaching. Then we can truly see what makes a good teacher.
Kelley said on November 19, 2010 at 6:11 pm
I was less interested in doing a story about the pros and cons of TFA—and more interested in whether some of TFA’s findings, over 20 years of trial and error, could help us understand the practices of high effective and ineffective teachers everywhere. And yes, I did talk to and observe TFA teachers who were struggling quite a bit. Like most teachers, TFA recruits find their jobs extremely challenging. As I think we can probably all agree, teaching in a low-income school is an extremely difficult job, one that most people overstock coupon codes could not do very well.
eloise said on November 19, 2010 at 7:22 pm
How do you feel about teacher tenure? Do you think ti should be done away with? I volunteer with a high school program and that is always a hot topic with the kids.
dave said on November 20, 2010 at 12:11 pm
We need more great teachers who care about their kids success. Keep up the great work on articles. teaching careers
BearingS said on November 20, 2010 at 10:41 pm
Yes, I think that education is the key for bettering our future, by educating our kids the right way. For years, the secrets to great teaching have seemed more like alchemy than science, a mix of motivational mumbo jumbo and misty-eyed tales of inspiration and dedication.
ben said on November 24, 2010 at 5:07 am
Getting the weakest students to believe in themselves. That is the hardest but also the most rewarding challenge.
Anthony said on December 06, 2010 at 8:21 pm
From my experience, it’s all about respecting your teachers and if they can somehow make learning fun (cliche) then the classroom can be a great environment. Also keeping the kids involved.
Karen said on December 15, 2010 at 3:03 pm
What makes a teacher great is their ability to adapt to each of their student’s learning style. Being successful as a teacher is only determined by your students success, the end.
Link said on December 16, 2010 at 3:14 pm
Being a teacher is a calling and not just a job. It takes a special person to connect with their students in a way that encourages learning. When teaching becomes nothing more than a paycheck, that’s when the kids check out.
Tony said on December 21, 2010 at 2:04 pm
Well said Link. I think the teachers should be truly interested in teaching and not just there because they can’t go back and change their major. I’ve had teachers that are excited to be teaching and it makes the experience so much better.
Diana said on December 30, 2010 at 1:41 pm
I asked my son what makes a good teacher and he told me this:
Good teachers treat their students with respect
Good teachers don’t have double standards
Good teachers are honest
Good teachers give their students a lot of choice in their assignments
Good teachers have creative ways of presenting class
Good teachers get to know their students individually
Good teachers stand up for their students
Good teachers let students listen to music (with headphones on!)
Good teachers don’t give much or any homework
.......Here’s to great teachers! Cheap Edmonton Hotels
William Lee said on January 06, 2011 at 3:32 pm
I really think that great teachers are a rarity these days. I think that they are those who could actually relate to the children. Someone who would take the time for each student, either the straight A students or those who regularly fall below average and see how he/she can do to help them improve themselves. Cityville
Patrick Calhoune said on January 12, 2011 at 5:25 pm
I remember the teachers who captivated me. They were the ones who enjoyed what they were teaching, not just showing up for a paycheck. It was always easy for me to spot the good, and the bad. Whenever I had a bad teacher, and a bad grade I would try to explain to my parents how the teacher just doesn’t put forth any effort. I’m not the type that learns through reading as well as someone showing me. My parents never believed me (nor should they). Sometimes I would think to myself, “I bet they’re better at plumbing than teaching”. That’s saying something considering they didn’t know a lick about plumbing.
Kirk said on January 18, 2011 at 3:41 pm
I went back to school at the age of 38 after some life issues and was captivated by the then teacher who was nearing retirement. Her ways to help people understand and show with a different approach tolearning made her students highly successful in which they would of never gotten it. Anyone can become a teacher but it takes a real unique individual to teach!
Lisa said on April 05, 2011 at 8:44 am
I’m currently studying to become a teach and think that the most important thing is to take really have a strong persistence to help your school kids and to know that there will be time when my enthusiasm will not be up as much as it is right now. I also started meditation which should help me to keep calm and focused.
rtholo said on April 19, 2011 at 10:43 pm
They hype it because she was the first black Oscar winner, when in fact it was Whoopi Goldberg for her role in Ghost
Dave said on August 02, 2011 at 1:52 pm
A great teacher looks beyond standardized test scores and realizes that intelligence is not something that can be measured equally in every student. A great teacher doesn’t ask - how intelligent are you he/she asks - How are you intelligent!
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Quality Diplomas said on December 07, 2011 at 10:57 am
It’s interesting to see how all teacher’s vary in their teaching techniques. All the kids are thinking about are their quality diplomas and when they are getting out of school. It takes a great person to be a good teacher, not just the teaching.
Bora said on January 04, 2012 at 10:08 pm
People do not realize how teachers effect them in latter life. I was very lucky to have very supportive and caring teachers. They are so important in your formative years
Karen said on June 29, 2012 at 8:25 am
Your article acknowledged that TFA results for teachers of math were more favorable than those for teachers of English. A follow up article exploring why this might be true would be most welcome. As an English teacher who perseveres, I am most curious and suspect that this may have to do with the nature of the respective disciplines.
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There are many thing which manke the teacher great, the attitude of teacher make him great and his friendly behaviour with his student can make him best.