Good vs. Bad

Today, I asked my students the following question:

What makes a teacher a good teacher or a bad teacher?

Students gave the following answers to Good teacher-

"Nice to their students"

"Fair"

"Pushes is to learn"

"Cares about us"

"Shows us that we are important"

"No homework"

"Makes sure that we are truly ready for the tests"

"Is an expert at what they teach"

"Makes us feel safe"


Students gave the following answers to Bad teacher-

"Talks down to us"

"Makes us feel stupid"

"Just here for the money"

"Looks for reasons to make us be in trouble with the Deans"

"Reads from the textbook because they don't know the answers by heart"

"Lies to us"

"Texts on their phone while we are working and doesn't have time to answer questions"

"Doesn't make our work seem very important"

What I noticed was that students that were typically successful were quickest to answer the Good Teacher question, while students that struggled in school academically and behaviorally were quickest to answer the Bad Teacher questions.

So, which came first, the student behavior or the teacher that struggled?  I would venture a guess that it started with the teacher(s).  It is always up to us to give the best possible learning experience to our students...all of our students.

Let's see what changes a Good Teacher (me) can make in those that we most knowledgeable about Bad Teachers.

Challenge Accepted!

Be Mindful.

Peace.

Mark Levine

#Mindfulliteracy
@LevineWrites