Comments on: Is My Child’s Teacher a Good Teacher?

By: Awesome

Awesome — Wed, 09 Jul 2014 16:16:00 +0000

I am Awesome.

By: Stephanie Black

Stephanie Black — Wed, 09 Jul 2014 16:13:00 +0000

Hi, I’m 9 years old and it’s always been my dream to teach. I want to be the type of teacher that kids love. I used this to know what I have to do when I teach. Really good.

By: Danielle

Danielle — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 20:37:38 +0000

Sending my son to school was the hardest thing I ever did. Here is the post I wrote the night before he went to school for the first time. It describes my desires and dreams for my son’s kindergarten experience.

http://bloggingwithboys.blogspot.com/2010/08/my-expectations-of-kindergarten.html

By: Melissa Taylor

Melissa Taylor — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 20:51:11 +0000

In reply to Libby. thanks, Libby! Glad to meet you.

By: Libby

Libby — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 17:31:35 +0000

Thanks for these helpful insights. I really appreciate all of the different thoughts and ideas that I’ve found here. I too struggled with sending my kids back to school at the beginning of the year. It was helpful for me to read your correspondence with the kindergarten teacher and how you articulated yourself in such a kind and respectful manner. Putting a bookmark in here! I’ll be back often. Thanks!

By: Terry Doherty

Terry Doherty — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 15:22:50 +0000

This is a great list Melissa … and incredibly valuable for parent volunteers who walk into a classroom and ask (like I do) how do they do this? Great teachers make themselves standout without saying a word.

I would add one thing to the list – and it may be a nuance to your first two points – but great teachers know every kid and educate them individually. My daughter’s first grade teacher handled the class of 22 by herself and could adjust the learning to each child’s needs. In second grade, the teacher treated everyone as a herd so even though they got “second grade work” everyone stayed together regardless of whether it was too challenging or too boring.

By: Tiffany's Toy Box

Tiffany's Toy Box — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 21:16:23 +0000

These are all great ways to tell if a teacher is good. I also think a good teacher keeps in contact with the parents, and likes to do so and welcomes parent involvement. A good teacher knows that teaching the kids is not just their job, parents MUST take an active role for it to really work.

By: Dawn Morris

Dawn Morris — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 21:08:57 +0000

Great list! I’d just like to add two things:

1. Children’s books are an integral part of the classroom and the curriculum. They’re used not only as learning tools for any and all subjects, but also to help children discover the joy of reading, looking at books, and learning on their own or with a partner. If a teacher doesn’t know a lot about children’s literature, or has no time to research appropriate books for classroom themes, she should not hesitate to seek out help from the school librarian.

2. A great teacher stops, looks, and listens when a teachable moment arises. Instead of worrying about getting through a lesson in a certain amount of time, s/he realizes that it’s more important to use real events to spark meaningful discussions in the classroom.

That’s my two cents. Thanks for getting the conversation going!