Key Takeaways
- Good teachers consistently share seven qualities: respect for students, thorough preparation, deep subject knowledge, high engagement skills, appropriate challenge levels for students, a commitment to lifelong learning, and strong communication with students, parents, and colleagues.
- Research shows that teachers who collaborate frequently with colleagues are significantly more likely to report meaningful improvement in their own teaching practices.1
- A BS in Elementary Education (Teacher Licensure) from Walden can equip aspiring educators with the classroom skills and licensure pathway needed to put these qualities into practice
Great teachers share seven essential qualities that distinguish them throughout their careers. The most effective educators demonstrate strong preparation1 and deep subject knowledge,2 alongside genuine care for students, high engagement skills, appropriate challenge levels, a commitment to lifelong learning, and excellent communication across audiences, which are qualities backed by decades of education research and explored throughout this article.
These characteristics remain consistent whether teaching preschool or high school. They transcend individual teaching styles and create classrooms where students feel valued, challenged, and inspired to grow.
Most people can recall a favorite teacher decades after leaving school. Whether it was Miss Katie the preschool teacher and her puppet shows about expressing feelings or how kindergarten teacher Mr. Jacobs used stories about the beach to introduce his class to marine life, memorable educators can leave lasting impressions. These teachers embodied the core qualities that research consistently identifies as hallmarks of teaching excellence.
1. Respect and value students
Good teachers care about their students and demonstrate their resolve to better the lives of future generations in their daily work. They respect their students, regardless of their age and skill, and make them feel special, important, and unique.
By creating a welcoming environment, they invite children to be themselves in a setting where they feel safe to express their full range of feelings. With warmth and compassion, they listen to concerns voiced by students and parents and build nurturing classrooms where students can feel a sense of belonging. These connections create trust and show students that their teacher sees them as complete individuals, not just learners.
Demonstrating genuine care through active listening, empathy, and respect for individual differences, can help effective teachers establish the foundation for all other learning to occur.3
2. Be prepared
The most effective teachers don’t just assign homework, they also complete their own. Much like a professional basketball coach makes game plans for the team, an effective teacher strategically plans for class with lesson plans.
In these lesson plans, teachers devise clear learning goals and requisite assignments to reinforce their teaching. The assignments allow students to practice and strengthen new skill areas. Effective teachers spend significant time outside instruction periods planning for future lessons and grading papers, allowing students to receive quick, meaningful feedback.4
Great teachers use student feedback and assessment data to determine when additional time should be spent on difficult skills. They identify which students need more individualized attention and when it's best to take a new approach to better reach learners.4
3. Know your subject matter
If you want to become a teacher, you need a deep understanding of your subject matter. School districts often require teachers to complete prerequisites or majors in the subject they’ll teach—comprehensive knowledge of a subject area is essential in effectively teaching the next generation.2
And the best teachers never stop learning. When they’re most successful, they transfer their love of learning to their students. These instructors keep abreast of new knowledge in their fields as well as emerging teaching strategies, always trying to build their knowledge base for better student education.2 When students see teachers that love learning, it becomes infectious.
4. Engage students
When you ask people about a favorite teacher, chances are they have an anecdote about a unique or creative tactic the teacher used. Whether it’s sharing a special book, song, or movie; using technology; or taking another imaginative approach, children appreciate the extra effort.
A teacher dressed in period costume can make history more interesting. Likewise, a nature hike can make learning about deciduous trees more remarkable. When teachers make lessons interesting and engaging, children become more eager to learn.4
The most engaging teachers are also attuned to the fact that no two students learn the same way. They pay attention to the different learning styles along with the unique needs and abilities of the children in their class and find ways to reach each one.
5. Challenge students
In the short term, students often enjoy easy teachers with low expectations. But over time, many recall and reminisce about tougher teachers that held high expectations and pushed them to be better students. Great teachers don’t give up on students with low grades or short attention spans. They also don’t ignore or bore high achievers. They have high expectations, are highly motivating, and believe in all of their students.
Beyond high expectations, good teachers challenge their students appropriately. A well-timed challenge can spark curiosity rather than frustration. Asking students “why”—and giving them the space to reason through an answer—is one simple way to stretch their thinking.
When teachers challenge their students, they push them to work harder, become better, and achieve more than they could imagine. The key is balancing high expectations with appropriate support and encouragement.5
6. Teach lifelong lessons
One of the biggest privileges of being a teacher is helping students to not only learn academic subjects, but to become better people. Of course teachers don’t do character education alone, families, schools, and communities all play a role in shaping who students become.
When students feel heard, valued, and safe, the classroom can become a place where lessons about teamwork, open-mindedness, and handling emotions can take root naturally, the kind of lessons that tend to stick long after the academic ones may fade.
7. Communicate well, and with varied audiences
Great teachers are also excellent communicators. They communicate effectively with all sorts of audiences: students, parents, school administrators, and co-workers. Good teachers have strong relationships with their students by being warm, available, and kind. They reach out to parents often, with both updates and concerns. They also work with administrators and other teachers to improve their own teaching as well as the schools at which they teach. Research shows that teachers who collaborate frequently with colleagues are significantly more likely to report meaningful improvement in their practice.1 They’re active participants with all stakeholders, and work earnestly with all groups.6
Outstanding teachers excel in so many areas. They work as educators first and foremost, but also as trusted friends, motivational speakers, classroom executives, subject matter experts, cheerleaders, and entertainers. With the heavy yet rewarding responsibility of educating the next generation, they encourage and inspire innumerable students.
If a future as a certified teacher appeals to you, Walden University, an HLC-accredited university offering a number of online degree programs, offers a BS in Elementary Education (Teacher Licensure). This online bachelor's degree program can equip aspiring educators with the knowledge and skills needed to pursue teacher licensure in their state so that they can begin their journey teaching elementary education.
Frequently Asked Questions
What qualities make someone a good teacher?
Good teachers respect and value their students, prepare thoroughly, know their subject matter deeply, engage students creatively, challenge them appropriately, model character and lifelong learning, and communicate well with students, parents, and colleagues.
Why is teacher preparation so important?
Well-prepared teachers create clear lesson plans and learning goals, which lets them give students faster, more meaningful feedback and identify who needs extra help sooner.4
Does a teacher’s subject-matter knowledge really matter?
Yes. School districts often require teachers to complete prerequisites or majors in the subject they teach, since comprehensive subject knowledge is essential to teaching it well.2
How does teacher collaboration improve student outcomes?
Research cited in the article shows teachers who collaborate frequently with colleagues are significantly more likely to report meaningful improvement in their own practice, which benefits students indirectly.1
What degree do I need to become a licensed elementary teacher?
A BS in Elementary Education (Teacher Licensure), such as Walden’s online program, can prepare aspiring educators with the knowledge and skills needed to pursue teacher licensure in their state.
Walden University is an accredited institution offering a BS in Elementary Education (Teacher Licensure) degree program online. Expand your career options and earn your degree in a convenient, flexible format that fits your busy life.
1Source: nces.ed.gov/Pressrelease/teacherprep.asp
2Source: www.nctq.org/research-insights/the-importance-of-content-knowledge-for-elementary-teachers/
3Source: creditsforteachers.com/building-authentic-relationships-with-students/?srsltid=AfmBOopXboVkM4dfdMSiToDOvIragh8oskJihR27DWv-X6FZyWXsTssV
4Source: www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-from-nea/beyond-checklist-what-does-good-teaching-look
5Source: www.j-psp.com/download/what-makes-an-effective-teacher-unveiling-teachers-perceptions-13795.pdf
6Source: www.edweek.org/jobs/what-makes-a-strong-teacher-hire-heres-what-school-leaders-say/2026/02
Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, www.hlcommission.org.