It’s a good question: What makes a teacher great?
We’ve all known teachers who were good — even brilliant — at their subject. But that’s not the same as being great. At the school I attended, the smartest minds in the staff room were often the poorest teachers. They understood their material, but not their students. The best teachers, on the other hand, were often the ones who had struggled to understand. They knew what it was like to wrestle with ideas. And that struggle made them better guides.
Good teachers know their subject. Great teachers love people.
Great teachers notice things — the withdrawn student, the unspoken tension, the health challenge quietly managed, the home life that spills into the playground. They see below the surface and act in small but meaningful ways. They teach humans, not just content.
Good teachers explain. Great teachers explore.
I’ve learned much from Parker Palmer, especially his challenge to both teacher-centred and student-centred models. His vision of subject-centred learning changed the way I think. The best learning happens not when the teacher is the expert or the student is the customer, but when both teacher and student are held by something greater — the subject itself. A living body of knowledge with depth, history, and mystery. Great teachers invite students to explore that landscape together.
Good teachers stay current. Great teachers stay curious.
Great teachers are learners first. They pursue formal study, informal insights, and unexpected lessons that emerge from the classroom itself. They welcome change — even in the form of disruptive technology — not because it’s easy, but because it matters. They want their students to flourish in a world that never stands still.
Good teachers keep order. Great teachers manage life in miniature.
A classroom is a small society, and managing it takes artistry. I’m in awe of those who can hold together a group of learners with wildly different needs: the eager, the distracted, the comedians, the invisible. It’s more than crowd control. It’s choreography.
Good teachers do their job. Great teachers give their lives.
The hours go long. The recognition is often missing. Yet great teachers show up — evenings, weekends, holidays — doing what needs to be done because they believe it matters. No fanfare. Just faithfulness.
Great teachers are not perfect. But they are unforgettable. They don’t just deliver content — they shape lives.
The Afterword 
Leave a comment