Making All the Difference: 10 Qualities of a Great Teacher

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Todd Zipper (right) with Mr. Haig.[/caption]

Over the last few months, one of my childhood mentors and heroes has come under attack. One of the silver linings, though, has been that a great teacher, Mr. Matthew Haig (always Mr. Haig to me), has seen how many of his former students rallied behind him after what we considered to be an unjust suspension. More than 2,000 former students and parents of students have come together to try and help him. Over his 30-year career, Mr. Haig had a profound influence on many people, myself included. Such is the power of a great teacher.

The Continuing Critical Role of the Instructor

I think a lot about teaching and learning. Not only have I had a lot of schooling myself, I’ve been connected to education in my working life (either in my profession or as part of my work with a mentoring organization) since 1998. Now as CEO of The Learning House, Inc., I think daily about how to make education better, more affordable, more accessible and more scalable.

The conclusion that I continue to draw is that instructors remain a critical part of delivering amazing, outcomes-driven education that teaches lifelong skills. As the CEO of an education technology company, I obviously believe strongly in the power of technology to transform education. But while technology can support quality instruction, it cannot replace a great teacher who can inspire a student for a lifetime. What technology can do is share that instructor’s gift with more students, more easily.

10 Qualities of a Great Teacher

As I contemplated my past and the many great teachers who have had a significant positive impact on my life, I identified 10 qualities that I believe make a great teacher.

1. A great teacher sets high expectations for all students. I remember starting fifth grade and there was a big “to-do” about how Mr. Haig was “tough.” I don’t think anyone knew what this meant. As the year progressed, it was clear he set very high expectations for all of us in our own ways. I talk a lot about the concept of 20X that I learned from former Navy SEAL Mark Divine, which is the idea that we are capable of 20 times more than we think we are. Great teachers understand that we can do even more than we think and help us set ambitious goals that bring out the best in us. My confidence level soared while under Mr. Haig’s umbrella for many reasons, but one reason was that he expected the best from me each and every day and knew I and others were capable of so much.
2. A great teacher respects his or her students and finds their motivation. The best teachers find a way to love all of their students and empathize with their life circumstances and their knowledge base. What was incredible about Mr. Haig was that there was not just one type of student who appreciated his enthusiastic teaching and mentorship. If you look at the Facebook post with messages from 30 years of students, it is an amalgamation of great diversity. He gave his all to every kid no matter what. He ultimately helped us discover our motivations in the classroom and well beyond.
3. A great teacher is accessible, enthusiastic and caring. Despite his reputation for toughness, students really opened up to Mr. Haig and felt like they could be themselves. They knew his integrity was unquestionable, and he had ways of really making his students feel welcome. For example, during recess, he used to throw pop-ups to us on the playground. What teacher would do that today?
4. A great teacher has enthusiasm for his or her subject matter and can make it fun. I was blessed to have Mr. Haig both as a fifth-grader and in AP Economics and Government. He, of course, approached both age groups very differently, but with the same commitment and fervor. His enthusiasm was contagious. In fifth grade, he created a game for us where we competed in teams to practice the times tables. While there were of course winners and losers, as a class, I am certain we were the best in the school. He found a way to incorporate all the students in a larger competition against ourselves, and in the end, we all got Jolly Ranchers (watermelon was my favorite!). My senior year, when most of us, including me, had senioritis, Mr. Haig found a way to keep us engaged in learning about economics, history and government. My passion for all three remain today, and I wonder if that would have been the case without his exposure.
5. A great teacher creates a sense of community and belonging in the classroom. There was a deep connection among all who had taken Mr. Haig’s class. He always worked to involve the group in a discussion, letting us sit in a circle to have in-depth discussions. Going back to the times table example, we felt like a team working together to get better at math and of course to win more Jolly Ranchers!
6. A great teacher does not worry too much about what administrators think. It is not as if great teachers are expected to regularly rebel against the administration, but their first and highest priority is the learning and maturation of their students. They are in the classroom and often, they know what is best for their students. If we expect our teachers to just follow every overly burdensome bureaucratic order, we fail our students. The same lesson goes for business. Certainly, there are clear lines that should never be crossed, but we want to empower our teachers to do what they think is best. In the case of Mr. Haig’s current plight, it is clear to me and others that it took a lot of courage to continue to walk the walk he thought was best for his students.
7. A great teacher teaches curiosity. Today, teachers are increasingly evaluated on how well their students do on tests. There is no question in my mind that Mr. Haig’s students do well on standardized tests, but his real focus was engaging his students and getting them to start asking their own questions — in short, teaching them to be curious. I am an intensely curious person, and I can trace a lot of this to his class. I love learning new things and feel that curiosity is a key component to success.
8. A great teacher sets an example for students. Mr. Haig always “dressed for success,” wearing a bow tie every day. This was a symbol to his students that he was always ready and prepared. He took his job incredibly seriously, and we all felt this. When someone shows up this intently without exception, it raises everyone up. We all stood a little taller in our seats and pushed ourselves to pay more attention than usual.
9. A great teacher is a leader, not just a subject matter expert. Teachers are expected to know their subject matter cold. They need to be able to communicate it well. However, a teacher must lead and inspire students to learn. Learning does not always come easily, and when students truly buy into their teacher or leader, they go deeper and are willing to work harder and engage more so than might be expected.
10. A great teacher is patient and humble. A great teacher has to demonstrate incredible amounts of patience as students go through their own journeys. At the same time, a great teacher must be humble. It’s never about them, but it’s always about the students and their quest to learn and to grow as human beings. I had an incredible martial arts teacher in high school. He was so patient with me as I worked to hone my skills and overcome my fears. His talents were exceptional, but it was never about how good of a fighter or technician he was. Instead, it was always about my learning and growing.

If there is one blessing I could grant to all human beings on this Earth, it would be to have at least one incredible teacher along their journey, preferably at an early age. A great teacher not only gets his or her students to learn the content they need to know, but also helps those students with lifelong intangibles like confidence, integrity, hard work, love of learning, curiosity, resiliency and grit. I feel like I can trace a lot of these intangibles in my own life back to my time with Mr. Haig, both in middle and high school. I remember one time when I was having a rough day, and I was down about something academically related. He just looked at me and said, “Todd, always remember that the cream always rises to the top.” He believed in all of us, and in turn, we began to believe in ourselves.

To conclude, I recommend doing two things. First, I am sure you have had an influential teacher in your past, so reach out to him or her. I just had lunch with Mr. Haig this past week, and it was spectacular to reflect on our time in the classroom together as well as our journeys since. If you feel like you never had an influential teacher like Mr. Haig, find one. It’s never too late. As the famous Buddhist proverb goes, “when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”

Second, it’s also never too late to teach others and pay it forward. All of us have gifts of knowledge and understanding to give to others. I highly recommend looking for opportunities to help others as so many have done for you. This will create a virtuous cycle that can only serve to benefit you and the world.