9 Key Qualities of a Good Teacher (That Surprise You)

Wondering what the qualities of a good teacher are? You’re in the right place.

Teachers learn the skills that make them proficient at their jobs from on-the-job experience and training.

However, essential teacher qualities are personality traits that you bring to the job that would make you a great teacher. These personality traits can make or break whether a teacher will be truly effective at their job as a teacher.

People who hire teachers, such as principals and school boards, are often trained to look for buzz words in the interview process- but really, it’s these key attributes that really determine how effective a teacher will really be at their job.

As someone who worked as a public school teacher for 10 years, I’m going to fill you in on:

• the personality traits that make someone an effective teacher who will be able to withstand the pros and cons of the job
• signs that you are (or will be) one of those great teachers who will foster a great learning environment

So, let’s jump in – the most important qualities of a GOOD teacher

9 Key Qualities of a Great Teacher

Here are the personality traits and qualities that make someone naturally a great teacher.

1. Attentiveness

Teaching is a career that draws many extroverts (which is a good thing – it is easier to be an extrovert than an introvert in this profession) but good teachers remind themselves to stop and listen as well.

Attentiveness is about good listening, which is a skill often overlooked skill when it comes to teaching and leadership.

You can’t be a good teacher without being an attentive listener, because practicing attentive listening allows you to:

• hear and understand questions and thoughts expressed by your students, their parents, colleagues, and your admin
• confirm your students’ understanding
• figure out what your students are trying to express (they are not as articulate as adults)

Being attentive to the needs, thoughts and voices of others is a part of being a great teacher that can really reach the students, and make a difference in their lives.

2. Self-awareness

Without some level of self-awareness, you can’t be mindful of how you practice, words, thoughts, actions and feelings directly impact your students.

Self-awareness is crucial when it comes to teaching. As a teacher, being self-aware allows you to:

• consider how your perspective, actions and behaviour impact others
• reflect on your work; what went well and what you would change
• reflect on your own needs and boundaries when it comes to your job

Pro Tip: Self-awareness isn’t about striving to be a ‘perfect’ teacher, or please everyone, (because that will never be possible.) It means being able to always be mindful of your thoughts, words and actions and the impact they have on others

4. Flexibility

Good teachers make plans, but are flexible enough to make tweaks or adjustments when something unexpected comes up.

My teaching professor always told us “if it ain’t noisy, and it ain’t messy, then it ain’t learning.”

When you’re a teacher, you need to be ok sometimes with things not going according to plan, because things often won’t.

If you pride yourself on perfectionism, and having all systems running smoothly – then I won’t lie – you may get frustrated sometimes as a teacher.

There are quite often unexpected bumps in the road in the classroom, which you may or may not have predicted.

As a teacher, you learn how to roll with the curveballs and patch things up as best possible.

5. Empathy

Being able to empathize is one of the most important personality traits for being a teacher, and it’s not nearly as easy to do as people think it is.

Brené Brown writes in her book Dare to Lead, that in order to empathize with someone, you need to be able to think of a relatable situation of a time you felt the way they did.

(That requires some uncomfortable thoughts, which is why not everyone is great at it!)

When you can empathize, you can feel the situation someone else is in, and use that to guide your actions moving forward to support them.

In the age of Artificial Intelligence, it is those who have empathy that have the future – in effective teaching, as well as other jobs. In fact, empathy is one of the most useful transferable skills to teaching.

If you believe you may struggle with understanding or empathizing with some of your more challenging student’s points of view, then here are some books that may help:

• What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing – will help you understand the behaviour and worldview of your students who have faced trauma
• Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City – will help you understand the effect that poverty has on students

6. Patience

Patience and flexibility often go hand in hand but are still two separate personality traits that teachers need to be good at their jobs.

In the teaching world, you are working with a variety of personalities; some of them challenging to deal with.

You need a lot of patience in order to give students the chance they need.

Sometimes, you might be the only person in their life who is giving them that chance (and, its likely not something they will see or appreciate for years to come.)

Change doesn’t happen overnight – not with the improvement of a single person, or with a class as a whole.

Classroom management, for example, is one of the toughest parts of the job and requires a lot of patience and consistency in order to do well.

Good teachers are in it for the long haul, and don’t give up on their students or their class.

6. Optimism

Optimism is a trait that is not always easy to maintain but is vital for being a teacher.

In the book Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things, psychologist Adam Grant tells us that people are more likely to achieve and improve if their leaders (bosses or teachers) believe that they can.

Optimism allows you to:

• believe in the potential and the capabilities of your students
• know that there is always room for improvement
• regardless of how bad things currently are, there’s a way for it to get better

Without these beliefs, it will not only be hard to be a teacher (as you would get so bogged down with negativity) but you wouldn’t be able to best support your students because you’d find it hard to be optimistic about their potential.

So, your belief and optimism about how far your students has some correlation with their success – that’s why its so important that you, as their leader, can believe in them.

7. Confidence

A healthy dose of confidence is very helpful for being an effective teacher.

I can’t even sugarcoat how hard this career can be sometimes. Getting through this career and doing it well requires some thick skin.

When you exhibit some confidence, you make other people (administrators, parents) more confident in your abilities, assessments and knowledge.

Being more confident in your abilities as a teacher puts them at ease.

The phrase that got me through some of the most challenging moments was, Fake it until you make it. I was very nervous for my teaching interviews, but I acted as confident as I could.

Teachers who are confident are less likely to be questioned. Being questioned less means less stress.

If confidence is something you struggle with, this doesn’t mean you wouldn’t be a good teacher. Things to remind yourself of are:

• Know your worth
• Know what you have studied and the value it brings to the classroom
• Know that you want and will do what is best for your students and the learning environment

Pro Tip: ‘Too much’ confidence isn’t what you should aim for. You want the right amount – just enough to fight imposter syndrome but not so much that you don’t lose your empathy and self-awareness.

8. Critical Thinking

If you work for a publicly funded school, then a lot of decisions made about what you teach, and how you teach it, are made by higher-ups – often people who haven’t been in a classroom in many years.

This can be frustrating as a teacher, because often you are the one who knows best about what would support your student.

Regardless of what you’re told to do, great teachers are excellent critical thinkers and are constantly assessing a situation to determine the best course of action.

To be clear, I’m not saying that teachers should think critically in order to bend rules.

However, they don’t mindlessly support whatever the current recommendation is just because someone said that it was best – they think about it, and they consider how it will impact their students and the learning environment.

9. Courageous

Being a teacher is a big responsibility and an important job. Although it is sometimes (sadly and wrongfully) seen as glorified babysitting, it is more than that.

As a teacher, you need to do more than simply care for your student’s well-being. You also need to:

• motivate your students
• be comfortable with an ever-changing world
• have the guts to embrace vulnerability when needed (you are human too)
• advocate for a better learning environment

Being a teacher requires honesty, integrity and openness and is not for the light of heart.

Signs that You’re a ‘Great’ Teacher

Unsure if you have some of the above qualities of a good teacher? Don’t worry – most teachers are very hard on themselves. Here are some signs that you are doing an amazing job in the classroom and that the school is (or will be!) fortunate to have you

1. You know when to be vulnerable

Part of being a good teacher is being human. The biggest reason we don’t want robots teaching our kids (anytime soon) is because they don’t understand or connect with real human emotion.

Vulnerability is the choice to explore the more vulnerable parts of ourselves, as a way to connect with others.

Good leaders and teachers know when to lean into vulnerability.

Being vulnerable as a teacher means:

• Admitting that you don’t have all the answers
• Admitting when you’ve made a mistake
• Expressing your own personal feelings when necessary.

I sometimes shared with my students how some of their behaviours (such as shouting in class) impacted me, which helped them look at it from a different angle.

I also welcomed any student correcting me, or calling me out on a mistake. Showing that it’s okay to make mistakes and learn from them modelling a growth mindset.

2. You reflect on how lessons went

Lessons don’t always go perfectly, and good teachers often find themselves asking what could have gone better.

At the same time, they don’t beat themselves up if things don’t go perfectly, because if so – they would feel badly daily.

Instead, good teachers use a growth mindset with their own performance (similar to how they would with students) as to how to make it better next time they teach a similar lesson.

This gives them the greatest teacher quality of all – the resistance and motivation to constantly improve. It’s not about being ‘perfect’, its about being better.

3. You support other teachers and school staff

The best teachers know that the student’s benefit of being at school doesn’t just end at their classroom doors – its important for the entire school to be a place of acceptance and belonging.

While one teacher cannot change this, good teachers know that they can contribute to a positive school climate it by:

• sharing resources with other teachers
• making new teachers feel welcome in the school environment
• doing their part to contribute to positive school morale

Teachers have good leadership skills that allow them to be natural mentors and helpers to each other, as well as to their students.

4. You set boundaries with work

Teaching is a career that will take as much from you as you’re willing to give. Without boundaries, being a teacher will drain your energy, and likely burn you out.

Good teachers know that when they take the time to care for themselves, they can be more supportive to their students.

Here are the reasons why being good at setting boundaries is a crucial skill for a teacher:

• it prevents burnout
• it promotes teacher work-life balance

Good teachers put forth their best effort with their class, but they recognize the signs in themselves that they need a break and when it’s time to destress.

5. You have a life outside of school

Science shows that taking breaks from work actually makes you more productive, not less. Good teachers know that overworking themselves will be end up being more detrimental than helpful.

If you practice work-life balance as a way to disconnect, recharge and be ‘yourself,’ then that will help you be a better teacher.

Taking breaks from work can include hobbies, friends and family, fitness regiments or even volunteering for causes outside of the school.

These activities and breaks outside of school allow you to come back to the classroom happier, and more recharged for the students. This benefits you, but also your students too!

6. You model inclusion and belonging in and outside the classroom

Academics aside, the most important thing about your classroom is making everyone feel welcome.

Teachers know that the main keys to being a good teacher are:

• that the students feel heard
• that the students feel a sense of belonging in the classroom

You model this as outside the classroom as well. You are kind and welcoming to other staff members and don’t want to see anyone left out or excluded.

You know that the school is a better place when everyone there feels a sense of community, and you do your part.

7. You try to stay organized

Organization is something that doesn’t come natural to me, because of my abstract way of looking at things.

Over the years working as a teacher, I got better at it – and developed systems to keep myself organized.

Being a good teacher means that you try to stay organized as well. There is so much data and documentation that we’re responsible for that is important to keep track of.

Some organization tips, in case this is a struggle for you too:

• Have binder separators so you can keep things in order
• Have a binder or folder dedicated to certain things- parent communication, anecdotals
• Have emergency plans in case of an unexpected supply teacher
• Keep a teacher survival kit at work with things that you need throughout the day (so that you don’t need to make a trip to the store or go home on lunch breaks)

Find some other great classroom organization ideas here.

8. You aren’t a perfectionist

Being a perfectionist in the workplace is more toxic than it is helpful.

Being a perfectionist means that you are:

• may be missing out on what of the other key elements of being a good teacher- vulnerability. People who strive for perfection without ever making a mistake or taking a risk are not showing their students that mistakes are part of improvement and learning

• being a perfectionist in the workplace can sometimes create competition, and rivalry – especially among teachers, who all want to be perceived as doing a good job by their principal.

For that reason, to succeed at teaching, I think its very necessary to ask for help, admit if you’re having a hard time, and normalize learning from mistakes.

Attributes of Great Teachers FAQ

Here are the most commonly asked questions about qualities that make an amazing teacher

What are the qualities of an ideal teacher?

An ideal teacher has a very good balance of many varying quantities. Great teachers show patience but boundaries, confidence but vulnerability, optimism but also critical thinking. Good teachers are masters at using the right balance of attitudes in order to promote a positive learning environment for their students.

What defines a great teacher?

A great teacher is someone who values education, sees the best in children, sets good boundaries but also knows when to make things fun and engaging. They are natural coaches who are inclusive, and kind, earn their students’ respect and motivate them to do their best.

What are the 5 qualities of a good teacher?

Five qualities of a good teacher are attentiveness, patience, kindness, self-awareness and understanding. But there are other important qualities too that are not often talked about when it comes to being a great teacher.

What are the attributes of excellent teachers?

Excellent teachers are patient, understanding and inclusive. They are self-aware enough to know their boundaries, when to self-reflect and when to be vulnerable. This makes them leaders that students connect with and learn from

Final Thoughts on Qualities of a Good Teacher

Teachers more than ever these days, are bogged down with more needs than they can often effectively handle on their own. It’s not any teacher’s fault if they can’t help to the fullest extent with everyone they’d like to.

The qualities mentioned in this article are what allow teachers to push through the challenges of their job, look at it in a healthy way, and bring out the best in themselves and in their students.

Teaching is not for everyone; this is a big reason why so many teachers end up leaving the profession.

I am so thankful for these teachers who exhibit these traits, and for the lasting positive impact they have in many students’ lives.