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25 Things Successful Teachers Do Differently

1. Successful teachers have clear objectives

How do you know if you are driving the right way when you are traveling somewhere new?

You use the road signs and a map (although nowadays it might be SIRI or a GPS! In the

world of edu"ation# your ob$e"tives for your students a"t as road signs to your destination!

Your plan is the map! %aking a plan does not suggest a la"k of "reativity in your "urri"ulum

but rather# gives "reativity a framework in whi"h to flourish!

2. Successful teachers have a sense of purpose

&e "an't all be blessed with epi") workdays all the time! Sometimes# life is $ust mundane

and tedious! *ea"hers with a sense of purpose that are able to see the big pi"ture "an ride

above the hard and boring days be"ause their eye is on something further down the road!

3. Successful teachers are able to live without immediate feedbac

*here is nothing worse than sweating over a lesson plan only to have your students walk out

of "lass without so mu"h as a smile or a# Great $ob tea"h+) It's hard to give ,--. and notsee immediate results! *ea"hers who rely on that instant gratifi"ation will get burned out and

disillusioned! /earning# relationships# and edu"ation are a messy endeavor# mu"h like

nurturing a garden! It takes time# and some dirt# to grow!

!. Successful teachers now when to listen to students and when to ignore them

Right on the heels of the above tip is the "on"ept of dis"ernment with student feedba"k! 0

tea"her who never listens to his1her students will ultimately fail! 0 tea"her who always listens

to his1her students will ultimately fail! It is no simple endeavor to know when to listen and

adapt# and when to say# 2o3 we're going this way be"ause I am the tea"her and I see the

long term pi"ture!)

5. Successful teachers have a positive attitude

2egative energy 4aps "reativity and it makes a ni"e breeding ground for fear of failure! Good

tea"hers have an upbeat mood# a sense of vitality and energy# and see past momentary

setba"ks to the end goal! Positivity breeds "reativity!

". Successful teachers e#pect their students to succeed

*his "on"ept is similar for parents as well! Students need someone to believe in them! *hey

need a wiser and older person to put sto"k in their abilities! Set the bar high and then "reatean environment where it's okay to fail! *his will motivate your students to keep trying until

they rea"h the e5pe"tation you've set for them!

$. Successful teachers have a sense of humor

Humor and wit make a lasting impression! It redu"es stress and frustration# and gives people

a "han"e to look at their "ir"umstan"es from another point of view! If you interviewed ,---

students about their favorite tea"her# I'll bet 67. of them were hysteri"al!

%. Successful teachers use praise authentically

Students need en"ouragement yes# but real en"ouragement! It does no good to praise their

work when you know it is only 7-. of what they are "apable of! You don't want to "reate an

environment where there is no praise or re"ognition8 you want to "reate one where the praise

that you offer is valuable 9:;0

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&. Successful teachers now how to tae riss

*here is a wise saying that reads# *hose who go $ust a little bit too far are the ones who

know $ust how far one "an go!) Risk3taking is a part of the su""essful formula! Your students

need to see you try new things in the "lassroom and they will wat"h "losely how you handle

failure in your risk3taking! *his is as important as what you are tea"hing!

1'. Successful teachers are consistent

;onsisten"y is not to be "onfused with stu"k!) ;onsisten"y means that you do what you say

you will do# you don't "hange your rules based on your mood# and your students "an rely on

you when they are in need! *ea"hers who are stu"k in their outdated methods may boast

"onsisten"y# when in fa"t it is "leverly3masked stubbornness!

11. Successful teachers are reflective

In order to avoid be"oming the stu"k and stubborn tea"her# su""essful edu"ators take time to

refle"t on their methods# their delivery# and the way they "onne"t with their students!

Refle"tion is ne"essary to un"over those weaknesses that "an be strengthened with a bit of

resolve and understanding!

12. Successful teachers see out mentors of their own

Refle"tive tea"hers "an easily get disheartened if they don't have someone a bit older and

wiser offering support! You are never too old or wise for a mentor! %entors "an be that voi"e

that says# Yes your refle"tions are "orre"t#) or 2o# you are off be"ause=!) and provide you

with a different perspe"tive!

13. Successful teachers communicate with parents

;ollaboration between parents and tea"hers is absolutely "ru"ial to a student's su""ess! ;reatean open path of "ommuni"ation so parents "an "ome to you with "on"erns and you "an do the

same! &hen a tea"her and parents present a united front# there is a lower "han"e that your

student will fall through the "ra"ks!

1!. Successful teachers enjoy their wor

It is easy to spot a tea"her who loves their work! *hey seem to emanate "ontagious energy!

:ven if it on a sub$e"t like advan"ed "al"ulus# the sub$e"t "omes alive! If you don't love your

work or your sub$e"t# it will "ome through in your tea"hing! *ry to figure out why you feel so

unmotivated and uninspired! It might have nothing to do with the sub$e"t# but your

e5pe"tations! 0d$ust them a bit and you might find your love of tea"hing "ome flooding ba"k!

15. Successful teachers adapt to student needs

;lassrooms are like an ever3evolving dynami" organism! >epending on the day# the

attendan"e roster# and the phase of the moon# you might have to "hange up your plans or your

s"hedule to a""ommodate your students! 0s they grow and "hange# your methods might have

to as well! If your goal is to promote a "urri"ulum or method# it will feel like a personal insult

when you have to modify it! %ake "onne"ting with your student your goal and you'll have no

trouble "hanging it up as time moves on!

1". Successful teachers welcome change in the classroom

*his relates to the above tip# but in a slightly different way! Have you ever been so bored with

your house or your bedroom# only to rearrange it and have it feel like a new room? ;hange

ignites the brain with e5"itement and adventure! ;hange your "lassroom to keep your

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students on their toes! Simple "hanges like rearranging desks and routines "an breathe new

life in the middle of a long year!

1$. Successful teachers tae time to e#plore new tools

&ith the advan"e of te"hnology# there are fresh new resour"es and tools that "an add great

fun"tionality to your "lassroom and "urri"ulum! *here is no doubt that the students you are

tea"hing (far younger than you probably already use te"hnologies you haven't tapped into

yet! >on't be afraid to push for te"hnology in the "lassroom! It is often an underfunded area

but in this "urrent world and "limate# your students will be growing up in a world where

te"hnology is everywhere! Give them a headstart and use te"hnology in your "lassroom!

1%. Successful teachers give their students emotional support

*here are days when your students will need your emotional support more than a pie"e of

information! ;onne"ting to your students on an emotional level makes it more likely that they

will listen to your "ounsel and take your advi"e to heart! Students need mentors as mu"h as

they need tea"hers!

1&. Successful teachers are comfortable with the unnown

It's diffi"ult to tea"h in an environment where you don't know the future of your "lassroom

budget# the involvement of your student's parents# or the out"ome of all your hard work! n a

more philosophi"al level# edu"ators who tea"h the higher grades are tasked with tea"hing

students prin"iples that have a lot of unknowns (i!e! physi"s! How "omfortable are you with

not having all the answers? Good tea"hers are able to fun"tion without everything tied up

neatly in a bow!

2'. Successful teachers are not threatened by parent advocacy

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2!. Successful teachers brea out of the bo#

It may be a self3made bo5! h I "ould never do that#) you say to yourself! Perhaps you

promised you'd never be"ome the tea"her who would let students grade ea"h other (maybe

you had a bad e5perien"e as a kid! Sometimes the biggest obsta"le to growth is us! Have you

built a bo5 around your tea"hing methods? Good tea"hers know when it's time to break out of

it!

25. Successful teachers are masters of their subject

Good tea"hers need to know their "raft! In addition to the methodology of tea"hing)# you

need to master your sub$e"t area! /earn# learn# and never stop learning! Su""essful edu"ators

stay "urious!