Preface

The success of a school depends, in large measure, on the quality of its teaching staff. When teachers know how to teach, students will learn. When teachers are effective, parents will be happy. When teachers look good, their principals also look good. But, what does an effective teacher actually look like? What are the traits that characterize skillful and successful teachers?

Those of us with years of administrative experience have discovered that identifying these paragons of pedagogical virtue on the basis of a short interview or a written application is a formidable task. Transcripts and recommendations are only as good as the universities and individuals that issue them. Appearances are sometimes deceiving. Administrators (myself included) can be the victims of our own prejudices or personalities-hiring graduates of our alma maters or eliminating candidates who fail to laugh at our jokes. Sometimes we're like last-minute holiday shoppers-frantic to make a decision and cross one more vacancy off our list. Or, we may not have a clear picture of just what to look for in a teacher. We're unaware of the important characteristics of a successful teacher-those traits that are essential no matter what the size, shape, age, gender, or fashion preferences of the individual may be. We are, in fact, often distracted by irrelevant variables, forgetting that the ten traits of highly effective teachers are packaged in an infinite number of ways.

Hiring new staff members is not the only time that administrators need to know what a good teacher looks like. Few of us have had the privilege of hand picking a complete teaching staff. More often we're stuck with somebody else's choices and are faced with supervision, evaluation, and even remediation. I recently conducted a workshop entitled Improving Reading Instruction in Grades K-2. The majority of participants, elementary school principals, watched a videotaped reading lesson and jotted down their answers to the following questions:

• What behaviors of the teacher were effective and should be continued in further lessons?
• What behaviors of the teacher were ineffective and should be eliminated or minimized in further lessons?
• What effective teaching behaviors that were missing from the lesson should be initiated/included in subsequent lessons?

Some principals were effusive in their praise of the videotaped teacher. "She's terrific. I'd hire her in a heart-beat," said one principal.

"She definitely needs some coaching," suggested another. But, she's certainly better than most of the candidates I've seen lately."

"I have real reservations about her based on this lesson," opined another. "If I can't figure out what she's talking about, how can a group of first-graders?"

Others didn't like what she was wearing and how she sat. "Unprofessional!"

The brand-new administrators in the group listened in astonishment to the lively exchange. They were hoping for answers. Instead they got ambiguity. "Just what should I be looking for during an observation?" said one in desperation. The few teacher participants in attendance were grateful that they were not being dissected and discussed by these picky principals.

In an Education Week essay on teacher preparation, Richard Andrews related a conversation he held with the oldest living schoolteacher in the United States. This outspoken senior citizen didn't mince any words on the subject of teacher quality. "Since I can remember, there have always been three kinds of teachers," she said. "One group was just born to teach. A second group was born and should not teach. A third group should never have been born at all" (2000, 37). You might be able to chuckle at this blunt assessment if you haven't personally experienced the second and third groups up close. Those of us who have (the writer included) aren't laughing-we're crying. We know from our own experiences that poor teachers add stress and sleepless nights to principals' lives, contribute to low staff morale, and create scores of angry parents. But most depressing of all, is that ineffective teachers damage students and diminish learning (Sanders & Rivers, 1996).

Administrators aren't the only ones who need to know what a good teacher looks like. Brand new and even experienced teachers are eager to find out just what constitutes a highly effective teacher and how they can become one. They are feeling as beleaguered as their principals. "Raise test scores. Meet the needs of the gifted. Teach included children. And, don't forget to leap tall buildings in a single bound." One teacher summarized the pressures: "[We] are asked to be the writer and performer in a different five-hour play every day. It's not easy for us to tailor and perform one effective five-hour script a day, much less different scripts for the middle, top and bottom" (Nelson, 2001, Online). How can one individual do all of this? Reading about the ten traits will encourage and inspire you.

You may be curious about the origin of the ten traits I have chosen to include in this book. I have taken Philip Jackson's suggestions. In Life in Classrooms, he wrote that "to grasp the meaning of what school is like for students and teachers we must not hesitate to use all the ways of knowing at our disposal. This means we must ask, and look, and listen, and count things, and talk to people, and even muse introspectively over the memories of our own childhood. Ultimately of course we are tempted to write about what we know" (1968, pp. vii-viii).

I have done almost everything Jackson advises. I read widely in the literature (both qualitative and quantitative) regarding the traits of effective teachers. Those extensive findings are summarized for you throughout the book. I paid particular attention to the research that illuminates the relationship between the specific things that teachers do while they are teaching and how well their students achieve-an area of critical concern in today's era of accountability. I then submitted my list of traits to a variety of outstanding teachers and asked them to consider the validity of each one for inclusion in the final list, as well as to reflect on the importance of the trait in their personal teaching lives. They wrote essays, made lists, told stories, and sent me copies of their writing. Their reflections and observations are included throughout the book. I listened to what students had to say about what is important to them in a teacher, and you will find some of their opinions and ideas in the book as well. Like Phillip Jackson, I have also written about what I know, and I have known a lot of teachers in my lifetime. My sister is a teacher, both of my children teach at the college level, and even my favorite next-door neighbor is a teacher. During my several careers as a student, teacher, librarian, principal, central office administrator, and parent of two children, I've encountered and worked with hundreds of teachers. I've hired them, mentored them, motivated them, coached them, and in some difficult cases, I've terminated them.

This book is designed for educators on both sides of the desk-administrators and teachers. I have written Ten Traits of Highly Effective Teachers for results-oriented administrators who daily face the pressures of accountability. Engaged and high-achieving students, whether five-year olds or freshmen, don't just happen. They blossom under the tutelage of skillful teachers. The ability to recognize and nurture effective teachers is an essential skill of the instructional leader. Principals, human resource administrators, and superintendents will find ideas and information in this book to: 1) help them improve instruction in their schools; 2) inspire them to become more able mentors and coaches to their teachers; and 3) assist them in making decisions about teaching personnel. Trainers of teachers can use this book as they work with students in preservice preparation; my selection of traits and potential interview questions will engender many lively discussions.

I have also written this book for teachers-not only for newcomers who are looking for information and inspiration as they seek to write their own personal definition of highly effective teaching, but also for experienced teachers who need affirmation and validation that the calling they once felt to teach is still alive and well.

This book will not only increase administrators' abilities to hire, coach, mentor, and motivate effective teachers; but also give every teacher, whether a beginner or a master, a renewed sense of mission and vision for what teaching can be.

Overview of the Contents

Chapter 1 presents a brief overview of some "famous" highly effective teachers and then introduces you to the ten traits. They are highlighted through the stories and in the words of several contemporary teachers. You will discover that the ten traits fall into three distinct categories: 1) personal traits that signify character; 2) teaching traits that get results; and 3) intellectual traits that demonstrate knowledge, awareness, and self-understanding. Just who is the effective teacher? The "big picture" will emerge once you have completed Chapter 1.

Chapters 2 through 6 describe each of the traits in detail. There are also a number of "special features" for each of the traits:

• A reproducible graphic organizer for each trait to assist visual learners;
• A list of questions for administrators to use during interviews of teacher candidates or by teachers to prepare for job interviews;
• Recommended readings to enhance and enlarge one's personal understanding and appreciation of each trait; and
• A collection of reflective questions and exercises to energize experienced teachers both in individual and group settings.

Chapters 3, 4, and 5 describe the teaching traits that get results. Chapter 3 describes # 4: "With-It-Ness" and # 5: Style. Chapter 4 presents # 6: Motivational Expertise, and Chapter 5 completes the discussion of the teaching traits with # 7: Instructional Effectiveness. The highly effective teacher can skillfully organize a classroom, design a compelling lesson that incorporates what learners need, and then convince even the most reluctant students that they can learn and that he/she is just the person to get the job done. The effective teacher gets results. "There is more to good teaching than skill, but there's no good teaching without it" (Saphier & Gower, 1967, p. 3).

Chapter 6 describes the intellectual traits that indicate knowledge, curiosity, and reflection. Teachers need Trait # 8: Book Learning; Trait # 9: Street Smarts; and Trait # 10: A Mental Life to be highly effective.

Chapter 7 describes the hiring process and includes tips from experienced administrators regarding what works for them as they induct and orient new teachers. It also contains a complete list of the interview questions that appeared along with each trait. This complete list is a valuable asset for administrators who are interviewing teacher candidates as well as for teachers preparing for those all important job interviews.

Chapter 8 describes the mentoring process-how new teachers and teachers new to a school can be supported and encouraged in their efforts to become effective.

Finally, Chapter 9 gives suggestions regarding how experienced teachers can be empowered and energized-through personal reflection and study or through staff development and administrative instructional leadership. Several resources are also included to give you a more in-depth look at specific topics and issues that are mentioned throughout the book.

Acknowledgments

The author would like to acknowledge the following reviewers:

Marsha Arest
Patricia Taylor
Linda Taylor

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