Myth of Daedelus and How It Relares to Student

Read these essays that our students have written and you’ll have a pretty good idea of what makes a great teacher.
Our students say…
• A great teacher “has a positive attitude, a smile on her face and an encouraging word for her students” and explains “the material so that all students can understand.”
And I agree. I’ve visited classrooms across our district and been impressed by how hard our teachers work to make sure all children understand. I’m also impressed with our teachers’ eagerness to take courses to find new ways to reach students, with the hours they spend preparing, with their willingness to share with each other and learn from each other. One student really described what I’ve seen in so many of our classrooms when she wrote, my teacher “loves to use multiple learning styles to help educate her students.”
• A great teacher is patient. I watch our teachers explain concepts over and over and over again, each time tweaking that explanation to unlock the “aha” moment. I watch our teachers help students polish and polish and polish an essay. I watch them wait for students to learn through discovery instead of just telling them the answer.
• A great teacher listens. They listen to the child who explains why he just can’t get that paper in on time, they listen to the student who just needs to talk because her parents are splitting up, they listen to the student who’s crushed because he didn’t make the varsity team.
• A great teacher makes students feel secure. As one student writes, “I realized how strict she was going to be. The funny thing is it is her strictness that I grew to love and the reason she is my favorite teacher.”
• A great teacher believes in students. As one student writes, great teachers believe “every child can accomplish anything we set our minds on and she makes us believe it too! She’s helped me believe I am special and will make a difference in my lifetime.”
• A great teacher pushes students to succeed. One student says her...