What is an Inspired Teacher?

An Inspired Teacher is…
PASSIONATE ABOUT . . .
- Teaching
- The academic and social success of students.
- The subject matter.
- Providing intellectually stimulating content, and challenging students to achieve beyond their perceived limits.
A RELATIONSHIP BUILDER WHO . . .
- Establishes a genuine, positive relationship with every student.
- Builds a true classroom community in which students behave not because they are afraid of punishment, or because they seek a reward, but because they know they are valued members of that community.
- Facilitates trust among students, and between students and staff.
- Demonstrates an exceptional commitment to teaching children the skills and attitudes that will enable them to thrive.
- Teaches students strategies for preventing and solving conflicts.
- Inspires students to take risks as part of the learning process, and allows – even encourages – students to make mistakes within a setting that is understanding and accepting.
A SKILLED OBSERVER WHO . . .
- Takes children seriously as evidenced by listening intently to students’ ideas and concerns, responding to student comments with respect, and incorporating their input into classroom activities.
- Offers consistent and meaningful feedback to students and shows them how to use that feedback to learn more.
- Continuously assesses student learning using an array of tools and multiple opportunities that represent the diversity of individual students.
- Pays attention to the success of the whole child.
- Teaches students to engage in self-assessment.
AN ENTHUSIASTIC LEARNER WHO . . .
- Is well versed in subject matter, has many methods of enabling students to learn it, and develops exciting ways of involving students in the learning process.
- Plans each lesson thoughtfully with a clear goal in mind, and is able to make spontaneous adjustments based on the ways students respond to the lesson.
- Is an experimenter, a scientist, who embraces mistakes as valuable learning experiences, and refines lessons in real-time based on what is learned with each trial.
A REFLECTIVE PRACTITIONER WHO . . .
- Engages in ongoing self-evaluation and reflection.
- Constantly challenges their own beliefs and practice.
- Generously shares ideas and strategies with colleagues.
- Actively seeks out formal and informal professional development activities to improve their teaching practice.
- Embraces new challenges.
- Knows when and how to practice self-care.
A TRUE FACILITATOR WHO KNOWS HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF STUDENTS BY . . .
- Expecting students to be intellectually – and often physically – active.
- Asking thought-provoking questions as a constant part of the teaching process.
- Using questions to share experiences and bring the world into the classroom.
- Guiding students to generate their own high-level questions.
- Encouraging students to uncover and synthesize information as the primary instructional strategy.
- Knowing when to push students to learn and when to move out of the way so they can learn on their own.
- Establishing and maintaining high expectations by holding students accountable.
- Valuing students’ ideas and intellect far more than their obedience.
AN INSPIRED TEACHER TEACHES STUDENTS HOW TO THINK, NOT WHAT TO THINK.