3 Traits Of A Gifted Teacher

I had the opportunity this week to observe a truly gifted teacher.

She was teaching a lesson to kindergarten students, many of whom she had never met. And they were mesmerized.

They were engaged and eager to follow her every direction.

But what made the lesson all the more remarkable was that there were more than 50 adults watching, and she included them as well.

She commanded the entire room from the moment she stepped forward until she humbly left the room.

So how did she do it?

Three traits in particular stood out to me.

1. She was herself.

The teacher was dressed neatly but unfashionably. The colors of her outfit didn’t quite match. Her sweater was odd, along with the accoutrements of her jewelry, hair ties, and footwear.

But in ways that were far more striking than her appearance, she was totally unique. We all are, of course. But she embraced it like a long-lost friend. Not in an outrageous or inelegant way.

She still maintained utmost professionalism.

It was clear to all watching, however, that she was completely at home in her own skin. What she presented, then, was her true personality. Unaltered, unfiltered, and unaffected by anything beyond the moral obligations of teaching children.

The way it allowed her to spring to life in front of the class . . . wow. It was remarkable. Her realness and authenticity shined through, above all. And it captivated everyone in the room.

The Lesson: The closer you are to your true personality, the more compelling a teacher you’ll be.

2. She was open to humor.

The teacher was a great improviser. She was an expert in her content area and fully present in the moment, which allowed her to access the wisdom and humor we all have in abundance but that so often gets stifled by over-planning and over-thinking.

She paused often and for extended lengths of time during her lesson—not in a strategic way, but rather to let her mind take in her students and the adults watching. You see, she too was watching.

She was playing off the energy in the room and responding to the eyes and body language she observed.

She was hilarious and spot on with her observations. She didn’t have planned jokes or stories. She didn’t use props or try to make anyone laugh. She was just open to using humor whenever the opportunity presented itself.

The Lesson: Improvisation is an ability we can all use to great effect if we’re present.

3. She was clear.

In education circles, we use the word clear and its importance in lesson delivery haphazardly. It’s thrown about so often that its definition has become watered down.

Clear means crystalline, untainted, plain as day, and understood without question.

The teacher had a definitive objective, a goal she wanted everyone to understand and be able to apply once the lesson ended. Using examples, comparisons, and anecdotes from her own life and from the people in the room, she narrowed in on that objective.

She took something complex and made it obvious and accessible. There was no doubt that everyone knew the objective forward and backward, including the youngest and the oldest in the room. To her, clear meant clear.

The Lesson: Have one specific objective for every lesson and the goal of making it clear to everyone.

The Craft of Teaching

The teacher’s lesson only took ten minutes.

And its sole purpose was the objective. The teacher wasn’t modeling how to be an effective teacher. She wasn’t being evaluated or trying to be impressive. In fact, none of the other adults that I’m aware of were teachers.

She just did her job.

When she finished, she slipped out of the room without fanfare. She didn’t even look up. She didn’t seek approval. She didn’t hang around to receive thank yous and well dones. She stood and delivered and then made her way home. A true pro.

She was an expert in her craft, no doubt. But she didn’t do anything that isn’t available to you. You can be authentically you, too.

It doesn’t mean you display your differentness or try to stand out or be anything you’re not.

You just be yourself. You can also be funny and wise and clever and interesting by staying in the present, by being observant, looking outside yourself, and teaching in the here and now.

Many teachers are so far in their head that they’re never able teach compelling lessons. They’re never able capture an audience or appear anything other than robotic, stilted, and boring.

Improvisation is a skill you get better at the less you plan what you’re going to say and the more you focus on what you want to teach. Being an expert in your content area is key here.

Finally, clarity has become a lost art. When I observe teachers I often have no idea what they’re trying to say. The students are confused and the teacher wonders why they’re so inattentive and ill behaved.

Everything you say and do must have a purpose. If it doesn’t move students closer to your objective, then you’re pushing them farther away. In the quest for effective teaching, clarity is king.

To sum up: Embrace your true personality within the confines of academic professionalism. Be open to the humor and wisdom that comes with being in the moment.

And never, ever waver from delivering your objective in the clearest possible way.

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