"Ten characteristics of a great teacher"

Still thinking about the question of what makes great teachers great (see a previous post here: ), I searched the web for more literature about great teachers, and found this article by Patricia Miller written back in the mid 1980 - almost three decades ago. But as it has been said, "great teaching is timeless", so writing about great teachers should also be timeless. What changes is only the context of teaching, but that will be another topic.

The article can be downloaded here: http://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/50_1_11_pp36-38_reflections_ten.pdf

Below is the abstract of the article:

The author, an experienced English teacher, combines her professional experience with her language learner experience to identify her ideal language teacher. Her top ten characteristics focus on four areas: affective characteristics including humor and enthusiasm; skills such as the use of creative tools; classroom management styles and academic knowledge. The author claims motivation thrives on success, and by adopting these characteristics, students will react positively.

 The 10 characteristics that are listed in the article include:

1. Enthusiasm
2. Creativity
3. Humor
4. Ability to challenge students to learn
5. Patience and encouragment
6.  Interest in the student as a person
7. Ability to give clear explanations on the spot
8. Caring and sharing, spending some extra time with students
9. Respect for students
10. Ability to leave his/her emotional baggage out of class

Do you agree with all these characteristics, or do you want to add/change a few? Please discuss this interesting topic here by sending in comments to this post.

Hope to "hear" you ideas soon.

"What makes great teachers great?"

Yes, what makes them great? It's a question the answer to which everybody wants to know. It's also the topic of this talk on "TVO", which was recorded and broadcast on You Tube. You can watch the talk here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXaLGt460e4. I am sure you will enjoy it.

The following quotes from the talk really impress me:

The key word is empathy; great teachers truly understand what make their students tick; they are confident enough to be themselves with their kids; the ability to be relaxed, to be self-assured; passionate about their students.

We can make great teachers; great teachers become great. They start with something - openess, flexibility, eagerness to make a difference.

It's not about control; it's not about overplanning; it's not about a delivery; it's about a truly interactive experience.

Learning is an intensely sensory experience. 

Watching and listening to the talk, do you see any connection between this talk and the article about humanistic language teaching that I posted on this blog a few days ago? It's about people, see, not techniques or test scores or facilities. Yes, a great teacher is one who makes students feel the joy of learning. And that's what is missing in Vietnam now. Is there anything we can do about this?
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If you like the talk, perhaps you should consider watching these youtube broadcasts also:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOZgkmsyQnc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnfzZEREfQs