60. Kids Speak: What Makes A Great Teacher?

Think students can't tell what's going on with us and the challenges we face day in and day out in the classroom? Think again.

In this episode, 11th grade student Isabelle, and 8th grader James, describe what qualities create a truly great teacher and describe some bad teaching moments they have experienced in their education.

James Anthony is an 8th grader in Cincinnati, Ohio. James loves planes (and can tell you the plane you are traveling on just by looking at it), travel, and soccer. Born in Chertsy, England, James began his international travel career early as he accompanied his mother (as he was still in utero) to Florence, Italy and Amsterdam when his head was roughly the size of a Dutch tulip. 

Isabelle Anthony is a junior this year and is an avid actor, ballet dancer, art enthusiast, and lover of flowers. Izzy can be found studying for her AP classes, speaking French, dancing to Taylor Swift, and loves to roam Manhattan with her cousin. 

These two dynamic students remind us:

-the characteristics that make a great teacher

-the qualities that they see that create a "bonded" classroom

-how teacher energy affects learning

-how technology can play a positive and negative role in the classroom

-why it feels so important to have teachers ask about student lives outside of school;

-how disappointing it can feel to students when teachers care more about the curriculum than student thoughts. 

As we listen to these two student voices, we are also reminded that they can see (and feel) the challenges that teachers face. As James reflects on the childrens of teaching after Covid, "I feel like a lot of the children have not been paying enough attention during remote learning...and so it must be hard for teachers to get children back into the learning phase.” 

Resources:

• Follow Chrissy on Instagram @chrissyconcept.
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More About Teacher Talk with Chrissy Nichols:

Teacher Talk is the podcast for educators like you who are on the brink of burnout, or are already there. It’s your guide to feeling better about being at school and being in your life. Your host, Chrissy Nichols, is a life coach for teachers. In her weekly episodes, she will give you quick tools, tips, and brain hacks to understand that there is absolutely nothing wrong with you. It’s time to find the joy in teaching again and get back to feeling like the best version of yourself.