A good teacher has passion, keenness, and creativity, but greatness is at a different level. Every teacher must introspect to identify ways to improve lesson plans, overcome negative student attitudes, and encourage students to perform well academically. During the process of achieving greatness, teachers will have to learn to deepen their knowledge and skills while strengthening their resolve to improve their craft.
Mentoring
Mentoring by other seasoned teachers can have a positive influence on a teacher’s professional development. Learning the art of grading, discipline, effective lesson planning, and managing volume of work would be useful in the long-run.
Conducive learning environment
Attending workshops and learning from subject matter experts would inspire any teacher to achieve greatness. Challenging the mental and social restrictions students had placed on themselves and supporting them to achieve greatness in their academic performance can be an enriching experience.
Classroom management
There is a large gap between theory and practice; learning from workshops and implementing them in the classroom. Every teacher must have the resilience to go through this phase by investing a certain amount of time and believing in their strength and energy. Achieving greatness is a gradual process; it does not happen overnight.
Avoiding negativity
Some times teachers can get into a mindset that all the problems are their fault. It is easy to adopt a cynical approach to the situation around – parents not showing interest in their own children's education, criticizing the school administration for not delivering effective tools, etc. Escaping from the negativity trap and moving into self-actualization would only facilitate a teacher’s progress. A teacher must learn to be a solution to a problem and not the problem itself.
Demonstrating clear objectives
Developing a plan does not indicate a lack of creativity in the curriculum but instead provides a framework for excellence in the classroom.
Learn to live without immediate feedback
Sometimes after a classroom session, students may walk out without a smile or acknowledging a great job done. Teachers relying on immediate gratification would feel disillusioned. It takes time and some pain to achieve greatness.
Demonstrate effective listening skills
Teachers who do not listen to their students would ultimately fail. Getting over the ego of being a teacher and listening & adapting would definitely help in scaling greater heights.
A sense of humor helps
Humor will make a lasting impression. It decreases stress and enables people to look at their environment from a different perspective.
Fostering the great transition
Teachers must make the transition and rekindle & refocus the desire for greatness. Inspiring other teachers to be great, nurturing a great learning environment, supporting students' efforts to excel would help in passing greatness from one generation to the next.