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There were many great points and examples in this video of what makes a good teacher great. Some of the ideas mentioned by the speaker that stuck out to me as ones that I already do to connect with my students are; learning their language and learning alongside them. In terms of learning their language, I make the effort to ask students what terms mean when they use them such as when a student says I cooked (I did well) and I ate (I did not do well). It shows my students that I care about their world and how they communicate and they always appreciate it/find it funny when I use some of them terms in a sentence myself. Secondly, I am never afraid to learn alongside them. I have never framed an entire lesson around us learning something new together. However, I am always the first person willing to admit that I may not know the answering to something and we often will open Google together on the smart board and learn all together. Yes I am hired as the content expert, but when you teach elementary and teach multiple subjects, there are certainly areas/subjects where I need to learn alongside my students more than just teach it all to them.

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I also discussed how much I value building relationships with my students, it's so important!

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Faith Cyr

What makes me a great teacher is my ability to build relationships with my students! At the beginning of the year, I used to have many behavioural problems with my students but as I have developed relationships with them and crafted an excellent classroom community through community circles and peach/pit sharing, my class has transformed!

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Gabby McKinnon

Remembering the positive impact that school had on me as a young girl is the "why" of my decision to follow through with my goal at becoming a teacher. Making sure that each day my students feel loved, heard, safe, and appreciated not only in my own class but other students in the whole school whether it is through instructional time, coaching sports, running clubs, or holding a childs hand outside during fitness break. School was a saving grace for me and I hope to reach as many kids as I can in my career to remind them how intelligent and beautiful they are, inside and out!!! 😊

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I think I am still trying to become a great teacher, but one thing that I think I do well is that I never give up on students. I keep reaching out, creating new action plans/opportunities for them to get the credit if they are struggling (especially in destreamed grade 9/10 English) and building confidence in non-attending students or students with behavioural issues. I want them to feel like they can always come back to class at any time, and I will work with them to help them get their credit. I think my own ADHD and my experience with my youngest son's health issues and learning struggles has given me an appreciation of holistic teaching practices, and made me compassionate towards students with learning and self-regulation struggles. I try to act in a way that I would want my son to be treated when his inability to self-regulate/pay attention gets him in trouble at school (which happens often, unfortunately... he is waiting on a psychoeducational assessement). I remember how much shame and anxiety he feels after an outburst. He always ends up breaking down and explaining that he "didn't mean to be bad." 💔 When there is a conflict in my class, or a student isn't fulfilling their responsibilities in the learning environment, I put myself in their parent's shoes. I try to see the whole student, and imagine how that student will feel afterwards, when they are not escalated and they are ready to be vulnerable. I try to appreciate their many talents, even if those talents don't translate to the subject I'm teaching. This helps me to build relationships with students and parents because we all have the same goal: the child's success.

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I enjoy seeing my students and I hope it shows. I try to learn as much about them and their interests as I can. These connections are often most meaningful on an individual basis, meeting randomly in the hall or greeting them when they come off the bus. I want to be a part of a welcoming community, a place that students look forward to go to.

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Brandon Biancaniello- I think empathy and understanding are cornerstones of my teaching practise and persona. Finding the balance between maintaining expectation/structure while also being flexible is one of the challenges of the teaching profession that I would like to think I tackle well. My father, who taught for 31 years, referred to this strategy as being “firm but fair”. I would like to think that I model his methods well. I aim to continue to further straddle this barrier to ensure that I remain a teacher to the students first, but also am a human being to them second.

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I try to model that making mistakes is okay whenever possible. I feel like students are always afraid of looking “stupid” or being embarrassed in front of their peers. When I make a mistake, I try to recognize and own it.

-Emily Uba

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Prioritizing my health and well being (getting enough sleep each night) regardless of how prepared I am so that I am alert and in a better place to help my students learn.

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I have a holistic approach to teaching, recognizing that learning involves the whole person and that students may have barriers at any given point to learning. I try to meet students where they’re at and offer a lot of flexibility. I also like to learn about my students (i.e. personal interests) to help build rapport, which in turn helps with classroom management. :)

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Being a great teacher to me means being a good listener, building connections and working with students to enhance learning experiences.

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I create a space where all students are seen and feel valued for who they are. I am authentic, different, and normalize those differences. I show that it is okay to make mistakes because that’s how we learn.

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I am a lifelong learner and I share this with my students on a daily basis. I regularly respond to questions with “I don’t know the answer to that. How might I find out?” Students love to teach me things, and learn as I’m learning.

(Jon Davidson)

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I'm really patient. Students feel comfortable coming to be and asking questions if they don't understand something, they know that they can be vulnerable and that I'm a safe space. I always make sure that I have a few different strategies or ways to teach a new skill. My students know that there are multiple ways to approach a problem and I value and encourage them finding the way that makes the most sense to them.

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What I think makes me a great teacher is that I actually laugh when students flex their sense of humour. I find it gives them confidence and instills a sense of rapport with me, which snowballs into a positive relationship and more success for the student. -Michael McArthur

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I love to get to know my students!

I also love to know the names of students that I supply within my high school. It’s been great to build a school community at my secondary school :)

Destiny Lacasse

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Making connections with kids and showing that I care about who they are, not just as a student, but a person too! Stefan

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Listening to your students and being there for them in all areas of their life, they might be excited to tell you about their weekend and give them that time to share with you. Make the classroom a safe space for them and tailor it to their needs. (Jenn Russell)

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I use my perspective as a parent when I approach my teaching. I always want to be the teacher that I’d want my kids to have. That being, caring, patient and consistent.

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I am firm, fair, and consistent. I am gracious and flexible to the needs of my students. I help to enlighten my students to their full potential, encouraging them to try their best.

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I enjoy spending time with my students to get to know who they are and their interests. I recognize that sometimes school is a students happy place and I aim to make sure each student feels welcome, supported and that I am happy they are here!

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Building strong relationships with my students. We often take time to share about what’s going on in their lives.

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Alison Burridge

What makes me a great teacher is that I am committed to be a life long learner, as it will allow me to continue to grow and develop new skills that I can apply to my classroom.

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I’m calm in general and I like to bring that into any classroom I step into. Every class has its strengths and challenges and the students deal with a fair amount of chaos so I find when I come in and remain level throughout the day it makes it easier for them to stay level as well.

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I am excited to teach (almost) every day and create content that interests me, while incorporating the curriculum

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I don’t get caught up on the little things

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I have compassion for my students and always work hard to make sure that they believe in themselves as capable and caring individuals.

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Be flexible. Listen to our students and be ready to change course or tweak things as they need it. Build trust, and help them have some fun throughout the day. Don’t get bogged down by all the ‘adult expectations’ we have placed on us… easier said than done… but after all, we are there FOR them. Sarah McCabe

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Respecting students values and opinions while helping guide them through learning processes. Also,being able to put myself in their shoes..

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Creating hands on experiences within and outside of the classroom. Get students to explore the topic we want them to learn (math, literacy, science etc), by interacting with them in some way or multiple ways within different environments and with different people.

Grace LaFortune

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I know that every child needs someone to believe in them to reach their full potential. I try to be a champion for every one of my students. Sometimes we are the only adult in their life that might believe in them. I create opportunity for students to share their stories and joys. I try to instill how mistake making is important and point out my mistakes. Lastly, I love to laugh with them. :)

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Carrissa

Getting to know my students

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I connect with my students and make them feel comfortable in the classroom.

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What makes me a great educator is I listen to my students, no matter what they are talking about😎

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Being transparent and honest with my students. Asking for and valuing their opinions. Encouraging merging their outside lives and knowledge and learning with our in-class learning.

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What makes me a great teacher is the multiple roles I fulfill. I am a mother, teacher, wife, daughter, former educational assistant, former central team member, friend, learner… and so many other things. I try to remember that the students I teach fulfill multiple roles as well and attempt to honour them in our learning space.

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I value building relationships with my students more than I value making sure they learn every expectation in the Ontario curriculum by the end of the year.

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Brad Fannell,

My desire to put the children’s well being first over academic performance

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Nikki Anderson

I like to learn individual things about my students and make sure to ask them about it. “How was your hockey game this weekend?” “Did you watch that movie you were looking for?” Etc. shows them that I care about them as a person not just a student.