Be Good! Start by Being Clear

Abstract

hroughout their professional careers, teachers are judged as being somewhere between good and bad. When they are considered to be good student teachers and jobs are available in their teaching specialty, upon graduation they likely will find employment in some school district. If after the first few years they still are perceived to be good teachers, they will be granted permanent appointment and tenure. Henceforth, if they maintain high performance, they may be given additional responsibilities as lead or head teachers or perhaps even made supervisors or building principals. Should these exemplary teachers want or need to transfer to another location, they are warmly received. On the other hand, if they are considered to be bad student teachers, it is far less likely that they will find a position unless a grave teacher shortage exists. Similarly, they are less likely to hold a position, stay in it very long, or be given leadership roles. Being good is important professionally. But being good also is important personally. Most persons care a great deal about being considered good at whatever they do. Humans, as social animals, have a need for achievement, positive recognition, and selfesteem. Teachers also want to feel good about themselves in their school roles. And, studies confirm that teachers have a strong need to be liked by pupils, parents, other teachers, and school heads (Cruickshank et al. 1980). But, who is a good teacher? This question forever has plagued our field. Deciding who is a good teacher is problematical. It is akin to deciding what is a good apple, what is a good book, or what makes for a good husband or wife. Different persons have different opinions and expectations about what is good based upon their idiosyncratic needs or likes. Consequently, a good teacher is one who is judged by significant others as meeting their needs. For teachers, as mentioned above, significant others include pupils, parents, colleagues, administrators, and the public at large. Normally teachers want to be considered good by all these parties. And, they all have their own somewhat different opinions. Thus, a teacher could be seen and appreciated by one or more groups-for example, pupils and parents-yet be held in disdain by fellow teachers. Such varying expectations make defining a good teacher difficult. To some extent, however, all persons interested in education agree on these criteria for good teaching: it should culminate in pupil learning and satisfaction. To fortify this assumption we need only look at perennial and prolific activity directed toward pupil testing and reducing school dropouts. Illustrative of this activity, President Bush and the nation's governors have proclaimed six educational goals to be achieved by the year 2000, among them that the high school graduation rate will increase to at least 90 percent; pupils in grades 4, 8, and 12 will demonstrate competency in English, mathematics, science, history, and geography; and U.S. students will be first in the world in math and science. It would seem then that the most popular view of good teaching might be equated to, when good teachers teach, pupils learn. So, for purposes here, let us define good teaching as teaching that, among other things, must result in pupil learning and satisfaction.