What makes a teacher great?
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Humor. Patience. Enthusiasm. Strength. Leadership. Organization. And endless fund of energy. Creativity. A thorough knowledge of the subject being taught. A love for that subject. Understanding that not all students will love the subject, nor will they all understand it.
Knowing that different students have different learning styles. Figuring out ways to adapt to try to reach those different learning styles. Being willing to go the second mile.
Having a good understanding of temperament types. Understanding one’s own temperament, and how that acts and reacts with the temperaments of students.
Knowing when to say NO. No to extra tasks, extra responsibilities that drain the energy.
Getting enough sleep. 
Being a good listener.
Putting ones’ own family ahead of one’s students, no matter what anyone else says or thinks.
Flexibility. Willingness to try something different. Learning from other teachers, and from the students.
Teachers who are truly excellent teachers are rare. Good teachers are more abundant. I always wanted to go beyond good when I was a teacher. Sometimes, I just didn’t have the energy.
Excellent teachers are often not appreciated until years after a student has passed through the classroom. Too tough, too strict, too . . . .well, just not easy to manipulate.
Being a teacher is tough. Being an excellent teacher is a gift.
https://dailypost.wordpress.com/dp_prompt/we-can-be-taught-2/
Just Writing! 
A good teacher understands his/her students and figures out how to reach them with the subject he needs to teach. My best teachers encouraged us to be creative in how we did projects and were enthusiastic about the subject material–even when it wasn’t necessarily my favorite. One of the worst teachers I ever had is a man who’s on genius level but has difficulty teaching on a lower level–to normal students. Personally, this same man is a sweetheart. It was just the classroom material. Thankfully, I could read the textbook and get by, even though I’ll never understand what happened in class!
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Yup. Been there.
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“Knowing when to say NO”. I love that. http://lilypupslife.wordpress.com/
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My mom was an excellent teacher. Although she made her living as a nurse, she would often substitute teach for extra income. But she wasn’t one of those substitutes who would take role and let you read quietly or whatever. She would make you work! She would go over the lesson plan just as if the teacher was there. The kids hated getting her! But they loved her… She also played piano and would accompany me and my sisters and all our friends during our district and state competitions (I played oboe, one sister played clarinet and the other was a percussionist) She was amazing!
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What a privilige you had to have her for your mom 🙂
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Yes. It was so sad to lose her to cancer when I was only 15.
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Ah, I’m so very sorry.
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Thank you.
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