While interviewing some of the best teachers in the country, I was surprised to see certain commonalities or themes pop up time and time again. Though these teachers taught a variety of different subjects in various K-12 grades, as I continued interviewing them, I started seeing commonalities and patterns develop. I began making a list of the ones that appeared most. Could there be specific methods and attributes that, if combined, would essentially create the perfect teacher? Probably not, I thought. But variations of the same ten methods continued to appear in nearly all of the interviews, whether the teacher taught in a major metropolitan city or a small rural town. These common methods were prevalent if the teachers taught kindergarten or high school, math, social studies, gifted students or special education. Most had never spoken to one another, nor did they have much in common in their personal lives, yet the same ten commonalities emerged time and again. It was so obvious, in fact, that I will go out on the limb and say that any teacher who incorporates these methods will, at the very least, become a better teacher. You will probably become your students’ favorite teacher, and once you’ve mastered these skills you will indeed become a great teacher. Here are the ten commonalities….