Looking in through classroom doors at teachers and children at work is a treat. It is like watching the conductor of an orchestra cause an ensemble of musicians to perform complex pieces of music, or the pilot of a plane take off, fly a thousand miles on a constantly altered flight plan, and land safely at the planned destination, or watching a sculptor size up a block stone knowing there is a mermaid in it waiting to be exposed.
Good teaching is not magic, though causing some children to understand the division of fractions disproves the statement. First, good teaching is understanding strategies of pedagogy and the ability to create a string of exercises that result in a learned and understood outcome. Second, good teaching is knowing your students and their readiness to learn. Put those two requirements together, and no matter the grade level or course content, good teaching is very identifiable and predictable.
Through one classroom door I saw a veteran teacher with 30 years experience in the district quietly reading and reviewing the lesson plan she would teach later in the day. I know this because she looked up and we spoke. She was reviewing a plan she had taught many times to ensure that she knew exactly how to cause each of her students to learn from the lesson. She might as well have been an Olympic gymnast mentally moving through all the gyrations of a floor exercise routine, eyes closed and envisioning each change in motion she must perform. This teacher was making a preparation for good teaching and taking nothing for granted. As many times, as she had taught this lesson, she committed time and energy to ensuring and pedagogy and student readiness were aligned to create learned outcomes.
Good teaching is an intellectual design transforming the lives of learners. There are 98,000-plus public schools in our nation. The most important thing we do to assure that every child in every school is receiving good teaching is understanding that good teaching is professional work requiring dedicated professional teachers. We cannot take good teaching for granted. Appreciate it when you see it.