I think a good teacher has to assess individual students and their own personal needs with regards to pace of learning, willingness to participate fully and so on.  There are always ways and means of getting through to every student.  Patience is also something a good teacher needs, and as Kamal wrote: to be able to deliver the same lesson over and over with enthusiasm is very important.

In my opinion, a good teacher is someone who has three basic characteristics.

First, knowledge. How many times have you had a teacher who really doesn't have idea of what he/she is speaking about? Teachers teach you what they think it is correct or what they supposed it is right. Saddly, many times, this teaching is based more in personal thoughts or assumptions than in real knowledge. Real knowledge comes from strong study, practice and personal experience. I think, many teachers lack of this characteristic.

Second, passion for teaching. Many teachers work as teachers because they need money, (which is perfectly understood), but not because they want to teach. Economic necessity makes that, not only people who didn't study to become a teacher end up working as teacher but also, it happens in any career due to the lack of jobs. This saddly event makes that some people work in any job regardless if they feel passion for it or not. 

Third, punctuality. In my country, punctuality isn't a very common characteristic. In fact, it is something that sometimes and some people don't care at all. However, I have always thought that punctuality must be something that all should practice all the time, regardless the occasion. Why? Because, time is very important for all of us, even if some think the opposite. We have schedules, specific times for specific task or actitivies. A good teacher maximes his/her time and respectig the effort of some students to be on time in the classroom.

That is why, I think knowledge, passion for teaching and punctuality are the most important characteristics that make a teacher a good one.

A good teacher - in my opinion - is that passionate person who makes you want to pursuade, let's say Math in college after high school, or History or whatever.. He's that person who gives the same lesson every year excitingly & as if he's doing it for the first time! He's that one who deals with his educational obligations just like that guy who wakes up every day to look to his beloved woman as if it's the first time he's seeing her face. 

Unfortunately, in Syria these days, a good teacher would be that one who guarantees to finish the curoculm to his students in 6 months without taking in consideration the previous factors of passion, friendship & loyalty (with very few exceptions).

Happy New Year! Regards,

I can explain it: when you're at teenage age, you need differend learning approach. For example: really young kids (about age 8) needs just to develop their passion, not to do a lot of exams. So you can see that you need different kind of teacher or different approaches for different period of your life.

Agreed, Leigh.  A teacher with no personal feeling for the subject is a dreary and tiring teacher indeed.  A person with no passion or enthusiasm is unengaging not only as a teacher, but in many ways.