The federal government and the superintendent schools in New Jersey realize that approaches to education need to be constantly modified and updated to reflect both today’s student population and the needs of today’s job market place. This realization has had the effect of causing every level of the education system to take up sober look at how they educate and prepare kids.

In New Jersey this means the curriculum tools in science, math and other subjects that the public school systems teach, need to be consistently updated and when found lacking, replaced or modified. This also means that the oversight of education must be more Interactive and engaged. Parents must contribute to the much larger role in the education of their children. It is not enough for them to just look at homework occasionally or attend a parents teachers meeting each quarter. Instead they need to have a daily role in establishing goals and making sure their kids are prepared to learn.

Education experts like Jay Eitner know that the most important part of the equation, is those who have the most direct role and educating kids, the teachers. The importance of this group cannot be overstated, nor overlooked. Teachers are the first line of offense and defense when it comes to educating kids and as a result, a focus on their efficacy is warranted.

Selecting the right teachers who possess the right skills, Sits at the heart of any efforts improve education outcomes. With this in mind, here are some qualities but the right teachers must have in order to be effective.

Commitment

Teaching is a demanding job. Their days and even weeks where little goes right, and everyday feels like a battle in the classroom. Throughout these times, and all others, a teacher must be committed to getting the best out of her students. If the teacher does not possess an ingrained commitment to educate students, working through the difficult times will seem like an insurmountable challenge.

It is commitment and love for teaching that causes teachers to maintain a firm grip on why they are in the classroom. When less than favorable conditions and situations arise, they look at it in the context of a greater mission but they have embarked upon. Every mission has its setbacks and rewards. Committed teachers understand if this is the case, and as a result, they work through it.

Passionate

Being passionate means truly loving what you do. It means putting your heart and soul into what you do, because you could not imagine approaching what you do any other way. These days, the public school systems in New Jersey and elsewhere have great challenges.  There is often not enough funding, students can become unruly, parents simply don’t have the time to remain active regarding their children’s education, and the administrators are overworked and stretch trying to accommodate so many important education agendas.  In this environment teachers can easily become apathetic about their jobs. They can feel as if the support system that is required in order for them to achieve the best outcomes, isn’t fact in such disrepair, that it prohibits the possibility of the teacher achieving the best outcomes.

This is where passion is the difference maker. Passionate teachers find ways to work around limitations. They mobilize the resources they do have, and work to create alternative resources that can help to get the job done. There many cases of teachers, who spend their own money or raise money to buy needed classroom materials. This is an example of what a passionate teacher means to the education system. They go the extra yard to make sure that whatever needs to be done, gets done. They in fact are the difference makers in quality education.

The challenges New Jersey faces in creating quality education for its students are not unique, they are however real and difficult. However, with committed and passionate teachers, the school system can continue to make progress towards its education goals.