Teachers have a huge impact on our lives whether we realize it or not. They have the power to make us look forward to class or do everything we can to avoid it. So, what qualities do certain teachers possess that make students enjoy being in their class?

Take for example, Alexis Chavez. Alexis is a sophomore at Rex Putnam High School in Milwaukie. Her favorite teacher, Nicole Layng, has been teaching for seven years. Her teaching style entails many visuals, hands-on activities, making games out of content, and just having fun. “I do whatever I can to address a lot of different learning styles and try to have fun, even if it’s just like, making fun of myself,” she says.

Kdyn Dibert is a sophomore at Central Kitsap High School in Silverdale, Washington. “My favorite teacher is Ms. Kassler, because I like her teaching style,” he explains. When asked how she keep her students engaged, Wendy Kassler answered “I try to be as entertaining as possible and to switch activities every twenty minutes. Sometimes I put students in charge of leading discussions or presenting their findings to the class. I try to give students more than one choice of activities so they can choose to learn in a way that interests them.”

Although Ms. Layng and Ms. Kassler teach at different schools in different states, they both have similar teaching styles, which contributes to why students voted them as their favorite teacher. A teacher must possess more than one appealing quality in order to be deemed a student’s favorite teacher though, which is why we can look at the teaching styles of Mr. Topping and Ms. Adams.

Richard Topping, has been teaching for four years, and teaches at Rex Putnam High School. Bella Baragona, a junior at Rex Putnam explains that the difference between Topping and other teachers is that “[h]e seems to really connect with his students…” And when Topping himself was asked about his teaching style, he said “I think making the class fun and interesting is half the deal. But I think the more important part of that is genuinely caring about each and every student, as an individual person. To know them, finding out what makes them tick, what what they struggle with, what they enjoy, what they’re fine with. That kind of stuff.”

Paris Agana, a sophomore at Central Kitsap High School describes her favorite teacher, Dawn Adams, as a “very efficient, and kind teacher. And she cares a lot about her students.” The fact that she forms close bonds with her students, is a big part of what makes her Paris’ favorite teacher.

To be efficient, a teacher must act in ways that resonate with many different types of people. The qualities that seem to stand out most to students are addressing many different learning styles. As well as forming bonds and getting to know students.