Take Care of Your Teachers, Especially the Best Ones! 

Dr. Todd Whitaker

“In a great teacher’s classroom, every student feels like the favorite.” I really believe this—that in their classrooms, great teachers make every student feel that way. Note, however, that this does not imply that the teacher feels each student is his or her favorite; rather, the teacher treats each person in the class with equal regard and respect. In the same way, great school leaders work to value and appreciate everyone in their organization. High-quality leaders work hard to treat everyone under their supervision with respect and dignity. It is essential to their role and part of what they work to instill in everyone in their setting. All teachers must feel valued so that they ensure their students feel valued. 

However, that does not mean that everyone is equal or contributes to the same degree to the students and adults in the building. Not all teachers are equally impactful in the school’s success. It’s important for school leaders to be honest with themselves about which teachers are good and which are truly great, because it’s the great ones who make an outsized difference, changing the school experience for students, colleagues, and school administration.  

Leaders who are unaware of the differing importance of key individuals’ contributions, or who fail to recognize which staff members are truly great, risk underutilizing or even losing some of their school’s stalwarts (How to Get All Teachers to Become Like the Best Teachers, 2025). 

Have you noticed that some teachers could work successfully with seemingly any student, while others struggle with a large percentage of students? How is it that some teachers can have a positive impact on their peers in the school and on parents in the school community, while others struggle to connect with either or both groups? You may have some teachers who are likely to support new, effective programs or ideas and can bring other staff members along to implement them, while others consistently take a negative stance.  

With the current teacher shortage, losing any staff member may be difficult simply because you might not be able to find someone to teach third grade or be the freshman math teacher next year. However, there are others whose departure would mean that the entire fifth-grade team may become less effective, or the English department or sophomore wing of the high school will quickly become rudderless. Losing any teacher can be a concern. Losing certain teachers can be crippling to a school.  

Exceptional People Think Differently  

One reason you may be at risk of losing exceptional teachers is that what makes them highly effective in your school would often make them highly effective in many other professional settings as well. If your best teacher left to manage a fast-food restaurant, he would likely help that eatery become the best in their chain in the state. Why? Because of the way this teacher dresses, talks, carries himself, etc. The day he starts at the store, he is already greeting each customer in a way that is instantly noticeable. He is professional in appearance from day one and going forward. The ex-teacher helps the other employees learn to treat every customer the same way. The beginning of change would be immediate. 

You see it in great teachers’ classrooms every day: how they treat, talk to, and interact with each student and adult they encounter. If your school were filled with people like this, think what an amazing learning environment you would have. Instead of making a restaurant the best in the region, they make your science program the best in the community. They make the parents—and children—love your early childhood program. They make their colleagues happy to come to school.  

Understanding High Achievers 

To understand and maximize the talents of these special individuals, we must first identify what makes them different and provide the environment in which they can thrive. 

Many of us are familiar with the trendy term “imposter syndrome.” The short description is that people can be insecure and are afraid that others will eventually recognize that they really do not know what they are doing. Most people experience imposter syndrome periodically, but, ironically, it is more common in the most talented people than in less talented people. That may seem counterintuitive, but let’s reflect on why this might be true. 

High achievers often compare themselves to perfection. Many times, their lives are driven by guilt. For example, let’s say a teacher gives a quiz or a test, and the students do poorly on it. An effective teacher wonders what he or she, the teacher, did wrong. He may stew over whether he taught it well enough or if the students had the preparation time they needed, etc. It can be a myriad of things, but it all comes back to: “What did I do wrong?” Such teachers feel that they should have thought of this in advance, explained it better, or provided more time. Thus, they have self-doubt because they compare themselves to perfection. The gap between them and perfection may be rather narrow, but that is the place where imposter syndrome can fester. 

Low achievers often compare everyone else to perfection. In the same circumstance where a teacher gives a quiz or a test, and the students do poorly on it, this teacher is more likely to focus on external things: kids nowadays, last year’s teachers, lack of discipline by the administration, lazy parents, etc. This “saves” the teacher from self-doubt but also denies him the opportunity to improve. There is no perfection gap; imposter syndrome has nowhere to enter. So, most people who have imposter syndrome probably shouldn’t, and many who don’t probably should. 

The Blanket Monkey 

This is one of the reasons leaders must be cautious about pointing out minor errors or using a “blanket monkey” (Shifting the Monkey, 2011) to address the whole group when they should be addressing one person. If, at a faculty meeting, the leader says, “Some teachers have been coming to school late,” the best teachers will think that was about them because one time, four years ago, they were almost late. When leaders take a blanket approach, they also take the pressure off the laggards. Since, instead of addressing them individually, they said it to the entire group, the laggards get the protection of feeling like there must be a bunch of people to whom this applies. The result is that it takes pressure off the wrongdoers and adds to the emotional burden of the highest achievers. 

High Achievers Are Your Best Advocates 

Hiring high achievers is easier than you might think. They are often available when a job needs to be filled because average leaders do not want them in their schools. That sounds silly, but it is often true. The reason average leaders do not want high achievers in their school is that the average leader knows the exceptional teacher knows the leader is average. The same thing applies in classrooms. The weakest teachers may not want the best students in their classes. They can be intimidated because they are afraid the students know they are average.  

A Schoolwide Vision 

One of the most beneficial characteristics of high achievers is their organization-wide vision. They want everyone to be successful. They view the world as an unlimited sum game; in other words, everyone can have success. The very bestpeople share, because they know there is always plenty to go around. In contrast, ordinary people often see the world as a limited sum game—they don’t want you to be successful because it makes them feel bad. They are reluctant to share because they have only one or two good ideas, and they fear the special idea will be lost if they share it with colleagues. 

The Leader’s Gift 

The very best people, because they have a schoolwide vision, know that no one can maximize his or her success unless the leader is successful as well. They want you to achieve, they want you to be respected. Many people side with the leader when they agree with a decision, and there might even be others who would like to make the leader cry. Understand that there are usually only a few people who are consistently on the leader’s side. It is these very best people who want you to be consistently effective so that you and everyone else in the school can be more impactful.  

One other bonus is that when you ask the best people for guidance, advice, or feedback, they will look you in the eye, tell you the truth, and they are not part of the rumor mill. And because of their organization-wide vision, they are giving you feedback that would be best for everyone in the school, not just for them and their buddies. 

Find and Keep Great Teachers 

Every time you have the chance to hire a new teacher, you have the choice of looking for greatness or settling for comfort. Sometimes you may have to do the latter, but understand that when you choose the comfort of familiarity over the opportunity for the extraordinary, you give up the chance to impact your entire school. Sometimes leaders avoid excellence because of the fear that great teachers want their job, but they can relax. If the teachers are truly exceptional, they want a job way better than yours! It’s ordinary people who want your job. 

Treat all people as if they were special simply because they are. But also remember that there are degrees of special people who want everyone to shine, including you! 

Todd Whitaker is a research professor at the University of Missouri. He is a former teacher, coach, and principal. He has written 70 books, including “What Great Teachers Do Differently” and “What Great Principals Do Differently.” He has presented to several thousand groups around the world. Visit www.toddwhitaker.com to learn more.

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Whitaker, T. (2025). How to Get All Teachers to Become Like the Best Teachers.  New York, New York:  Routledge. 

Whitaker, T. (2011).  Shifting the Monkey.  Triple Nickel Press: Bloomington, Indiana. 

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