Students leave lasting impressions on teachers in many different ways. It can be how they treated other students, how they were helpful to a teacher, and how dedicated they were to their work. Some students are characterized by being comic relief, being focused, being an excellent student, or being a poor-performing student (Priority Learn).

The best students are not the ones who show up to school each day and finish their work on time. The students that are remembered are the ones that go the extra mile; they are the ones that help classmates finish their work, participate in group projects, and are passionate about what they are learning. The best students are the ones that don’t have to be told an excessive amount of time to get their assignments in, stay focused, and prove that they want to be there and learn. Good students are constantly getting recognized for their hard work and dedication to homework and school projects. This leads to increasing that behavior and that can also have an influence on other students.

When students are young, they hear teachers say to be perseverant, to be respectful, and to be responsible. Learning these skills at a young age will impact how students look at situations and deal with situations or dumps in the road as they get older. Being able to be resourceful and ready for any situation, and to handle it with maturity is something that teachers see and admire in a student. Many students have goals; they know what they want out of a specific situation and what they want to accomplish in life. Being punctual is also a good trait to show professionalism as a student and an important willingness to put effort into the work that needs to be done.

We asked one of our teachers to give us their opinion on what makes a good student. Mrs. Stein was one of the teachers that we asked since she has a wide variety of students. Mrs. Stein has students ranging from sophomores to seniors since she teaches physical science and chemistry. When asking Mrs. Stein what makes her remember a student, she said it doesn’t have to relate to how good of a student they were. Some examples that she gave were “The one who asks lots of questions, will only write in pen, is always hungry, has to go to the bathroom – every single class, or always has to tell a random story that does not relate to anything we are learning!” But she also said that students that engage in class and are willing to have conversations about what is being discussed helps teachers to make connections with the students, and get to know who they truly are. 

She also gave examples of what employers look for when hiring young kids, and what qualities students possess to show that they will be able to do the job. One of the things that people look for in young adults is communication. This could look like communicating through issues and fixing problems using effective communication tools. Initiative and grit were other things that Stein said were important because nobody wants to hover and make sure students are doing everything correctly, it is expected that you’re going to make mistakes and learn from them. Also, using grit to continue to push through on a project or assignment until it is done. Curiosity is another thing employers look for, sometimes it is better to ask questions, and why things are done a certain way and why it has never changed. 

At times, it is difficult to know when students are performing effectively. Many times it is all about communication and making sure they are on the same page as their teacher or employer. Mrs. Stein also said “The students I enjoy the most are the ones that interact with me on a personal level.  The ones that tell me about how they are doing, what’s going on, things they are excited or bummed about.” Usually just being yourself around teachers proves to be the best way of showing you’re willing to try and care. Also, if anyone needs to get into Mrs. Steins’ good graces, just buy her some Dr. Pepper.

Works Cited

Leverage Edu. “20 Qualities of a Good Student, You Can’t Miss the 9th.” Leverage Edu, 24 November 2022, https://leverageedu.com/blog/qualities-of-a-good-student/. Accessed 12 December 2022.

Priority Learn. “Do Teachers Remember Their Students.” PriorityLearn, 7 June 2022, https://prioritylearn.com/teachers-remember-students/. Accessed 5 December 2022.