What Makes A Good Student?
Teachers share their thoughts on qualities of a successful student
This original artwork created by staff writer Allison Ganc highlights some of the qualities that help a student be successful in the classroom.
May 24, 2023
Like many other students, sometimes while I am in class or outside of school, I wonder what my teachers think of me. Do they think I am a good student?
I asked a few teachers what they thought a good student was. I asked the same few questions to each hoping to find something that they all had in common.
After interviewing three teachers, some of their opinions overlapped but some of their comments were unique.
The first person I interviewed was seventh-grade social studies teacher Greg Altmeier. The qualities he thinks a good student possesses have nothing to do with “intelligence” or if you get the question right or wrong. He thinks a “never-give-up attitude,” someone who will push themselves, is a need for a good student. He also believes that grades don’t determine whether you are a good student.
The next teacher I interviewed was seventh-grade math teacher Elizabeth Roberts. She said that a good student to her is “someone who is curious, determined, someone who is willing to change and adapt, and someone who asks questions, and interacts with the information they are learning.
“It’s someone who takes every opportunity they can in order to do better,” continued Roberts. “Someone who, in class, won’t hold other students back by distracting them, or making the whole class stop to say something not needed.”
The final teacher I interviewed was Devin DiFranks, who teaches seventh- and eighth-grade science. The qualities she believes a good student possesses are “being responsible so they know what they need to do and when to do it, politeness, and overall respect for their peers.”
DiFranks added that “a good student should always put effort into their work and be consistent in their work.”
After interviewing all three middle school teachers, I have found a similar ground. Respect seems to be a good quality to Roberts and DiFranks. They both talked about good students not disrespecting their peers. While DiFranks said it up front, Roberts was more about not holding your peers back by disrespecting the whole class by disrupting it. Roberts and Altmeier also both said that a good student would push themselves.
If you’re having trouble keeping up with any of these qualities, just remember that as long as you do your best, while working and interacting with others, you will be considered a good student.