The Essential Traits of Perseverance and Positive Outlook

By Roger Hove
President, International Schools Services, Inc.

I recently attended yet another recruitment fair, certainly one of the more stressful events in the life of an overseas teacher. While these gatherings provide for most a worthy reward--the opportunity to live and work with motivated students in an interesting setting, the challenges involved with such an event are daunting. Too often a desired position has been removed before an interview is granted, age restrictions imposed by the desired country close other doors, the lines are long at the table of your top choice, and decisions must be made on short timelines. It is truly a nerve wracking time.

In spite of these challenges, time and again, I observed teacher s reassessing their position, collaborating with their colleagues to regain courage, and meeting the challenge with determination and optimism.

During this particular fair I was also fortunate to read the article by Amanda Ripley, “What Makes a Great Teacher?” in The Atlantic (January/February 2010). As I read, conversations with teachers attending the recruiting fair kept resurfacing. Early in the article the author reaches the conclusion that, “the school, statistically speaking, does not matter as much as which adult stands in front of the classroom.” This is followed shortly by the statement . . . “the research about teachers’ impact has become too overwhelming to ignore.” Such assertions are not surprising to students, parents, teachers or administrators who have reflected on the factors that determine a successful education.

The article then goes on to review research which strives to determine the predictors of great teachers. Two dominant traits emerged: a history of perseverance and a high degree of satisfaction with life.

Back to the recruiting fair: I was fortunate to sit with a group of candidates and listen to a discussion of their ongoing activities in their search for new positions. Time and again the traits of perseverance and positive outlook were evident in their actions and words in spite of many emotional highs and lows. Just as perseverance and positivity characterize great teachers, these same qualities foster hope, enthusiasm and determination in all situations. Spreading hope, enthusiasm and determination in our schools positively infects not only classrooms but families, communities and our world in general.