A charismatic teacher is the one who brings her classroom to life. They are the one where kids are in their room before the school day begins, during lunch or after school.

They create a safe place and a happy place for kids to gather. It is also a place where good, dynamic instruction takes place. They bring the subject matter to life, and kids walk out at the end of the period wishing there was more time there rather than thinking that was an hour of their lives they will never get back.

Over the course of the next few months, I am going to write a series of blogs about being a charismatic teacher. I will write about the following topics:

• Incorporating humor appropriately
• Knowing and showing the difference between sympathy and empathy
• Being involved outside of the classroom as much as inside the classroom
• What it means to truly know your kids
• What it means to truly know your content and your profession
• Practicing the Professional Dispositions effectively
• How to teach and assess in a way that is beneficial and not painful
• An overall summary on how you can prepare to be a charismatic teacher

Have you ever heard the term “charismatic teacher”? Do you have any idea what that means? Even if you have never heard the term, I am willing to bet you have had teachers who have been charismatic and others who have, well, not been charismatic. Defining a charismatic teacher is kind of like defining “art.” It’s under the “you know it when you see it” category of definitions. 

I am going to write these blog posts based on what I feel is the best research possible — my 40 years in the classroom. I could cite everything and impress you with my knowledge of how to use the GCU Library, but I have experienced all these aspects from my time of connecting with my students in classrooms in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Washington, California and Arizona. 

I hope you will enjoy my posts, and I invite you to share your stories with me. I am thankful to still love what I get to do in the classroom after 40 years, and I pray you have 40 years’ worth of great stories in your own classrooms one day soon.  I will look forward to sharing the next story with you.

Until then, may God bless you and keep you!

Dr. Danuser

Approved by the Program Director of College of Education on Oct. 25, 2022