My 'Best' Teacher

This article reports the analysis of 59 articles entitled 'my best teacher' printed in the UK Times Educational Supplement January 2000 - August 2003. The research identifies the common qualities/characteristics of 'best' teachers, compares the field of endeavour of the interviewee with the discipline of their 'best teacher' and examines 'light-bulb' moments; times when teachers especially inspired their students. A qualitative thematic analysis of the interviews in the articles has been utilised. The most frequently identified personal qualities contributing to a ?best teacher? are also reported. Finally, a model to illustrate dimensions of a 'best' teacher is presented.