To be an effective teacher, you must first have good classroom management. Discipline consistently and immediately, and never put up with bad behavior. Students can sense weakness and will try to exploit it. If you develop a classroom environment where they respect you and you respect them, then teaching the material will be much easier and more effective.
Never show if you have favorite students. Children of all ages are acutely aware of the concept of fairness and will pick up quickly if you allow one student to get away with something and not another. Even if you believe that one of your students really did lose their homework because they are typically a straight-A student, you cannot bend the rules.
Children of all ages are egocentric; therefore, it is vital to relate the material to their lives or at least the real world. This task can be challenging with some subject matter, but try focusing on the universal themes that the subject matter touches on or what types of careers may require the use of the information you are teaching them. Students want to be assured that they are not wasting their time.
Teachers should continue to learn and grow as professionals just like they expect their students to do so. Going to conferences, taking courses and observing other teachers can all be effective ways to self-reflect on your performance as a teacher and analyze what you can improve upon. Most importantly, teachers should always be looking for ways to incorporate technology in new and effective ways since technology is such a big part of our lives now.
Some educators believe that consistency is the key; however, varying the assignments, projects, and methods of conveying information often proves to keep students attention more. Also, having students teach each other in various ways, such as group work, partner work, and even having students present to the whole class as if they were the teacher are all great ways to vary the routine and keep students on their toes.