A good teacher is one who can perceive where the student already is (what skills or interests he or she is bringing into the classroom) and can then lay out pat

A good teacher is one who can perceive where the student already is (what skills or interests he or she is bringing into the classroom) and can then lay out paths from that point to whatever the goal of the class is. A mediocre teacher knows what he or she wants to teach but doesn't make that connection with the individual students. The result is someone who teaches a curriculum, not a person.