ABSTRACT
Great teachers know who the variable is in the classroom. The variable is how the teachers respond. Good teachers consistently strive to improve, and they focus on something they can control: their own performance. Other teachers wait for something else to change. Great teachers look to themselves for answers, while poor teachers look elsewhere. At all levels of our school systems, the effective educators take responsibility. Some superintendents blame the school board for their woes; others work to educate its members. The empowering approach raises the level of teacher efficacy and it will eventually reach students. Success in any profession starts with a focus on self.
