He closes his eyes and zones out. She continues talking to her friend and rolls her eyes. Students whimper in fear as the teacher berates them for their low test scores. All these situations depict an image of students and teachers far from ideal.

So I decided to find out just what made the perfect scholar. Three students and three teachers were asked for one trait that they felt was a must have for the other group to have for them to be the ¨perfect¨ teacher or student.

I asked seniors Austin Nobbe, Morgan Margiotta, and Allison Ledder. Austin said he wants a teacher to be “funny and iconic because it makes the teacher more relatable.”

Morgan was very intrigued by the question and thought about it hard so she could give the best answer possible. She decided she would hope teachers are “understanding because when a teacher is understanding they become more approachable.”

Allison was eager about having her response included in my article. A perfect teacher to Allison is one who is “passionate because it is easier to learn from someone who is passionate about their work.”

Why funny, understanding, and passionate? Funny teachers are more approachable to students. When teachers are understanding, student feel they can connect to the teacher and the subject. And passionate teachers make sure their students really learn the material.

Would teachers want the same qualities of their students? Mrs. Palese, Mrs. Fuerholzer, and Mrs. Pham all shared their ideas.

Science teacher Mrs. Palese, working with students in the STEM center, said she wants students who show ¨dedication and caring because it is so much easier to teach someone who is dedicated to their work.”

When I approached AP Seminar teacher Mrs. Fuerholzer, she told me, “I’m not the best at interviews,” but she did say that when she sees students years later, she wouldn’t “remember your grade in class, but I will remember if you were honest with me.”

Mrs. Pham teaches Rhetorical Analysis of Media to seniors, with the journalism unit which requires students to write articles for Wolf Prints. She made me explain why this article topic was relevant or newsworthy for PR students. She approved this topic, and then shared that she likes students who are hardworking because they can improve so much through effort.

It’s clear that teachers want students to do well but grades are not as important as honesty, hard work, and dedication. What most teachers care about is that the student is trying and giving their best and honest effort on everything that they do.

The ideal teacher will tell a joke, will share a smile with students, will shout with glee as she tells her students of the lesson plan for the day. Ideally, students will complete all classwork in a timely manner, meet with teachers to get extra help when they don’t understand something, and honor the trust teachers have in them to do their best work. If people were to incorporate these traits into their lives, it would make PR a better place for everyone.

What do you think? Add your ideas in the comments section.