Humility

"...God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." James 4:6, NRSV

A teacher that practices humility always puts his students first. Only if he has his students' best interests at heart will those students be able to respect him as a teacher. There are many very young children that will believe anything you tell them. Unfortunately, sometimes teachers are wrong. Though it is important that teachers are confident in their subject areas, if a teacher is wrong, he should humble himself and correct his mistakes. This will often be difficult for more egocentric personalities, especially if it is a students that points out the teacher's flaw. Teachers must remember that they are held accountable for what students know and do not know. If a student has learned false information or no information at all, it is the teacher's responsibility to reflect on his teaching and find a solution.
In addition to teaching the facts, teachers are also held accountable for their teaching philosophies and styles. A good teacher must also humble himself by understanding that his particular teaching styles will not always be effective for every student. And again, he must reflection why that may be, and what he can do to change that when necessary. Ethics are also a part of the humility a teacher must accept. Even if a teacher may personally disagree with a school's code of ethics, he must still remember to keep the students best interests at heart. The same goes for other teaching philosophies such as how a teacher chooses to deal with behavior and other aspects of classroom management.