Michael story proves that just because you're met with blank stares doesn't mean you're not having a profound effect on your student. If teachers and therapists knew what a powerful influence they are, most would be astounded. But students realize the power their teacher's have. And so do parents. Because of this, they spend much of their time hoping and praying for that special educator who'll make a great impact on their child's life.

So what are the qualities that make a teacher or therapist stand apart from the crowd? We heard from parents across the globe. We heard from adults with special needs as they shared their childhood experiences. And what we found is that they all agree! One by one they reiterated the qualities of a top teacher or therapist. In no particular order, the makings of a great educator are laid out below.

One skill that never needs to be taught is our sixth sense. Think of your own experiences. You might come home excitedly and announce a new goal you'd like to achieve. "That's great!" says your spouse, but you sense he feels otherwise. Students with special needs have the same intuition. If deep inside an educator feels a student can't achieve a goal, the chances are he won't. But if an educator expects success, a student will pick up on that vibration and rise to the occasion. Strong educators know that anything is possible and they instill this belief in their students. They congratulate their students and smile with pride when new concepts are mastered. They make visual charts of all the student's accomplishments, instilling in them a feeling of accomplishment. When a student believes the sky is the limit and that he can do anything, he'll reach far beyond anyone's expectations, perhaps even his own.

We all need motivation. Whether it's a weekly paycheck or an Olympic gold medal, that shining reward is what gets us moving. Students are no different. Find their interest and use it to motivate them. Does your student love slapstick humor? Fall off your chair if he gets the answer correct, or play skits from America's Funniest Home Videos when an assignment is completed. Great educators make learning fun. Are you teaching your students about the Civil War? Make it animated. Pretend you're someone from the North and have a student pretend he's from South. Act out a likely scenario. Interactive learning is motivating and fun. Use rewards and privileges to encourage participation. Lunch with the teacher is a favorite with young kids. Pizza parties and extra computer time always goes down well. A token based economy is highly effective. In this method, students gather points or pennies for work well done. As they collect them, they can exchange them for prizes like pencils, notepads and ice cream.

Children with special needs face a common dilemma. They are constantly being corrected. It might be their language, their pronunciation, their communication skills or their behavior. They might not understand that correcting these issues will help them later in life, but they do get the message that they must change. They feel they're not good enough the way they are. As you might imagine, it can't be easy keeping your self esteem intact. A good teacher or therapist constantly uses character building activities in their sessions. They might give out awards. They might create "What I'm good at" books. They find ways to make each student shine. But most of all, they get the message across that each child is perfect just the way he is, and that learning some new skills will simply help others understand him better.

There are many that teach a certain way and if repetition doesn't work they say "He doesn't have the comprehension," or "He's just not ready." A good teacher or therapist never falls into this trap. When something's not working, they think "I can't change the student but I can change the teaching method." And then they get busy. They might consult with others or search on-line for ideas. They use their creative talents and devise a new way to explain the lessons. One therapist had a "bag of popcorn strategies." She placed a hot air popcorn popper on a sheet. The children sat on the outside boundary of sheet. As the popcorn began to pop, she asked them to describe what they could see, smell and hear. She had them do a movement activity where the children pretend to be popcorn kernels. The students curled up into tight balls and as they, the kernel started to warm up; they wiggled, jumped up to full body extension, arms up, and shouted "POP." Her students did a craft where they made popcorn snowmen. She did a math activity and demonstrated addition and subtraction with popcorn pieces. And I think you can probably guess what they had for snack! This is one example but there are thousands of creative teaching strategies developed by resourceful teachers and therapists.

Out of the desire for students to be successful, educators attempt to help them become stronger in areas in which they struggle. The problem here is that it's so easy to end up focusing on a student's weaknesses. Years of research show that encouraging the strengths of an individual is the path to greatest achievement. It's not a good idea to ignore a student's challenges but rather to use their strengths when tackling areas of difficulty. Let's take an example. Maggie is poor at reading comprehension. Her task is to read a short story, define the main idea and answer a series of multiple choice questions. The story is about a King who rules over his land. But Maggie has no interest in Folk Tales. It's hard for her to keep track of the story and she gives up before she's even started. A great educator knows that it's important to take one step at a time. Initially it's a good idea to use a story that Maggie is interested in. Maggie loves cats and knows almost everything about them. Her teacher finds passages about cats and creates reading comprehension assignments. Since Maggie is fascinated with the subject, she is far more eager and willing to focus on the questions and determine the main idea. As Maggie's comprehension improves, so does her confidence. Maggie now learns that she also needs to complete reading assignments of lesser interest.

Parenting a child with special needs brings a lot of joy but it comes along with a fair share of heartache. One never gets used to the judgment, pity and disapproving stares of those in the community. Parents need to feel that teachers and therapists are on their side. They want to take an active role in their child's education and progress. Strong educators always start a conversation with a parent on a positive note. They recognize a student's strong points at the beginning of each meeting. If a child is falling short of an objective, they don't just notify the parent their child is not making the grade. With an open mind, they discuss ways of motivating the student and possibilities of how to achieve the next goal by using the child's strengths. They listen, they collaborate, they advise and then they take action. By doing so, they have a profound effect on their students and receive everlasting gratitude from the parents.

Great therapists and educators know their subject and they always come prepared. Whether it's an occupational therapy session, speech class or social studies lesson, great teachers never wing it. They have a lesson plan and they carry it out BUT they're not afraid to be flexible and adapt to unexpected circumstances. Strong educators incorporate different learning styles. They understand that students learn differently. Strategies that work for one group of students might not work for another. They use many different methods to facilitate learning. They might use visual strategies, a hands-on approach, role play, games or other tactics to involve students and encourage participation. Great educators know there is a place for tradition but there is also a place for new ways, new ideas, new systems, and new approaches. They're not afraid to listen to other's ideas and progress with the times.

When teachers and therapists love what they do it's evident to the world. Being an educator is not an easy job. It can be tiring and emotionally taxing. Despite what's going on in their personal life, great educators leave it outside the door when they enter the classroom. Yet they realize their students are not able to, and they have true compassion for those who are having a bad day or might need some extra attention. Passionate educators genuinely care for their students and they strive for success. They don't stop teaching when the class ends and are always finding innovative ways to instill pride and encourage learning. Their enthusiasm is contagious and students can't wait for their next lesson.

This article is written in thanks to all the teachers and therapists. You always go the extra mile and your unwavering support, open mind and dedication to excellence has touched more lives than you can imagine. We stand in gratitude. Thank you.