Elementary teachers or parents of elementary aged children?

I'm both a teacher and parent of Elem aged kids. Personally I think the single most important quality in being a teacher is to be pionate about what you do. Second would be willingness to change. I think MOST teachers who really care are fantastic - and if you have weaknesses (we all do) and you can welcome honest evaluation and constructive criticism it's hard to go wrong. You'll never get everything right and you won't always explain everything JUST RIGHT but if you go home each night and ask yourself how you could do better next time you'll be great. Where I find most teachers start to fall off is when they start to feel very confortable with themselves and their teaching and they sort of just stop trying to be better. Next thing ya know you're ten years behind the times.