The best teachers have passion for their subject. The best math professors I ever had in college were the ones who were excited to teach and show us things that they thought were interesting. The worst were the faculty who approached teaching as a gatekeeping measure as if it were up to them to decide who was worthy to move to the next level and who was not. While assessment is part of an instructor's job, they wore their 60% fail/withdraw rates as a badge of honor believing that their terrible reputations were actually boosting respect among the students.
Many people have asked about my teaching philosophy. I always refer back to this quote:
“If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.”
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
