It s about deviating from the course syllabus or lecture schedule easily when there is more and better learning elsewhere. Good teaching is about the creative balance between being an authoritarian dictator on the one hand and a pushover on the other. Good teachers migrate between these poles at all times, depending on the circumstances. They know where they need to be and when. Effective teaching is not about being locked with both hands glued to a podium or having your eyes fixated on a slide projector while you drone on.
Good teachers work the room and every student in it.
They realize that they are conductors and the class is their orchestra. All students play different instruments and at varying proficiencies. A teacher s job is to develop skills and make these instruments come to life as a coherent whole to make music. This is very important. It s about being self-deprecating and not taking yourself too seriously.