Signs of teaching talent are cues for curiosity, not a diagnosis and not a caste stamp.
Tests measure a sample already shaped by teaching and invitation. False positives are part of the identification problem.
Early cues
- 3–6 — Re-explains with a new picture — Representation change.
- 7–9 — Finds the stuck point — Diagnosis.
- 10–13 — Checks, not hopes — A question that could fail.
- 14–17 — Holds a restless room — Attention without humiliation.
- Adult — Late career-changer hunger — Wants the job after another life.
Tests & tasks
- Teach-back of a hard bit — The honest sample.
- Error diagnosis set — Where is the bug?
- Charisma rating — Halo.
- Student-gain in one hour — A small change score.
Environments
- A real learner — Not only peers who already know.
- Materials to hand — Montessori’s lever.
- Permission to check — Failure visible.
- Lesson-study colleagues — Japan’s lever.
False positives
- TED energy — Stage ≠ room.
- 학원 exam theatre — Score craft only.
- Nice without a task — Occupancy.
- Film biopic — Escalante flattened.
Teaching talent: a cue is information. A label without a review date is a caste.