Discipline: Social Research
An effective and highly committed teaching force is a requirement in raising the education standards and promoting high academic achievement among students. This qualitative study is anchored on ascertaining the characteristics that make up the effective secondary school teacher of Quirino. Employing a phenomenological analysis, it explored the perceptions of public high school graduates toward their teachers performances based on their experiences during their high school days. The key informants of this study are the graduates of secondary schools in Quirino who are now enrolled at Quirino State University. They concurred in majority that an effective teacher is someone who possesses pedagogical skills which are important in carrying out quality lessons in class. He/She must also carry affective skills that manifest his/her passion for teaching. In addition, an effective teacher must have personal and professional skills that he/she needs to carry out everyday activities in the class. Finally, an effective teacher must have strong spiritual qualities so that he/she can also develop his/her students to become God-fearing citizens. These qualities which top the list of the perceived desirable characteristics of the effective teacher rendered substantial standpoints in developing policies or even improving those that are existing to increase the effectiveness of secondary school teachers in the province.