What makes a great teacher?

To me, being  great teacher takes a few things not found in everyone. The trait the gets my attention most often is a passion not for teaching, but what they are teaching. An english teacher that does not care to read probably does not care to teach it either, not likely to be a good teacher. My most memorable teachers really loved what they were teaching, I could tell by the presentation that they truly felt that the topic they were covering was important and wanted us to know that. Passion to me is the most influential trait to have, it is a basic building block to great teacher. An open mind also builds a great teacher. The ability to understand where a student is coming from can make a world of difference. Accepting that the topic they are teaching is not important to everyone and is not the most important topic in the world can make the classroom a much more relaxed and a comfortable learning environment. Lastly, a key element to great teacher in knowledge, usually this is not a problem, but some teachers are not as well versed in their topic as they should be, which makes the class a near waste of time for the students.