While much has been said and written about teaching excellence, educational research has not defined what it means to be an excellent teacher, so it is important for teachers in all subject areas to initiate and sustain a dialogue about teaching excellence. Six attributes characterize excellence in a secondary school communications teacher. First, the excellent teacher has a positive attitude toward self and students. Second, the excellent teacher is enthusiastic, vibrant, and a dynamic spokesperson for the field of knowledge he or she represents. Third, the excellent teacher is committed to active student involvement in learning and encourages students to test and temper information in arriving at their own conclusions about human communication. Fourth, the excellent teacher provides appropriate levels of intellectual challenge, inviting students to search for their own ideas, explanations, and theories about the way communication "works." Fifth, the excellent teacher is proficient in a variety of teaching skills, and sixth, the excellent teacher is committed to professional growth. When teachers have answered the question of what constitutes excellence in teachers, they will be better able to discuss matters of teacher preparation and the nurturing of the profession. (HTH)