In studies conducted in the USA, teacher dispositional factors such as enthusiasm, professional esteem and learning motivation often emerge as the most significant variables affecting student learning and achievement from the primary grades through higher education. Do these factors play as significant a role in student learning and achievement in China as they do in the USA? This conceptual paper aims to compare the patterns of teacher dispositions in China with those patterns in the USA. Fourteen experienced teachers and instructors at schools and universities in China and the USA provided oral and written narratives in which they reflected on how teacher attitudes and dispositions affected student learning and achievement.