Do you think teaching a bunch of giggling, restless kids is easy? Not at all, because teaching students at the elementary level is full of challenges. You must be extra careful when planning lessons for these youngsters with impressionable minds and limited attention span.
To be an exceptional teacher, understand that teaching is a very serious responsibility. You are expected to be patient, resourceful, disciplined, flexible, loving, nurturing, and vociferous all at once. As an elementary teacher, you will teach students from grades 1-6. So, it’s helpful when you have a background in in Elementary Education, like a diploma, along with these useful qualities:
- Organizational skills: A good elementary teacher has good organizational abilities and planning skills. You must prepare daily schedules and lessons for the students, set goals for the academic year, make charts, and outline lesson plans for every day and week. You must ensure that the classroom environment is productive and healthy, which encourages students to learn faster.
- Interpersonal skills: You must have excellent communication skills because you are in a position to influence the child’s mind stronger than anyone else. Students look up to their teachers for inspiration and support. You must also have an open channel of communication with the parents of the children and keep them informed about their child’s progress.
- Passion for teaching: Without this drive, you cannot expect to become a good elementary teacher. You must be enthusiastic and willing to go the extra mile to make lessons easier for your students. When you lack passion for what you do, you are not going to excel in it.
- Good sense of humour: To bond with your students better, you need to make your teaching more fun. Teachers who have a great sense of humour add a fun factor to their lessons. Students, on their part, are encouraged to actively participate during the lessons because the environment is relaxed and friendly. When the teacher is extremely serious and stern, students may feel bored and even intimidated.
- Discipline: As an elementary teacher, you must be disciplined yourself to ensure that your students become disciplined too. Discipline is needed to make the entire teaching and learning process smooth and effective.
- Sense of purpose: This quality is a must if you have to succeed as a teacher. If you don’t have a purpose for what you do, you cannot give it your best.
- Creativity: When teaching becomes a chore, students tend to get distracted. However, if you use creative ways to teach complicated topics, you will notice students engage better with their lessons.
If you already have these traits and have wanted to be in academics, then teaching can be the right profession for you. Teaching students at the elementary level may be filled with challenges but its also a profession that gives you utmost satisfaction and fulfillment.
