Enjoy being around children. Teaching young kids isn’t for everyone, so you’ll need to be prepared to spend your whole day with them. Children aren’t always the clearest at explaining themselves. You will need to be a good listener, and able to understand their perspective and what they are trying to say. Have good organizational and time management skills. These are important not only for governing yourself, but also helping to pass them on to your students. Be attentive. Especially when working with young children, you need to be able to pay attention and predict dangerous situations, keeping an eye out for their safety. You will need imagination and creativity to get in touch with your students, and make them want to learn. If you have additional skill in an outside area of knowledge, like music, art, or sport, that will give you another advantage in applying for jobs and reaching your students.
You can certainly study other subjects in college. Degrees in specific subject areas that you will cover as a teacher, like English, science, or mathematics, will increase your chances of being selected for postgraduate courses. Application committees will examine other degrees to see if they are relevant to teaching primary-age students. A Masters degree can give you a bump in pay, but you don’t need this type of degree to become a teacher. [5] X Expert Source Courtney CoprivizaElementary School Teacher Expert Interview. 18 June 2021.
In the United States, each state controls requirements for teacher certification, and those will vary depending on the state. In each case, the state will expect you to demonstrate an understanding of the state’s subject material standards, as well as best practices for teaching young children. [7] X Research source In the United Kingdom, Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) is necessary to be hired as a teacher. In Scotland, the same rank is referred to as a Teaching Qualification (TQ). The easiest way to get QTS is to get a BEd or BA/BSc with QTS. If you did not do that in college, you will need a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). You can receive this through a graduate school, School-Centered Initial Teacher Training (SCITT), or the Teach First programme. [8] X Research source [9] X Research source [10] X Research source You’ll have to take extra steps to work at a private school—it depends on what the school wants. [11] X Expert Source Courtney CoprivizaElementary School Teacher Expert Interview. 18 June 2021.
One good way to get some classroom experience is to volunteer in local schools. In addition to showing your desire to become a teacher, it can also give you additional experiences to reference when you apply for a job. Talk to your local school and see if they will let you shadow a teacher, or volunteer as an unofficial classroom assistant. [13] X Research source [14] X Research source If you can’t get to a school to volunteer, there are other areas you can work with young children that will give you good experiences you can translate to the classroom. These include mentoring, summer play and camps, Scouting, and Sunday schools. [15] X Research source
If you are interested in working in a particular school district, their website would be a good place to look for specific openings they might have. The more flexible you can be with your location, the more jobs will be open to you. To maximize your chances, you will need to be willing to move to a variety of places to land a primary school teaching job. If you achieved QTS through a SCITT program, chances are the school was training you for a specific position, so you are probably likely to get that job, at least as a career-starter. Because of the higher staff turnover, there will likely be more jobs available in inner city schools. You’re going to have to jump through more hoops if you’re working for a private school. [16] X Expert Source Courtney CoprivizaElementary School Teacher Expert Interview. 18 June 2021.
Your interview will probably cover trends and issues in the teaching profession. Make sure you are familiar with the big issues and some of the key buzz words. Research the school you are interviewing at ahead of time to see if there are certain issues important to them, and make sure to mention them while talking to the school. This is a good opportunity to talk about your past classroom experiences. You don’t want to just list them. Instead, be prepared to explain specific instances that were helpful in developing your philosophy in the classroom, or making you want to become a primary school teacher. Look for things you like about the school, and find opportunities to bring them up. Even a simple idea like “I really like what you are doing with classroom development, I think it’s a really good idea” can be helpful. It shows that you know something about the school, and tells the interviewers that you would be a good fit for them. [17] X Research source
If you are a newly qualified teacher, that is you only recently passed your exams, you will serve a probationary period. This will involve monitoring and support, and a designated tutor who will help to identify areas for improvement. Following these suggestions will make you a better instructor to your students, and a better colleague to other teachers. Schools will likely highlight and offer continuing professional development classes based on the position you hold, or any positions you wish to rise to. These classes will usually take place at your school on designated teacher training days, or on off-site training centers.
While you will need to enforce discipline, you should ignore silly advice such as “don’t smile until Christmas. ” Let your students see your energy and enthusiasm for learning, and they may learn to love it with you. [19] X Research source
Make sure you explain your rules and expectations on the first day, and review during the first week. You can even send those rules and expectations home to parents so they are also clear on what you are expecting from the class. [20] X Research source Just remember that this is your class. Your students will probably come from a variety of backgrounds and have had many different teachers with different rules before you. That’s fine, but you don’t have to follow those rules if you don’t want to.
You should familiarize yourself with the teachers your students have had in the years before you. Those instructors will have additional insight into behavior, strengths, and weaknesses. This is also important because the other teachers are your colleagues, the people you will see not just every day, but every school year as well. Having a good relationship with them will make it easier and more fun to come in every day.
In most cases, you will be able to deal with discipline issues yourself rather than get administrators involved. This will be tough at first, but can get easier as you see the same kinds of problems, and figure out the best ways to deal with them. Look for opportunities to turn misbehavior into a teachable moment. Talk to the student about how they could’ve behaved differently, and help them look at the bigger picture. [24] X Expert Source Ashley Pritchard, MASchool Counselor Expert Interview. 4 November 2019.
Regular parent-teacher conferences can be an important part of keeping parents involved with their student’s well being, and giving you an insight into your student’s home life. Instead of just telling the parents about how they are doing in school, make sure you ask about what kids have said about the class, or if there are particular thoughts the parents might have about their child’s progress. [27] X Trustworthy Source Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development Nonprofit organization providing innovative, effective educational resources for educators designed to support student achievement Go to source Look for regular opportunities to get parents involved with their children. Ask for volunteers for the classroom. It can even be something as simple as standing outside the door when parents arrive for drop-off and pick-up to chat with them briefly, or inviting them into the classroom for a minute after school to see some of their child’s work.
It can also be helpful to remember that you will have successes every day as well. Make sure you take note of them, and reward yourself when they happen.
