Even in the realm of teaching, elementary school is something entirely different from everything else out there.
Behavior
The Life of Elementary School Teachers
Even in the realm of teaching, elementary school is something entirely different from everything else out there.
As a teacher, not only is it your responsibility to support your students to succeed academically, but you’re also there to help them learn other vital soft skills they use later in life. Anything from communication to working together, fine motor skills to morals is part of elementary school life. As such, you might expect that the average day is far different than in the higher grades – and you’d be right.
Inspired by the always-wonderful teacher and YouTuber Michele Rose of Creative Scribbles, we take a closer look at what the life of an elementary school teacher looks like. Here’s a hint: it’s not always as straightforward as we’d like.
Education resources
Lesson planning beyond the curriculum
For older students, sticking to what’s provided in the curriculum is an excellent way to ensure they get all the information, insight, and guidance they need to succeed. But for elementary school, directly aiming for those specific milestones isn’t enough. For children to be able to sit still and read aloud, complete complicated homework, or work together on projects, the foundations must be in place. You’d be surprised how much of our time is spent working those soft skills into our planning in addition to the specific requirements placed upon us by our schools.
According to the education and skills forum, these soft skills that are vital for later success include:
- Critical thinking
- Active listening
- Self-monitoring
As with any skill, these abilities need nurturing to grow and flourish. Starting young is the best way to do this. This makes life as an elementary school teacher far more complicated than it may first appear, especially with students working at different levels of each skill.
We may play more, but we still work hard
For younger students, play is a vital part of their development in the classroom. But when it comes to what other teachers or parents consider ‘playtime,’ we’re still working hard to ensure our students are educated. Young children respond well to lessons that are more active, engaging, and involved. If they are part of something, they have more chance of gaining skills and understanding surrounding that subject. Anything from circle time to drawing or playing outside can provide those vital skills.
Not to mention, elementary school students often can’t sit still for a full day in the same way older kids can. Our life as a teacher balances teaching students patience, discipline, and stillness and allowing them to blow off that extra steam. While yes, our classrooms have far more time to play, it doesn’t mean our jobs are any more relaxed by any means.
There’s more behind the scenes than you might think
It can be easy to think that teaching elementary-age children is a breeze. After all, there’s far less paperwork and obligation after the school day is over, right? But that actually couldn’t be further from the truth. With children in this age range showing so much development and growth, elementary school teachers are required to help their students meet more milestones and achieve more in a short space of time than practically any other age range.
This is especially true when managing a full class of students at different emotional capacities, understanding, and skill levels. While much of our school life is spent managing our class instead of grading papers, that doesn’t mean extra work isn’t needed to complete once the kids have gone home. Anything from researching the latest teaching methods to checking on your classes’ improvements is required in addition to all the work we do in class. Work/life balance? Not so much.
What does your life look like as an elementary school teacher?
