Ganan, Leslie - Elementary School Teacher
From What can you do with a degree in psychology?
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| - | Elementary school teachers usually start their day by arriving at the school at 7:15am. They spend the first hour preparing lessons that will be taught that day. They teach about 5 lessons a day, an hour each. They teach until around 10:30am at which time they take a short break. They might have to do playground duty at this time, if not they take this time to do some marking or preparing for the next lesson. They then teach again until 12:30pm at which time the | + | Elementary school teachers usually start their day by arriving at the school at 7:15am. They spend the first hour preparing lessons that will be taught that day. They teach about 5 lessons a day, an hour each. They teach until around 10:30am at which time they take a short break. They might have to do playground duty at this time, if not they take this time to do some marking or preparing for the next lesson. They then teach again until 12:30pm at which time the students have lunch. Teachers might have to do playground duty again at this time. If not, they take the time to eat lunch and to do some marking or preparing for the next lesson. They teach again until 3:15pm at which time school is done. Teachers will usually spend 2 hours marking, planning, checking emails and preparing for the next day. They may do this after school or at home usually 3 nights per week. They leave the school around 6:30pm or maybe later if parents are coming in or if they are involved with other school activities. On average, elementary school teachers work a total of about 62 hours per week. Elementary school teachers get summers off in which they may choose to do additional qualification courses. |
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| http://www.theguardian.com/education/blog/2013/apr/02/teachers-workload-holiday | http://www.theguardian.com/education/blog/2013/apr/02/teachers-workload-holiday | ||
| http://www.alleducationschools.com/education-careers/elementary-education/elementary-school-teacher/ | http://www.alleducationschools.com/education-careers/elementary-education/elementary-school-teacher/ | ||
Revision as of 19:56, 26 March 2015
Contents |
Job Title
Elementary School Teacher
General Overview
Elementary school teachers play an important role in the education and development of children. They teach students from ages anywhere from 4 – 13, in classrooms of around 20 students. They teach basic subjects such as reading, writing and arithmetic, as well as English and French as a second language. They teach at either public or private elementary schools. Elementary school librarians are also seen as teachers.
Job duties and responsibilities
• Teaching and Instruction: teachers need to develop lesson plans for variety of subjects. They may use demonstrations and props to teach different subjects. Lesson plans include classroom work, class instructions, tests and quizzes. They assign homework to students to reinforce the lessons that they learn in the classroom. Teachers schedule educational field trips for students during the year to provide them with some fun learning experiences outside of the classroom. Part of their job is also to motivate and inspire young children to develop a lifelong love of learning and education. They teach the entire classroom all at once most of the time, but sometimes they may work with children in small groups or individually if they are struggling with the classroom material. Teachers do not just teach children the classroom material, but also teach them how to work and collaborate with others.
• Assessments, Evaluations and Grading: teachers evaluate the student's comprehension and knowledge of the course material. They use assessments of homework, assignments, quizzes and tests to determine a student’s progress in school. By observing the children, teachers may be able to identify learning or behavioural problems in some children. These do not only help them identify problem students but also exceptional ones. Teachers keep records of grades and attendance for each student in the classroom.
• Supervision and Classroom Control: teachers lead the classroom so they are the ones who set the rules for behaviour. They supervise children’s behaviour outside of the classroom setting (during lunch, recess and on field trips). They are responsible for establishing an environment in which children can learn. They may discipline disruptive students as well as praise those who perform well.
• Parent/Teacher Meetings: teachers have to meet with parents to discuss the student's progress in the classroom a few times throughout the year. They may discuss the lesson plans and classroom materials with the parents and they may offer suggestions about working with their kids in order to provide them with extra help or tutoring if they are not doing very well in class.
• Attending Conferences and Workshops: teachers attend workshops and conferences throughout the year in order to stay up to date with issues in teaching and to learn new teaching techniques.
http://work.chron.com/tasks-responsibilities-elementary-school-teachers-3868.html
Typical Workday
Elementary school teachers usually start their day by arriving at the school at 7:15am. They spend the first hour preparing lessons that will be taught that day. They teach about 5 lessons a day, an hour each. They teach until around 10:30am at which time they take a short break. They might have to do playground duty at this time, if not they take this time to do some marking or preparing for the next lesson. They then teach again until 12:30pm at which time the students have lunch. Teachers might have to do playground duty again at this time. If not, they take the time to eat lunch and to do some marking or preparing for the next lesson. They teach again until 3:15pm at which time school is done. Teachers will usually spend 2 hours marking, planning, checking emails and preparing for the next day. They may do this after school or at home usually 3 nights per week. They leave the school around 6:30pm or maybe later if parents are coming in or if they are involved with other school activities. On average, elementary school teachers work a total of about 62 hours per week. Elementary school teachers get summers off in which they may choose to do additional qualification courses.
http://www.theguardian.com/education/blog/2013/apr/02/teachers-workload-holiday http://www.alleducationschools.com/education-careers/elementary-education/elementary-school-teacher/
Educational requirements and other qualifications
To become an elementary school teacher they must first complete a minimum of three years of postsecondary degree from an acceptable postsecondary institution. They must have successfully completed a one year acceptable teacher education program. They must then apply to get their certification by the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) to teach in Ontario’s publicly funded schools, for which they will have to pay a registration fee and an annual membership fee to maintain their membership and certification (how much). The application process includes providing proof of identity and Canadian Criminal Record Check Report. They need to have in class experience which is acquired through teachers college by doing placements at different elementary schools throughout the year.
There are Additional Qualification (AQ) courses that are provided by the OCT that are not mandatory but very helpful in order to get a job as a teacher and enhance their teaching practices. Often teachers do these when they want to continue their professional learning. These are courses that expand your knowledge in working with special education kids, in English as a Second Language, working with technology in the classroom, etc. There are also the Additional Basic Qualifications (ABQ) which are subject specific and you would obtain if you want to move up from your current teaching level (ex. from elementary school teacher to high school teacher. http://www.oct.ca/~/link.aspx?_id=25CD74DDD6A14F3BA968490666FB1733&_z=z
Related skills, interests and abilities
There are several skills that elementary school teachers must possess in order to be successful teachers. Some of these are more specific than others. They must have instructing skills since they are teaching kids how to do things. Speaking skills to be able to talk to the kids and convey the information effectively and in a way that they will understand. Active listening skills since they must listen to what others are saying, take the time to understand their points, and not interrupting at inappropriate times. Time management skills is a very important one since teachers have a lot of different tasks that need to be completed which are time consuming. They must be able to organize their time accordingly in order to be able to complete all their work before the deadlines. Writing skills are also important, not only in the way that you communicate your thoughts but in how you write it since kids need to be able to read and understand your writing. Social perceptiveness skills to be able to be aware of others reactions and understanding why they react as they do. They must also be patient since they are working with kids who may not always understand concepts quickly, might get distracted and will not want to focus on the lessons. http://job-descriptions.careerplanner.com/Elementary-School-Teachers-Except-Special-Education-3.cfm
Relevance of Psychology undergraduate degree
Psychology is almost the foundation for teaching. There are many courses that are offered in the psychology program that are also offered as part of the child and youth or concurrent education program because they complement each other. Psychology is a topic that can be applied to everyday life because it is the understanding of human behaviours and we interact with people on a daily basis. Cognition is related to teaching because you need to understand the individual difference that every child has different mental ability and learns with different pace. Learning is a good class because it helps us understand the learning processes which again, all kids experience differently. Theories of Development and Socialization and Personality look at child and youth development and socialization as well as the different types of personalities that children, as well as adults, may have. This is very important when working with children because you are not only teaching kids about subjects and how to do things, but as a teacher, you must also be able to interpret kids behaviours in order to help improve their learning skills. http://www.brocku.ca/webcal/undergrad/psyc.html
Salary potential
Elementary School Teachers earn an average salary of $50,095 per year. On average the starting salary for this job is $43,816 per year and can earn up to $92,044 per year. There is a very broad range because the amount of experience you have has an effect on income for this job. As well, a skill in French Language is associated with higher pay for this job. http://www.payscale.com/research/CA/Job=Elementary_School_Teacher/Salary
Job outlook
Job prospects in this occupation are good. The number of elementary school teachers has remained quite stable since the 90s, mainly because of changes in enrolment and government funding. Since 2011, the number of elementary school-age children has been and will continue to increase by an average of 2.1% per year which has led to an increase in school enrollment. Since there are more students enrolling in school, more teachers have been getting hired. There has also been a reduction in the number of students per classroom because of the large amount of students who have learning and/or behavioural problems. This has led to more teachers being needed in order to be able to provide extra assistant to these students. This is especially for teachers who have specialized in remedial education, arts, health, second-language instruction and physical education. There will be an increase in job openings for this position due to a large amount of them retiring, getting promoted, or simply needed to be replaced. Given all these overall trends, the number of elementary school teachers is expected to increase over the next few years.
To know more
http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/qc/job_futures/statistics/4142.shtml
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