Primary school teachers instruct children who are typically in grades one through five or six and between six and eleven years old. The goal of educating pupils at this age is to lay the firm foundations of reading comprehension, writing, and math, and primary school teachers also use these fundamentals to teach broader foundation knowledge in subjects like science and social studies. They also help to ensure that developmental subjects in the arts and physical education are taught as well.
In order to teach at the primary school level, a teacher must be able to instruct with enthusiasm in a variety of subjects and reach a large number of students with engaging lesson plans and interactive teaching and instruction techniques. Teachers typically work to involve all students in the classroom, and this is especially important because middle and high school instruction will assume that basic competencies were learned at the primary school level.
For this reason, testing is another area of concern for primary school teachers, as they must use the examination process to assess students’ progress and find the best ways to reach and engage with students who may be struggling. They may also need to formulate ways to keep high-performing students challenged and involved with classwork and reach out to parents for assistance in guiding and developing their children.
In most jurisdictions, primary school teachers must have a license or certification for instruction of children at these grade levels. Most teachers have an undergraduate or associate’s degree and many choose to major in elementary education. Traditionally, teachers also serve as student teachers during their later university years when they first begin adapting to the classroom setting. Most elementary school teachers work during daytime hours in the week, though they should also expect to spend time after school and even on weekends planning lessons and grading papers.
