How to Become an Elementary School Teacher

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“To teach is to touch lives forever.” –Anonymous. (Anonymous, 2000). Although this quote is from an anonymous source, I have heard it stated by teachers throughout my learning career. Even more so, I have felt the likeness of the quote within my everyday life. The wisdom of a teacher can resonate with a student for the rest of his/her life. Regardless of how good or bad the message imprinted on his/her mind may be, the student’s life has indeed been touched by that teacher. This is my precise reason for wanting a career as an Elementary School Teacher: to mold the minds of the next generation of young people so that they too, will seek out the joy in learning. The question is, “How in the world do I go about becoming one of the good teachers, one who imprints a positive image of learning within the child’s mind?” Let’s take a look. In fact, we will discuss the educational and certification requirements, along with the salary, potential for advancement, and the star qualities of an Elementary School Teacher. One of the initial steps to becoming an elementary school teacher is to continue as a student. That’s right; the greatest teachers are great students, transformed. Therefore, we have the most learning to do. We must understand the “why” and “why-not” questions, well before they are asked. We must be flexible enough to teach the same lesson in an assortment of techniques. Along with flexibility, there are other characteristics that we must possess. Such traits include communication skills, creativity, instructional skills, and patience. Communication skills: We must be able to effectively convey the information of our lessons so that our students can understand it. Creativity: We must be creative in creating or revising our lesson plans to engage our students. Instructional skills: Corresponding to our flexibility, we must prove ourselves capable of explaining
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