- Planning Lessons
- Classroom Management
- Funding
- Energy
- Distractions
A job as an elementary school teacher is certainly full of challenges. From planning engaging lessons to responding to classroom distractions, today’s teachers have their hands full. However, the right strategies and learning resources will help any teacher manage expectations and ultimately find success in the classroom. The following five challenges demonstrate just a few of the things today’s elementary school teachers must prepare for and endure in this fast-paced career.
Planning Lessons
Although every district is different, elementary school teachers everywhere will agree that planning lessons can be one of the most difficult tasks they must complete. Especially for new teachers, this task often feels overwhelming and complicated. Additionally, elementary school teachers may find that this task results in hours of unpaid work every week if not done efficiently. Most teachers will indeed have to manage their lessons themselves and build this skill over the course of several years. Choosing lessons that not only meet the requirements of the curriculum but also engage, interest, and challenge all levels of students can be a daunting task.
Classroom Management
Dealing with energetic youngsters on a daily basis can often result in stressful situations. The unprepared elementary school teacher who faces the challenge of classroom management may feel completely incapable. However, preparing appropriately and picking up useful strategies along the way will completely change the classroom experience. One strategy suggested by Lily Jones on Forbes is to train students in mindfulness, inevitably increasing classroom calmness and personal reflection. In the end, elementary school teachers will come to rely on countless classroom management strategies, as no single strategy will work for every situation. Ultimately, classroom management has no cookie cutter solution but indeed requires varied responses and approaches.
Funding
Elementary school teachers with low funding may be forced to use old materials and outdated equipment. Likewise, many supervisors will judge a bare classroom without plenty of decorations and eye-catching colors. Ultimately, teachers who want to remain competitive, increase job security, and encourage learning will likely spend their personal money on the classroom. These are just some of the many pitfalls of having a low budget. Although a can-do attitude and sense of resilience will help every elementary school teacher face these challenges, funding is nonetheless a common struggle for teachers everywhere.
Energy
Although this may vary from teacher to teacher, it’s common to regularly become exhausted due to the daily job requirements. While introverts may find it difficult to constantly communicate with students, teachers, and staff, other challenges exist as well. The workload, high expectations, and occasionally pesky parents are enough to drain all the energy from any new teacher. Experienced teachers understand that although it’s inevitable to lack energy from time to time, it’s important to set clear boundaries, live a healthy lifestyle, and get enough rest. Taking work home may seem inevitable, but preventing this is vital for a healthy and energetic teacher.
Distractions
These days, it may seem every toddler has an iPad. Technology is an excellent educational tool, but unfortunately it is a common distraction plaguing classrooms across the globe. While some teachers opt to confiscate all phones for the duration of class, others only react when students disrupt class or don’t pay attention. There is no ideal solution to combat distractions in the classroom, but nonetheless it is a problem teachers must respond to on a daily basis.
Related Resource: Top 20 Best Bachelor’s in Elementary Education Online
All in all, the job of an elementary school teacher may appear too difficult. Despite the many challenges today’s elementary school teachers face, useful strategies, proper training, and a supportive community of teachers ultimately make the job as rewarding as it is challenging.
