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Career as Elementary School Teacher (Not Special Education)

I choose to review a career of an elementary school teacher for non-

special education because this is the main point of delivery of primary school

in the United States and covers up to 5th grade which I have much interest

in. What appeals me most in this profession is that it involves children at

their early stages in their lives and an age where they need to be handled

with care so that they do not lose focus of what their potential can achieve in

life. It is the best age bracket to identify the interests of the children to focus

on them in the other higher grades. As a teacher for this grade level, the

teacher role is more like a parent and more than a parent because education

aspect of the child development. I like to see children grow up knowing their

interests in life and doing what they are good in; may it be in curricular

activities or co-curricular activities. According to National Center for

Education Statistics (2018), elementary school covers from kindergarten to

fifth grade. In the United States, there are 92,858 elementary schools

offering elementary level education and higher levels giving all the kids

chances to progress to higher grades (Paige, Whitehurst and Phillips, 2002).

Thus, it is interesting to research on this grade level and see how teachers

conduct their work and how they are taken care of by the government which

can tell the seriousness of government in providing education at this level.

From the information gathered from O*NET (2019), teachers for the

elementary education level have the duty of establishing and enforcing rules

for behavior and procedures to ensure the students they are handling are
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disciplined. In terms of skills and knowledge, teachers are expected to have

a range of skills including computer skills, instructional skills, speaking skills,

knowledge of learning strategies, active listening skills, and critical thinking

skills. In terms of education, teachers ought to have excellent knowledge of

English language, education and training, mathematics psychology,

computer and electronics. Education level is expected to a bachelor’s degree

or higher. These are very essential areas for children from kindergarten level

to 5th grade and even higher grades. The interests for this profession are

summarized by O*NET (2019) as Social, Artistic, and Conventional. Social

interests entail working with, communicating with, and teaching people

which basically what a teacher in this level do. For artistic interests, it

involves working with forms, designs, and patters because children learn

better through demonstration at this stage. Lastly on interests are

conventional interests which entails following set procedures and routines

and this is so because children at this level need some guided educational

activities. The work values needed for this occupation are relationship (work

well with other teachers to provide services to students), achievement

(results oriented occupation and teachers have a chance to use their

strongest abilities giving them a feeling of accomplishment), and finally

independence (teachers are in charge of classes and have some autonomy

regarding classroom decision making). By the year 2016, there were

1,411,000 employees in the elementary school in the United States and it is

projected that between 2016 and 2016, there will be 112,800 job openings
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that will arise (O*NET, 2019). The median wage of teachers at the

elementary school was $58,230 by 2018 (O*NET, 2019). According to NICHE

(2019), “The national average starting teacher salary is $38,617, while the

average teacher salary in America (non-starting) is $58,950. (pg.1). This

means that the median salary for an elementary teacher is almost at par

with the national average.

Based on the research I made regarding the career for an elementary

school teacher, it is an occupation with great responsibilities and I was

amazed to figure out that even the compensation is good and in tandem with

the national statistics. It is an occupation taken seriously by the government

even in terms of requirements and provision of support. What surprising for

me and which actually reinforced my choice for the career was that (O*NET,

2019) survey showed that 73% of the elementary school teachers had

bachelor’s degree, 11% had Post-baccalaureate certificate, and 11% had

Master's degree.

INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW

The person I choose for the interview was Mike Lee, a 45 years

elementary school teacher whose career has always been teaching at this

level. Mike has 30 years of teaching experience at the elementary level and

has won several awards for being the best teacher overall and also in

specific subjects from different organizations. He is currently a headmaster in

one of the public schools meaning he has much experience and information

needed for the interview. From the interview, I learnt what is expected of an
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elementary school teacher at the elementary level and what the job entails.

The interview has helped me understand that I need to have strong

interpersonal and communication skills. The next step for me is to focus on

completing my degree and at the same time look for internship opportunities

during summer breaks. Also I need to start identifying potential schools

where I can look for a job. I will continue to read more about the profession

and attending workshops that discuss elementary school teaching matters.

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

Interview questions related to elementary school teacher career

i) What is the basic education level for an elementary school

teacher?

ii) What opportunities do I have as an English and Math major at the

elementary school?

iii) My basic area of interest is social; what chances does that offer

me?

iv) What is the remuneration package for a starter as an elementary

school teacher?

v) Are there opportunities for career development?

vi) What does the work really entail?

vii) What is the average teacher-student ration at the elementary

school level?
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Work Cited

National Center for Education Statistics. (2018). Fast Facts: Elementary and

Secondary

Education. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?

id=372

O*NET. (2019). Summary Report for: 25-2021.00 - Elementary School

Teachers,
Except Special Education. Retrieved from
https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/25-2021.00
Paige, R., Whitehurst, G.J. and Phillips, G.W. (2002). National Center For
Education
Statistics: Digest of Education Statistics 2001. Retrieved from
https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2002/2002130.pdf
NICHE. (2019). Teacher Salaries in America: How much are teachers earning

in

America? Retrieved from https://www.niche.com/blog/teacher-salaries-

in-america/