Is It Difficult to Become an Elementary School Teacher?

Every career has both rewards and challenges. If you're hoping to become an elementary school teacher, you may want to know more about what you're getting yourself into. What are some of the greatest challenges of teaching young learners? What are some of the advantages?

New teachers often face challenges with elementary teaching and testing requirements, patience and adaptability, and behavioral issues in the classroom. Elementary school teachers may face strong emotional demands and high stress as they prepare to earn their teaching license. They may also struggle with finding effective classroom management techniques.

Fortunately, despite these challenges, being a teacher can have great advantages and rewards as well. Keep reading to find out more about the advantages of teaching elementary education and the challenges of the requirements to teach in an elementary school.

Challenges of Becoming an Elementary Education Teacher

If you're planning to launch your teaching career working with elementary-age children, it's important to have a strong understanding of the difficulties that may come up. Let's look at some of the biggest challenges you can expect to face as a prospective teacher.

Educational and Testing Requirements

Schools and school districts place strong emphasis on student performance, which is often evaluated through the use of standardized tests. Exams and other education requirements can leave teachers feeling frustrated or limited, as they often believe their students need a more individualized learning process rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. However, some of the easiest teaching degrees can help teachers through the process.

Patience and Adaptability

Teaching elementary schoolers can be a trial to teachers' patience. They must develop strong and sometimes creative communication skills to find ways to help their students learn or to deal with behavioral issues that come up. Being able to bring out the best in students means not only having much patience but also an ability to adapt to different learning styles and personalities.

Preparation for Licensing Exams

Teacher education programs often prepare aspiring teachers to become licensed in their state, but they will still need to put in a lot of work on their own time to prepare for the licensing exams. These exams often take hours to complete and test candidates on many different skills and subject areas. Those preparing to take the exams may experience stress and sleepless nights as they study.

Classroom Management

Elementary school teachers often have large classes with children with unique personalities, learning challenges, and behavioral issues. The teacher must find ways of maintaining order in the classroom while also connecting with each student. Learning to manage the classroom effectively and meet the needs of each student can prove quite challenging for many teachers.

Behavioral Issues

Elementary students come from many different backgrounds. Some may have disabilities, problems at home, or other factors that can contribute to negative attitudes and behaviors. Teachers often struggle to find ways of reaching these difficult students; that said, helping them achieve success can be highly rewarding.

Emotional Demands

Being an elementary school teacher can be emotionally taxing. Teachers spend their days interacting with children who have a variety of needs and personalities and must find ways to help them succeed. They may also have work to accomplish outside of the classroom, like grading assignments and preparing lesson plans.

Finally, they must abide by all school and district policies governing what and how they teach, which can often feel limiting. These and other factors can lead to job dissatisfaction and burnout.

Advantages of Becoming an Elementary Education Teacher

Teaching elementary-level kids at public and private schools has many advantages and can be highly rewarding. Let's consider some of the best teaching experience benefits you can gain from this career path.

Passion for Teaching

If you have a passion for teaching, this passion will be one of the greatest rewards of your career. Genuinely enjoying what you do will help you work through the difficulties when they arise and allow you to feel that you are truly making a difference.

Job Stability

Working as a teacher provides you with job stability as there will always be a need for teachers both in public schools and private schools. If you're looking for a career that provides a stable job outlook and isn't likely to go away, becoming a teacher is an excellent choice.

Flexibility With Online Teaching Options

Not all teachers work in a physical classroom. Some provide virtual instruction via online learning and distance education programs. If you'd like to have the option to teach either from home or from school, check with your school district to find out if remote teaching opportunities are available.

Vacation Time

Teachers get time off during the summer as well as on holidays and between semesters. This provides plenty of opportunities for vacation time, which can be highly beneficial if you're feeling the need to take a break and recharge.

FAQs on Becoming an Elementary School Teacher

If you are still wondering about your decision to pursue an elementary school teaching position, keep reading. Below, we'll discuss some common FAQs you may have.

Do I Need a Bachelor's Degree to Teach Elementary School?

In most cases, you'll need to complete at least a bachelor's degree to become a teacher. That said, there are many alternate paths to a teaching job. If you have a non-education bachelor's degree, you could pursue a master's degree or post-baccalaureate program in education.

If you don't have a degree but have spent time as a paraprofessional or substitute teacher, you may be able to obtain teacher certification based on field experience in some states. Check with your local school district or state department of education to determine the requirements to become a teacher in your state.

How Do I Become an Elementary School Teacher?

As noted, there are various ways to become a teacher. However, if you are a high school student or recent graduate preparing to attend college for the first time, the most direct path to teaching certification is to pursue an education degree.

This type of education program, also called a teacher preparation program, will provide coursework specific to teaching and will prepare you for certification or licensure in your state. It will also provide the necessary student teaching experience. Once you complete your degree program and all student teaching requirements, you must pass any state-required teacher examinations, pass a background check, and apply for a teaching license.

How Long Does It Take to Become an Elementary School Teacher?

By following the most direct career path as discussed above, you can become a teacher in as little as four to five years. If you pursue a non-education bachelor's degree followed by a master's degree or post-baccalaureate certification program, it may take at least six or seven years to start teaching. These timeframes assume you study full-time. If you opt to study part-time instead, it may take several additional years to finish.

Is Student Teaching Hard?

Student teaching experiences can be challenging as prospective teachers learn to put their training into practice and manage a classroom. Student teachers may face the same challenges as any other teacher. That said, depending on their strengths and weaknesses, some student teachers may find the experience harder than others.

Do Elementary School Teachers Get Paid Well?

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), elementary school teachers (except special education) earn a median salary of $63,680 yearly. However, the average salary you can expect will vary widely depending on where you live, your years of experience, and various other factors.