Teachers have the potential to influence their students and be their role models. Therefore, they must possess some skills, especially if they decide to become a primary school teacher. It would also help a teacher to be successful in this profession. So, here are five essential skills to become a primary school teacher.
5 Essential Skills to Become a Primary School Teacher
If you are interested in becoming a primary school teacher, it’s natural to wonder, what makes a good primary school teacher? Or what key skills do I need to become a primary school teacher?
It’s no secret that only having subject knowledge or good teaching skills isn’t enough to become a good teacher. You need to have certain skills to become more effective in your role and teach the students.
1. Patience
Patience is a virtue that all teachers need to have. Since you’ll be responsible for teaching 5 to 11 year olds as a primary school teacher, you’ll require a significant amount of restraint and patience.
They don’t always respond to reason. Also, they can be noisy, defiant, or disruptive at times. But despite their attitude or behaviour, as their teacher, you must always treat them with care.
You must be conscious of your behaviour toward them and be committed to treating youngsters with a positive attitude.
Patience is a valuable quality when it comes to becoming a great teacher. For instance, some students may have difficulty understanding what is being taught. In this situation, you must find a different method of providing explanations. Also, you have to ensure that they understand it, no matter how many times you have to explain to them or how much time it takes. So it’s safe to say that one of the most important skills for a teacher is patience.
2. Communication Skills
Communication skills are one of the essential soft skills for teachers. Because without this skill, you can not teach others and be effective in your role. Strong communication skills can help improve understanding and strengthen student-teacher relationships. It involves –
- Listening
- Speaking
- Observing
- Empathising
Each of the skills mentioned above has its own importance. For example, communication skill is essential when teaching students, giving out instructions or helping them with lessons. In addition, this skill also needs to interact with parents. While we understand the need to listen and speak, it is equally important to observe and show empathy.
If you are not confident about any aspect of communication, you can find help. For instance, if you are afraid of public speaking or hesitant about interacting with students, Speaking Training for Teachers is available. And you can always ask for feedback from people around you, then work on their suggestions.
3. Classroom Management
Classroom Management is always a challenge, even more so when they are a bunch of 5-year-olds. A methodical approach will certainly be helpful. Also, you will need teaching material and a teaching method that is best suited for your class.
It also helps if a teacher is creative when it comes to student interaction and classroom management, as you can see from the video below.
In the video, she’s teaching kindergarten students, but primary school students are no different when it comes to their attention span. Teachers need to attract and retain their attention and keep them calm in class. So, your learning resources must be highly interactive for sufficient classroom engagement.
4. Likeable Personality
Children are very quick to judge if they like you or not.
And a student’s motivation and attitude in a class can be significantly impacted by whether they like the teacher or not. So you have to be very careful about how you portray yourself in front of those young minds.
Having an interesting and likeable personality can come in handy in managing a class full of kids. Children are fascinated by happy faces. So, when you’re smiling, you’re also projecting it on them. Therefore, when communicating with youngsters, you should not be unpleasant.
A likeable personality also creates a favourable connection between the student and the teacher. It demonstrates a teacher’s professional abilities. Being kind to children will not only create a positive environment, but it will also help you create a powerful relationship with children.
To learn more, you can check out Relationship Management with Students for Teachers.
5. Discipline
It is a valuable skill for life. Discipline is not only about maintaining the classroom. If you lead a life with discipline, it can make an impact on your students too. Teachers are one of the early idols or influencers for their students. If you have discipline in your work and actions, you will see your students have the same attitude towards theirs.
Teachers may have to do some counselling for students or sit down with parents. However, without discipline and firm principles in place, you can not help others. Also, the teaching profession comes with a set routine – class schedules, exams, grading papers etc., which require a certain amount of discipline.
Summary of Skills Needed to Become a Primary School Teacher
To become a primary school teacher, only having subject knowledge is not enough. Having certain personal development skills can help you be a good teacher. Therefore, to pursue teaching as a profession, you must master the five essential skills to become a primary school teacher.
You must be patient, be good at classroom management and have a strong sense of discipline. You will also need to have excellent communication skills and a likeable personality. These professional skills of a teacher will help you go a long way in your career.
These are some of the intangible qualities that can’t be measured, yet they can help you become better and more effective as a primary school teacher. Maybe you already have these skills, or you can develop them over time.
