Do Elementary School Teachers Teach All Subjects?

Teaching one subject to a class of approximately 30 dynamic students can be challenging. So it’s fascinating how an elementary school teacher manages to teach multiple subjects.

Elementary school teachers often teach all basic subjects, including math, science, English, history, and art. The teacher training program and requirements ensure that future elementary school teachers are qualified to handle multiple subjects and employ an interdisciplinary approach.

In this article, I’ll explain the qualifications of elementary school teachers that allow them to teach all subjects. I’ll also share the pros and cons of this system and mention some subjects that elementary school teachers may not lead.

Table of Contents

Responsibilities of Elementary School Teachers

Elementary and secondary school teachers have different responsibilities to meet the learning needs of children from various age groups. For instance, elementary school teachers often spend more time covering the basic social and emotional behaviors expected of students.

Elementary school teachers must encourage young children to get along with each other and to develop a positive attitude toward learning. When children start kindergarten at the age of five, they often have little to no experience of being in a room full of other kids. They have to learn to communicate, share, and socialize for the first time.

Teaching these fundamental skills fall on the shoulders of elementary school teachers.

This is not to say that students are not taught academic skills. On the contrary, elementary educators are also tasked with teaching a variety of subjects, from math to music and everything else in between.

Secondary school teachers, on the other hand, focus on a specific subject area to promote a deeper understanding of the subject among older students.

Pros and Cons of Teaching All Subjects

If you are considering becoming an elementary school teacher, it helps if you understand the pros and cons of the profession for you and the students. In particular, when it comes to the content being taught.

Pros

Although it may seem like much work, teaching all subjects in elementary school has some advantages, especially for teachers who want to work independently and creatively. Let’s look at the benefits below:

The Interdisciplinary Approach Makes Learning Cohesive

Handling all subjects for young learners benefits both the teacher and the students. For one, the teacher can design an educational outline that connects and integrates lessons.

This holistic approach is proven to be more effective in creating a more comprehensive and engaging learning experience for students.

For instance, using the same characters in reading class for a math word problem will make problem-solving more fun for students as they recognize the characters. It can make the lessons more cohesive and reduce the issue of information overload for young children.

Teachers can also discover the most effective ways for children to learn based on their natural learning styles, such as auditory, kinesthetic, or visual.

Here’s a video showing what an interdisciplinary class in elementary school looks like:

This is made possible because, often, elementary school teachers have more autonomy when planning lessons, making the process more efficient. Additionally, greater independence means more opportunities for teachers to express creativity and innovation.

The Potential for Building a Stronger Teacher-Student Relationship

A child’s relationship with the teacher is a significant factor in determining their overall behavior toward learning and future academic success.

If the child establishes a close connection with the teacher, they will feel motivated to go to school and enjoy learning. Conversely, if the child feels uncomfortable, it can negatively impact their behavior toward school as they get older.

Having only one teacher teach all subjects can be advantageous because the consistency can help the child build a solid foundation of the skills and attitude needed to learn. Essentially, students can focus on the lesson content rather than having to worry about a change of teacher or classroom.

Having one adult in the classroom allows children to consider the primary teacher as a trustworthy authority. There is no ambiguity about the expectations because all the rules and routines come from one adult. Trust is at the heart of building a rapport with students.

On the other hand, having multiple teachers who teach various subjects may make it challenging for children to adjust, especially for students with special needs.

Of course, the teacher has to have the capability to instill such positive values among children and build those strong relationships with them. Luckily, elementary school teachers are trained to pay attention to various aspects of a child’s intellectual development, such as emotional, social, and psychological.

The Teacher Can Meet the Needs of Students Better

It takes considerable time and effort to get to know students, both academically and personally. A teacher who teaches all the subjects to a group of children will spend more time with them, so they will naturally get to know the students better.

The increased time invested will reveal students’ strengths, gaps in their knowledge, things that motivate them, teaching styles that they prefer, and much more. Having this deeper understanding will allow the teacher to address the needs of students more effectively. Fundamentally, the outcome is improved academic success.

For instance, knowing that most students are interested in a particular book, the teacher can reference events and characters from the book to make lessons more engaging.

Teaching all subjects also gives the teacher a complete picture of each child. Some students are not very confident with math but may be highly creative and talented at art. If these students had different teachers for each subject, the math teacher would have a lower perception of the students than the art teacher, which is misleading and unjust.

The potential and effectiveness of personalized learning strengthen when teachers know their students better. And this goes hand in hand with increased classroom time attributed to teaching all lessons.

Cons

Realistically speaking, even passionate teachers admit that teaching all subjects in elementary school with energetic and sometimes impolite children can be quite a challenge. Here are some disadvantages to teaching all subjects to one group of students:

The Teacher Must Prepare Many Lessons

Although the interdisciplinary nature of elementary education allows teachers to design their lessons independently, it is undoubtedly draining. They must find creative ways to combine and connect various subjects to sustain students’ engagement throughout the day.

It’s easy to understand that children, especially the younger ones, have a limited attention span. That’s why one of the challenges for elementary school teachers is to devise effective ways to capture their interest while promoting academic growth.

Secondary school teachers must also ensure that their lessons are fun and engaging to keep students motivated to learn. But the crucial difference is that they have the advantage of only focusing on one subject rather than concerning themselves with multiple.

Plus, subject teachers are specialists in their field, so they should have greater confidence in making their area of expertise enjoyable to study.

With these points, it could be argued that having a single teacher teach all subjects is actually to the detriment of students if the teacher lacks subject knowledge or self-management skills.

It Limits the Students’ Interaction With Other Adults

Children develop social skills in elementary school with peers and adults. Having only one teacher in the classroom all day can limit the students’ opportunities to interact with other adults.

The routines and procedures established with one teacher over an entire year can be hard to break once students move to another teacher’s class.

Instead, if they worked with different teachers regularly, they would encounter a more balanced exposure and acquire a more comprehensive set of social and communication skills.

As a compromise, some elementary schools find it more beneficial to have two teachers in the classroom. Of course, both teachers should be able to teach all subjects. Such a setup will give children more opportunities to interact with adults in the classroom and ensure they receive the attention they need.

But this approach also limits each teacher’s autonomy and relies on them working effectively in tandem, which is a challenge in itself.

If the Teacher and Student Cannot Work Effectively With Each Other, It Will be a Long, Unpleasant Experience for Both

We don’t want to imagine a class where a student and teacher have a sour relationship. But unfortunately, it happens. A poor teacher-student relationship will ruin the school experience for both parties.

Sometimes, students do not have trust or confidence in their teacher. The lack of trust may stem from the teacher’s ineffective behavior management.

Another reason that can compromise trust is if students perceive the teacher to be mean or unreasonable. Teachers who are discourteous or ridicule students cannot expect much from their learners.

On the other hand, sometimes, teachers simply can’t get through to some students. Even after trying multiple strategies and approaches, students may continue to show a lack of respect and commitment toward school.

Both points of view highlight an unhealthy working relationship. Imagine having to endure or witness this unsustainable dynamic every day for the entire academic year.

Hence, having one teacher working with the same group of students over an extended period may not be ideal if there are strains on the teacher-student relationship.

Subjects That Elementary School Teachers May Not Teach

Elementary school teachers need excellent skills in teaching core subjects, such as English, math, science, and social studies. However, depending on the school, not all elementary school teachers need to teach specialist subjects, especially if the school wants to develop such special skills among students.

Examples of subjects that require specialists include:

Physical education (gym class): If the school has a swimming class, it will likely hire a professional swimming teacher with an appropriate lifeguard and first aid training. It helps ensure that the teacher can provide quality education while keeping the children safe.
Music: The school usually hires professional music teachers if it offers advanced music or instrument classes. Sometimes, a regular teacher with advanced music skills and relevant certifications may also be tapped to take on the music class.

Dance class: Elementary schools that offer a dance class, including ballet, must hire a professional ballet teacher with the requisite dance training.

Final Thoughts

Elementary school teachers teach all subjects to their students and evaluate their learning potential. The teaching methodology helps them ensure a cohesive learning experience and devise strategies to encourage their students to enjoy learning. Students also benefit from having one adult teaching them as both parties grow accustomed to each other and form a stronger connection.

However, an elementary teacher taking all subjects also has its potential drawbacks, like the extensive preparation needed when planning for all lessons and the limited interaction students get with other adults.

Finally, it is worth noting that elementary school teachers may not be required to teach some specialized subjects like swimming or music.

Sources

Virginia Chance School: TWO Teachers in EVERY Classroom = Double the Benefits