Is Being an Elementary Teacher Worth It? Here’s How To Decide

Teaching elementary level is not just a job; it is part of who you are. Like every other career, it has ups and downs that make it both fulfilling and frustrating. On some days, you will question your choice to join the profession, but most of the time, you’ll marvel at the opportunity you have to educate and motivate countless young people.

Being an elementary teacher is worth it if you find satisfaction in sharing knowledge with students to help them grow academically, socially, and emotionally. To decide if it is worth it, check if you have what it takes, then consider the pros and cons of teaching elementary students.

Are you planning to be an elementary-level teacher, or just curious about what it is like? To become one, you must determine your priorities and whether the merits outweigh the demerits. Here is how to examine whether teaching elementary school is for you, plus its pros and cons.

Table of Contents

Determine if You Have What It Takes To Teach Elementary Students

Teaching involves motivating, educating, and also having fun with students. It also involves feeding off the joy of helping students learn new things and succeed in the classroom. While you get the opportunity to form great relationships with learners and colleagues, the job’s responsibilities can take a toll on your wellbeing.

Therefore, do some self-assessment to determine if you are willing to commit to elementary teaching.

Signs That You Would Be a Good Elementary Teacher

Having summers off is a great motivator to be an elementary teacher. However, the job involves molding young minds and demands much more from you.

Some of the indicators that you would make an excellent elementary teacher include:

You love making a difference: Students bond with their teachers, and the bonds become more significant when the learners are learning new things and doubting themselves. It is a privilege to help and watch students thrive, and how you support them impacts them forever.
You are patient: Being patient is not a preserve of teachers with toddlers who prefer running around instead of napping. Whatever lesson you are teaching, patience will give your students room to grasp concepts and help them grasp everything they need to learn.

You are optimistic: Optimism not only helps brighten your day but also helps to support your students. When you see things from the bright side, you help your students do the same, and can provide them with the necessary support, especially during challenging lessons.
You are excited about working in a classroom: Your classroom will be like a home away from home for the whole year. Whether you teach one class throughout the day or interact with students from different classes, your classroom becomes your home base. Having a home base that encourages exploration and growth is exciting, and if that appeals to you, teaching elementary school might be good for you.
You can easily give and get others to follow directions: A great teacher inspires people to learn. You can be a fantastic teacher if you can instruct people in a manner that encourages them to follow and participate without feeling like it is a chore.

You have excellent organizational skills: Do you love color coding things and planning activities in advance? Teaching involves lesson planning, scheduling parent-teacher conferences, planning trips, and much more. Teaching might be for you if you can do all these seamlessly.
You care about the future: Teaching elementary school means shaping minds to help change the future. If you want to be part of creating the future, being an elementary school teacher is a great starting point.
You like taking on challenges: Teaching is incredibly fulfilling but can also be quite challenging. Every day is different, and you will often have to think on your feet to hold your students’ attention and keep up with them.Teaching is never predictable or monotonous, so if that excites you, go ahead and be an elementary teacher.

You have a great sense of humor: Although teaching is rewarding and fun, not all days will be ideal. Going with the flow and finding something to smile about on the tough days will help improve your day for you and your students.
You are good at storytelling: Every great lesson comes with an exciting story, regardless of the subject. Therefore, if you love explaining the whats, whys, hows, and telling tales of origins, then students seeking knowledge are the perfect audience for you.

Signs That Elementary Teaching Is Not for You

The opportunity to work with young children while guiding them towards shaping their future is one of the reasons people choose to teach elementary level. However, this kind of work is not for everyone, and you do not want to discover that it is not for you after you start. It is best to decide whether this is the job for you before you commit time and resources to pursue an education degree.

Here are some indicators that elementary teaching might not work for you.

You are looking to get rich: You will not get rich teaching. The national average elementary teacher salary is $64,524, and often, teachers spend their own money on school supplies. That does not mean that a job’s worth is in its paycheck or that teaching is not gratifying in numerous other ways. However, if money is your primary goal, you better look elsewhere.
You are not adaptable: While the content you teach might never change, how and who you teach it to will continually change. As a teacher, you must be flexible enough to adapt to multiple foreseeable and unpredictable situations. Teaching is probably not for you if you do not like flexibility.

You are uncomfortable with children: Students often mimic bad behavior, pick on each other, and sometimes extend their cheekiness to teachers. Some people are natural teachers with an inherent ability to manage a classroom. However, you might want to consider a different career if the idea of a room of squealing little humans puts you off.
You do not like homework: Students do lots of homework. Similarly, a teacher’s day does not end with the bell. You must plan lessons, grade tests and papers, and participate in after-school activities. You will also spend a significant part of your summer on professional development.
You cannot manage parents: Part of your job as a teacher is to deal with parents, and they can be anything from emotional to totally out of control. Navigating such situations can be tricky because you do not want to blame a student for their parents’ behavior. If you do not like dealing with unpleasant adults, teaching might not be for you because you will encounter them regularly.

Weigh the Pros of Teaching Elementary Level

Before you settle on being an elementary teacher, consider its pros. These include:

Making a Difference in the Students’ Lives

Making a difference is one of the reasons most teachers choose this career. Every day you spend with your students is an opportunity to create a lasting impression. You teach them the essential skills they need to function in the world and enjoy their lives.

Being a teacher means you mold future generations because the lessons you teach and the wisdom you impart will impact the students’ viewpoints for years. You teach them core subjects and life skills, such as social skills, coping with stressors, conflict resolution, and time management. You show them that you care and inspire them to push harder and become better.

Sharing the Love of Learning

Research shows that mastery of subject matter and quality instruction are some of the critical elements of teaching. You can share your love of learning with your students by getting them excited about different topics.

As new instructional methods and technologies emerge, you get the chance to be a student again. You get to explore new topics and learn new things along with the students.

Variety of Job Tasks

Teaching offers a variety of job tasks, unlike sitting in an office doing the same thing day after day. As a teacher, days are rarely the same, and even when you teach the same content, lessons are not likely to be the same. You get new students every year, discover new topics, and you can spice up the curriculum through different teaching methods.

Your students will react differently to the subject and ask different questions. Your days are more likely to be varied and exciting, and rarely will they be sluggish or monotonous.

Fun Is Part of the Job

Great teachers commit to finding different and fresh ways to teach and make content more attractive to the students. They incorporate a sense of humor and bring their passion and personality to the classroom. The students mirror your enthusiasm, making the classroom environment energizing.

Some days may be more demanding, but humor can lift your spirits. You get to use your talents and gifts to motivate and inspire your students. You can also use your unique personality as a tool to boost the learning experience.

At the elementary level, the children enjoy coming to school, making it easier for you to engage them. It is more enjoyable to teach a student who wants to be in class than one who cannot wait to leave. Although there are things you can do to pique the students’ interest, it is much easier when they already like coming to school.

The Long Holidays

Teachers get almost eight paid weeks off in summer and paid days off during winter and spring, such as during Christmas break. In addition to long breaks and professional development days, most teachers get paid even during breaks. If you are budget conscious and savvy, you could go on cheap overseas vacations or take camping trips on school holidays.

Even when you do not feel particularly festive, elementary students can help bring back the holiday spirit. Having lots of events and activities planned around the holidays makes the job enjoyable because you will join your students and share in their fun.

Job Security

Modern technology may replace some jobs, but teachers will always be in demand. If you are willing to establish yourself as an excellent instructor, you can be sure that you will have a job for years. Also, with the high mobility levels in the field, you can relocate to areas with a greater need for teachers.

Teaching is a skill that you can transfer to almost any part of the world. Once you become certified, you can teach while touring the globe. Global educational programs and international schools are expanding and are constantly looking for teaching professionals.

Intangible Rewards

Some of the best things about teaching elementary students are intangible. The amusing stories, insightful questions, and funny things they say make the job so much more satisfying. You will treasure the keepsakes you get and the memories you create for years.

Nothing beats that magical moment when students grasp a concept they have struggled with. Watching them celebrate in joy when they finally “get it” is one of the most exciting and gratifying things for any teacher. When you exit the profession, you can look back over the years and be proud that you did well for your community and the world.

Consider the Cons of Being an Elementary Teacher

While teaching elementary school has many merits, there are some downsides that you should consider before you decide whether to join the profession. Here are some of the cons.

The Pay

A teacher’s pay might be decent, but it is not great. In most states, it is below the livable wage, and you might have to take a second job to increase your income. You will find the salary disappointing if you are financially ambitious and there is little chance of pursuing a better salary.

You are not likely to retire early and might work into your sixties if you do not have an extra source of income. You will be much happier pursuing other goals and avoiding teaching if money is your primary motivation.

Endless and Exhaustive Work

Teaching is one of the jobs where the work never ends because there is always something you could do to improve your classroom and lessons. There is always some lesson preparation, training, or grading for you to do and the responsibilities can be overwhelming.

Additionally, you teach the students in your class all subjects; therefore, you must understand all the subjects well. While a high school teacher might get away with just mastering their subject, an elementary teacher needs a working knowledge of every subject.

The work can be physically, mentally, and emotionally draining, leaving you with little energy to do anything that requires your active participation. Although things improve as you gain experience and your skills improve, fatigue affects you in numerous ways.

Highly Dependent Students

The students at the elementary level, especially the lower grades, are not as independent, and you have to guide them through activities, which sometimes eats into instructional time. They will constantly want your attention by asking for different things.

At times, students will ask for help even with things they can do themselves, either because they want someone to do it for them or think they are incapable. As a teacher, you do not just teach academics but life skills too.

Disciplining Children

Disciplining children is never fun, no matter how much you love and get along with them. They also have little emotional intelligence and will ask personal questions, catch you contradicting yourself and manipulate you. They are not your children, so they will not always obey you, behave well, or be fun to be around.

You may have to spend countless hours on discipline instead of using that time in productive lessons. You also waste a lot of time reiterating rules, setting boundaries, and repeating them multiple times. Unfortunately, you have to endure all this because they are children and are yet to develop self-control.

The Extra Assignments

As a teacher, the bell does not signify the end of your workday. Elementary level teachers spend most of their school day with their students. There is very little time during the day when you are free, meaning you must do most of your preparation after school.

You often spend hours every night preparing the next day’s lessons or marking students’ work, and you do it yearly. The after-school preparation eats into your personal and family time.

During the day, you may have to stay in the staffroom for your lunch break, and cannot just leave to pick up a sandwich. You must also be in school – without extra pay – when there are weekend sporting events, concerts, or award nights.

It Requires a Lot of Patience

Sometimes the amount of attention your students need will be overwhelming. Some may find some concepts difficult to understand, while others might have behavioral issues. In the lower grades, some students cry when they cannot finish a task or for not being first in line.

Apart from the children, you must sometimes deal with unreasonable and uncooperative parents. They will defend their children’s behavior, make demands, and frame you as the bad guy. Regardless of how good you are as a teacher, you will regularly encounter unsupportive parents, and you need the patience to deal with them.

Here is a video on the pros and cons of being an elementary teacher:

Take Away

To decide whether being an elementary teacher is worth it, you must conduct a self-assessment and consider the pros and cons of elementary teaching. You must think of factors like:

Your level of patience with children
Whether you want to make a difference
The amount of money you would like to earn

The number of extra unpaid hours you will spend on the job

All these issues are critical to deciding whether you want to be an elementary teacher. After you weigh the pros and cons, you can choose whether you want to join the teaching profession.

Sources

Western Governors University: Should I Become a Teacher?