When you think about working with elementary students, you should consider their specific needs. An individual wanting to teach this age group should be able to offer particular skills and possess certain qualities. So, what are these personality traits?
Elementary teachers require certain personality traits for them to enjoy and be more effective when working at an elementary school. These key personality traits can benefit the teacher and the children by enhancing communication and fostering a positive and thriving learning environment.
Elementary school teachers are not homogenous professionals who think and behave the same way. But certain characteristics are associated with those who teach at the elementary level, where demonstrating these particular qualities is seen as advantageous.
Here are the top personality traits:
- Patient
- Good communicator
- Adaptable
- Engaging
- Compassionate
Let’s explore each trait in more detail.
1. Patient
Patience is a virtue, especially for elementary teachers. Working with young children can be very testing, to say the least. You will find yourself repeating instructions, managing disagreements, and dealing with students who refuse to listen or work. Whatever the situation, you are required to exhibit patience.
Those around you won’t feel safe or encouraged if you’re frequently losing your temper, yelling, or getting frustrated, so showing patience is a must.
In particular, students will each face unique struggles. This may be related to academics like math or reading. Or it may even come down to not being able to remain seated during the lesson. Having a patient teacher is crucial to helping students overcome such challenges.
A patient and approachable teacher is often the difference between a student enjoying coming to school and one that despises it.
Even outside of the classroom, a teacher’s patience will be tested. Whether it’s working with colleagues with different views, keeping up with unrealistic demands set by administrators, or communicating with pushy parents, there will always be frustrating moments.
Therefore, patience is one of the most important traits a teacher should have. It doesn’t just enable you to be a great teacher; it’s also essential for your own mental and physical well-being.
2. Good Communicator
As an elementary school teacher, most of your day will be spent giving instructions and conveying information to young people. How can you expect students to learn or carry out your expectations if you cannot communicate effectively?
Good communication involves a number of attributes. For instance, the way you present information must be clear and easy to follow since your primary audience members are children aged between five and 11.
The ability to deliver knowledge well will determine how much academic progress your students make. If you can communicate topics like math and science in a way that young students can grasp, you possess an important trait. You want students to feel well-informed, assured, and inspired by your words.
Another aspect of good communication is the ability to listen well. The elementary teacher should easily understand the needs of their class by listening to and gauging students’ responses.
Young children will be keen to share their thoughts and experiences with you, however relevant they may be. The least you can do is listen. This will reassure them that their teacher respects, values, and cares for them.
Possessing good communication skills is also essential when interacting with parents. Teachers are faced with the task of updating parents on the progress of their children. It can involve delivering good news or explaining to parents that their child requires extra support. Whatever the content, the message needs to be communicated clearly and constructively.
Therefore, being a good communicator is crucial to becoming a successful elementary school teacher.
3. Adaptable
Change is a constant when working with young children. Therefore, you’ll have to be good at adapting to it. A more adaptable teacher is best placed to respond to the ever-changing teaching world.
You could spend plenty of time creating outstanding lesson plans, but things don’t always go as expected. There are so many variables at play when teaching at an elementary school. From students being late or absent to unexpected changes to the syllabus, surprises are inevitable.
Effective teachers should adapt their teaching methods and expectations in a constantly evolving environment to still find success. Their students’ needs are always evaluated, and adjustments are made where necessary.
There have been significant changes to schooling in the last few years, notably with the shift to online learning during the pandemic. Educators that were versatile and flexible during this time showed that they could embrace the potential of technology and achieve excellent outcomes for their students.
Even within an elementary school, you will come across students with varying needs, abilities, and characteristics. Adaptability is key to lessening your frustrations and providing individualized learning to students, both vital for teachers who want to do well.
4. Engaging
Being able to engage students with your personality and presence is a massively valuable quality because your enthusiasm can directly impact your students’ attitudes and participation.
Engagement refers to the level of interest, attention, and curiosity that students show, which extends to their overall motivation toward education. It involves cognitive, emotional, and behavioral engagement.
What an engaging teacher looks like will differ depending on grade level and the subject taught. An engaging kindergarten teacher might sit on the carpet to read and play with students. In contrast, a grade five teacher may use humor and creative thinking to make learning fun and relatable for students. The outcome is the same; students are engaged and interested in the learning.
In essence, a teacher who can promote engagement through their personality and well-thought-out lesson plans will ensure that students grow and succeed in every measure, be it academically, socially, or emotionally.
On the other hand, the learning process and general development of the child are impacted adversely when students are disengaged, highlighting the importance of this attribute.
5. Compassionate
Students are sensitive and vulnerable, especially the younger children in elementary school. They’re put in new situations without their parents to lean on, and some students may get frustrated or apprehensive about their experience in school. Therefore, you must be a source of kindness and care in their life.
Compassion starts by getting to know your students on a personal level. Once a solid teacher-student relationship is built, they will trust you enough to share their challenges and concerns. Fundamentally, you repay this trust by listening and showing empathy.
Small children have big feelings and often deal with more than we can imagine, both inside and outside the classroom. To understand and process these feelings properly, they need to have their emotions validated. Teachers who aren’t compassionate will struggle to help students overcome difficulties and become more emotionally mature.
Furthermore, compassionate teachers tend to understand the needs of their students much more efficiently, with this understanding being crucial to academic success.
Compassion is another essential personality trait because being able to put yourself in a student’s shoes and help them feel understood will ensure that the learner feels safe and valued.
Final Thoughts
Elementary school teachers are a unique breed. They should have specific attributes that will greatly help them and their students throughout the learning and teaching process.
These qualities include being patient, adaptable, engaging, compassionate, and a good communicator.
If you believe that you consistently demonstrate most, if not all, of these personality traits, then you have a solid foundation of what it takes to be an effective elementary school teacher and significantly impact the lives of your students for the better.
To see if being an elementary teacher is worth it, be sure to read the article.
Sources
- Penn Foster: 5 Personality Traits of a Great Teacher
- Career Explorer: What personality traits do elementary school teachers have?
- Thought Co.: 8 Signs You Should Become a Teacher
- WGU: Top qualities and skills of a good teacher
- Southern New Hampshire University: 10 Qualities of a Good Teacher
- Randstad: Top 5 qualities and characteristics of a good teacher
