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Career Story: Elementary Teacher At An Urban School

Elementary Teacher At An Urban School

Job Title: Teacher

Type of Company: I work for the Boston Public schools.

Education: BA in Psychology, Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education, Northeastern University

Previous Experience: I got a degree in education at Northeastern University and did my student teaching in a Boston Public School which lead to me getting a job at the school.

Job Tasks: Here is a list of my responsibilities:

  • I take care of and teach 22 students.
  • I communicate with parents and families.
  • I use Massachusetts and City standards to create and inform my instruction.
  • I use student based assessments to generate topics/ideas that I teach.
  • I work in small groups, one on one, and in a whole group setting with children.
  • I take students on field trips.
  • I teach thematic units of study through hands-on experiences to increase students vocabulary, experiences and oral language.
  • I help children work through struggles they may have with other students.
  • I build a classroom community that is conducive to all learners.
  • I teach children about equality, friendship, and teamwork.
  • I prepare materials for lessons.
  • I do clerical work.
  • I take classes to learn more about my craft.

Best and Worst Parts of the Job: The best part of my job is working with children and teaching them new ideas. It is wonderful to watch children as you help guide them towards new experiences and ideas. I love hearing children's thoughts and ideas on a new topic. It is amazing to see their excitement towards learning. I love feeling as though I am shaping the young minds of the next generation and love the bounds I create with them.

The worst part of my job is running out of time and not accomplishing everything I wanted to.

Job Tips:
1. Collaboration with other teachers is the key to success, do not reinvent the wheel.

2. Enjoy the children and get to know each of them as individuals.

3. Teaching can be overwhelming at first so remember Rome was not built in a day. Your first year may be hard but each year it will get better.

4. Make sure to have a firm management style in place. The more time you spend on management in the beginning of the year the less time you will have to spend throughout the year. Community in the classroom is a HUGE part of a successful year.

5. Take lots of field trips. Hands-on learning is the best way to learn.

Additional Thoughts: Do not go into teaching unless you really love it. Teaching is hard work!

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