A school teacher’s responsibilities include creating and executing lesson plans, adjusting plans based on student progress and needs, maintaining discipline standards, evaluating student performance, and interacting with students and families. They must also participate in staff meetings, pursue continuing education, and maintain credentials. The job is demanding, but many educators are still drawn to the field.
A secondary or elementary school teacher has numerous responsibilities, which can vary by grade and school environment, ie, private or public. Some of the basic things a teacher does are create lesson plans, execute them, adjust plans according to class progress or special needs of some students, maintain school discipline standards, evaluate ongoing student performance, and interact with students and their families. Teachers must also participate fully in staff and administrative meetings, pursue continuing education for personal benefit, and maintain credentialed status and receive training on new teaching methods or technologies.
Creating plans is critical to the success of the school teacher. First, an annual syllabus is developed that uses books and materials recommended by a school or that meet regional standards. Many teachers develop annual plans based on regional standards, but may have flexibility in choosing some of their materials. Daily or unit plans help teachers figure out how they will achieve the goals of an annual syllabus or curriculum.
In the execution of the lesson plans, some adjustment is necessary. A good school teacher should be able to detect whether students are keeping up with the program or are not progressing as needed. Annually, unit or daily plans may need to be changed and should be considered fluid and based on student response. Students with learning or behavioral problems may need individualized programs or different assessment methods, and these factors also need to be taken into account. All students require regular feedback on academic and behavioral performance, with formal grades or informal discussions.
Planning success is often determined by student performance. A school teacher must keep a careful record of student work, grade it according to established standards, and be able to report grades to the school and parents. Providing discipline is another responsibility, and teachers need to set rules, enforce them, or assess whether some students may need different rules. Planning, grading, and discipline discipline teachers regularly contact parents who may have concerns about one or more of these areas. Parents also participate on a volunteer basis, and teachers may need to supervise parent volunteers in classrooms or on field trips.
Teachers have responsibilities to school administrators and teachers. There may be planning at the faculty level, and administrators may have instructions on appropriate material or based on overall school performance. A certified teacher must also regularly participate in continuing education, which can be part of staff training or be more formal. Most teachers need to complete continuing education units to maintain their credentials.
The school teacher works long hours and may work 10-11 unpaid hours a week. The demand for greater accountability in schools and ongoing school funding issues have also led to more structured planning, with fewer choices of materials and less assistance in the classroom. Fortunately, the rigorous nature of a teacher’s job doesn’t discourage many good educators from entering this field.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
