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Elementary School Teacher Career Interview
Melanie Brindamour has been an elementary school teacher for over six years, teaching at several schools in Michigan. Her passion for teaching has been in her soul since she was young.
Elementary School Teacher Career Path
“I followed my mom’s footsteps in a sense, but also ventured out on my own,” says Melanie. “My family has many educators in it, and they were a big influence on me.”
Melanie always helped her family in the classroom while she was growing up, and eventually she “grew to love the stories everyone shared about the joys of their jobs and wanted that for myself as well.”
Elementary School Teacher Experiences
While working on her Bachelor’s degree at Eastern Michigan University, Melanie worked as a preschool teacher for a local daycare. She then got a job as a substitute teacher for two years until she was hired at Charter School in Detroit.
“After teaching kindergarten and 1st grade there for two years,” she says, “I moved to a very rural school in Tecumseh, Michigan. I have taught there for four years now in both 3rd and 4th grade and I love it!”
Elementary Education Degree Programs
“To become an elementary teacher, you need to complete a Bachelor’s program in elementary education,” says Melanie. In addition to this degree, many states require that an elementary teacher pass a test in order to become certified. An elementary teacher needs to continue updating their certificate with additional classes.
Elementary School Teacher Job Description
Melanie teaches elementary schoolchildren in a general education classroom, which involves preparing weekly lesson plans, managing classroom environment and behavior, and providing a well-rounded curriculum that encompasses multiple developmental levels while engaging all learners.
Elementary School Teacher Daily Routine
Before her school day starts, Melanie clears her head and makes sure that she has everything she needs for the day, including checking her lesson plans, preparing materials, and organizing everything that she has to do. After the students arrive, she teaches the children all of their subjects throughout the day, including reading, writing, spelling, math, science, and social studies. “The students are working hard and learning all day,” she says.
Elementary School Teacher: Steps to Success
“To be a successful teacher,” says Melanie, “you need to be flexible, eager to learn yourself (as things are always changing), observant and strong-willed in the conviction that you are at your job to help students succeed.”
Elementary School Teacher Job Opportunities
Although anyone can pursue the career and earn a degree, the ability to get a job in the career is an almost secondary skill as most schools are just not hiring.
“The field of teaching is wide open, but the job market right now is not,” Melanie advises. “Many schools are suffering financially and have had to make some pretty serious cuts. My advice to anyone going in to teaching would be to stick with it, but keep an open mind as you may not land your ‘dream job’ right away.”
Elementary School Teacher’s Future Ambitions
“I would eventually like to be an educator for young teachers just starting in the field,” says Melanie, “whether this be as a college professor or professional development coach.”
Advice for Prospective Elementary School Teachers
Being a teacher isn’t about just teaching: one must be a learner as well, as the field is always changing and a teacher must absorb everything.
“Any student that is looking for a job in education needs to be open to new ideas, but have strong morals and values,” Melanie says. She also stresses the importance of an elementary teacher’s impact on his or her students. “The students’ lives are in your hands each day; a teacher can make an impact on a student with a glance or one word, so always being positive is key!”
