Elementary Teacher Job Description: Elementary Teacher Duties

One of the elementary teacher duties is to set up your classroom. During your student teaching, you probably saw several different ways to set up your classroom. Ask yourself what you liked or didn't like about each one. Use the successful ideas in your classroom, and then create your own style and look. Part of your elementary job description is creating a learning atmosphere. Many educators suggest:

• Showcasing a lot of books
• Providing a carpeted area and bean bags or other comfy chairs
• Including living things such as plants or class pets
• Hanging colorful posters and wall decorations

Some items you will have no control over, and you will have to work to fit them into your "ideal" classroom such as whether your elementary students will sit at tables or desks. Classroom set-up will have a grand effect on learning, so set up with care. It is one of the most important elements of an elementary teacher job description.

 Another one of the elementary teacher duties is to write and use lesson plans every day. If you are an elementary teacher, you know that you are responsible for teaching many different subjects throughout the day. Use free lesson plan sites on the Internet:

• Bright Hub's elementary lesson plans: http://www.brighthubeducation.com/lesson-plans-grades-1-2/19404-three-little-kittens-math-activities-and-lesson-plan/
• Lesson Plans Page: http://www.lessonplanspage.com
• LessonPlanz: http://www.lessonplanz.com

You can also get help from the other elementary teachers in your school and share lesson plans with them. You can plan lessons as a team or even switch classrooms to teach subjects such as social studies and science. One of the biggest parts of the ementary teacher job description is creating lesson plans.

As part of your elementary teacher duties, you will need to decide how you are going to manage your classroom.

• Will you use a system of rewards to encourage good behavior?
• What are your classroom rules?
• What will the consequences be if a student breaks the rules?
• What will be your routines for bathroom breaks, turning in homework, or getting ready to go home?

You need to make these decisions before the first day of school. You will want to discuss the answers to these questions with students from the minute they walk into your classroom. Then, they will know what to expect from you, and you will feel confident about your classroom management. Classroom management is one of the most important parts of the elementary teacher job description.

• Several other elementary teacher duties are:
• Professional development--Make sure to check with your district and state to see how many professional development hours you need each year to keep your teaching license.
• Committee membership--You will most likely be put on a committee at your school. This usually entails attending meetings before or after school and working on committee work.
• Grading Papers and Giving Grades--You will have a lot of papers to grade. Elementary teachers usually work at home and on the weekends to keep up with grading.
• Contacting Parents--The home-school connection is extremely important, so you'll spend some time nurturing it.