What Makes Elementary School Teachers Special

1348 Words3 Pages

"A hundred years from now, it will not matter what kind of car I drove, what kind of house I lived in, how much money I had in the bank...but the world may be a better place because I made a difference in the life of a child.”
–Forest Witcraft (Professor of Denison University and Boy Scout administrator)

There are not many people that are able to say this. However, the profession of being an elementary school teacher gives the teacher the satisfaction of being able to have one of the most emotionally rewarding jobs in the world. Elementary school teachers guide children through a vital point in their lives. They help set the young students' foundations to prepare them for their future schooling in junior and senior high. Although being an elementary school teacher pays little and can be tiring or stressful, this career is still worth pursuing because teachers touch the lives of children.
According to the article "Elementary School Teachers," elementary school teaching started during 100 B.C. in Judah. It goes on to say that the children there were taught for religious training. As time passed, elementary schools became more common. In early Western towns, teachers would teach kids, sometimes ranging from first grade all the way to eighth grade, in one single classroom (“Elementary School Teachers,” Ferguson’s). Kids learned the same material despite their age differences (“Elementary School Teachers,” Ferguson’s). Teachers were also not properly trained. The only requirement for becoming a teacher was finishing elementary school (“Elementary School Teachers,” Ferguson’s). In 1823, the first normal school (a school that trains teachers) was opened in Concord, Vermont (“Elementary School Teachers,” Career Clusters). Nowadays ...

... middle of paper ...

... in other careers. Success is not defined by how much money one can earn. Rather, it is based on the achievement of a personal goal. When teachers are able to see the fruit of their labor in a student’s progress, they know they have reached a point of success.

Works Cited

Ecahore-McDavid, Susan. “Elementary School Teacher.” Ferguson's Career Guidance Center. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.
Echaore-McDavid, Susan. "Schoolteacher." Ferguson's Career Guidance Center. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 9 Apr. 2014.
“Elementary School Teachers.” Exploring Career Clusters Online. Infobase Publishing. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.
“Elementary School Teachers.” Ferguson's Career Guidance Center. Facts On File, Inc. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.
“Kindergarten and Elementary School Teachers.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 8 Jan. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.

Open Document