Teaching is a profession that requires many important skills. Teachers are much more than their title. They are also often nurses, counselors, mediators, moms and dads, life skill coaches, and role models. Teachers also have high demands for academic success and a lot of planning and paperwork. In order for a teacher to be successful, they have to develop and utilize the following skills.
Relationship Builder
This is the most important skill a teacher needs in their tool belt. It is imperative that teachers know this and establish positive, caring relationships with their students. Students know when teachers are being sincere, and if they know and understand that they care for them and about them then the sky’s the limit. Students will work hard for someone they know is invested in them. This also helps students feel comfortable talking to teachers regarding things they are worried about or if they are having issues at home. Teachers need to remember to put connections before content—this will make all the difference for them and their students.
Classroom Management
This is a skill that must be fine-tuned over time. Novice teachers usually need some help in this area from their mentor. However, any teacher will have better results if they have taken the time to build relationships with students. Classroom management is imperative for learning to take place. If students are not on task and engaged, a teacher can have the world’s best lesson plan and it won’t matter. Teachers should have a plan and keep it consistent. Students do not respond well if a teacher is continuously changing the classroom management system.
Organization/Time Management
A teacher must be organized and have excellent time management skills. There are a few reasons for this. One reason is that instructional time is lost if teachers are unorganized and do not have good time management. Teachers must have their materials ready for the day before the day begins. They must also keep an eye out on the time when teaching a whole or small group lesson and make sure that they do not borrow from one subject to give to another. If students are having trouble with a concept, the teacher should make notes and come back to it the next day. Otherwise they will get behind in other things they need to teach.
Another reason teachers must be organized and have good time management is so they can have a work-life balance. If teachers are unorganized and lack time management, they can spend endless hours looking for things and completing things that could be finished in a reasonable amount of time. Teachers have so much on their plate to manage, they shouldn’t waste time with things that are in their control.
Excellent Communication Skills
This one is a biggie! Parents send us their most prized possessions each day. They trust us to take care of their children, love them, and teach them. They want to know what is going on. Communication should be clear and friendly. Teachers also need to know when to call a parent versus sending an email. Yes, email is quick and easy, but sometimes a situation can be handled much easier if you pick up the phone and call. Parents can ask questions in real time and can hear a teacher’s tone rather than getting offended by something that could easily be misconstrued in an email. Teachers should also send a weekly newsletter and have a platform such as SeeSaw or Remind for parents to utilize.
Understanding of Technology
In today’s world teachers should be proficient with technology. There are so many amazing educational platforms and apps…but teachers should be knowledgeable and choose ones that will enhance learning, not be a replacement for something that can be done with pencil and paper. Technology should be purposeful and authentic so that students are engaged and doing what will deepen their understanding of content. A bonus for being skilled in technology is being able to quickly adapt to remote learning during times that students cannot come to school such as the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Empathy/Compassion
This should not be confused with building relationships. This is being trained in knowing what students may face when they are not at school. Teachers should be aware of the trauma that students encounter and be able to recognize the signs of abuse or know how to spot when something might not be quite right in a child’s life. Most communities have outside agencies that would love the chance to educate teachers on these things as well as provide resources for them. A teacher can be the one person to notice something and help save or change a child’s life.
Flexibility
We have to be like Gumby (this may be too old of a reference for some of the younger educators out there)! In education, if you are not flexible you will have a hard time coping. Flexibility is needed because so many things can happen to cause changes to your schedule, your lesson plans, your lunch, your meeting, and so on. You have to be willing to monitor and adjust so that you are making the most of any changes that come your way. Most of the things that happen to cause changes are out of your control—so there is no reason to complain or feel like the world is coming apart at the seams. You just have to make the best of it and move on!
Lesson Planning
It is our job to make sure we teach all of our grade-level standards. Before we can do that, we must be sure we unpack them so we know exactly what they say and mean. Then we should use those standards to create engaging, creative lesson plans to ensure that students are getting an educational experience that they enjoy and is rigorous. Students who are not engaged and working to a level of rigor that challenges them will not work to their full potential.
Analyzing Data and Provide Effective Feedback
In order for teachers to help their students grow academically, they should be able to analyze data and use that data to provide effective feedback to kids. There are many ways and types of data to analyze. You can analyze a single test in a single subject on a single standard or skill and give students extremely specific feedback to help them in that area.
You can also analyze a diagnostic test on a subject that covers a variety of skills and analyze areas of strength and weakness to give students goals to work toward. You can also analyze a running record to provide students with strategies for becoming a better reader. Whatever you analyze, you need to ensure fidelity and that the data is used to make informed decisions about students.
Collaboration
In this day and age, teaching is not an isolated act. Yes, you are alone when you are teaching your students; but you are not alone in discussing ideas, discussing student work, analyzing grade-level data, creating assessments, etc. It is imperative that you work with your grade-level or department team to have support and collaboration. This is one of the main ways that educators grow and learn—from each other. It also helps us feel like we are not carrying all the weight by ourselves. This job can be stressful, and it is important to know you have people that you can trust and will help you.
