whats it like being a primary school teacher?

Answer 1

Teaching in primary school can be fun if you enjoy relating to young children. It is exciting to watch them grow in their abilities to do their schoolwork. But, it is also very challenging and requires a lot of physical stamina and mental stick-to-itiveness.
Primary teachers are also students themselves because they are constantly challenged to learn new and fresh ways to present basic material year after year. To be a good teacher, you really have to want to teach and enjoy doing it, even the nitty-gritty.

Answer 2

I work in a first school as a teaching assistant and my observations are that teachers have a whole heap of paper work, hence the need for people like myself, I am also a cover supervisor and I am qualified to take over the class for up to three and a half days at a time.
Another observation is that some of our children (my school has 92% deprivation) are coming in not having many social skills which people like myself have to work on and it is made increasingly difficult because not only do you have to contend with the children's disruptions but also their parents who at times are worse than the children. That said though I love my job and the best thing about it is that two days are never the same.

Answer 3

Im not specificaly qualified in primary education, although i have taught in that enviroment.

In some ways it is easier than secondary education (at least in England), since smaller children tend to question authority less and can be rather charming.

BUT Secondary is more interesting since the children have more developed views on the world and you can have something resembling an adult conversation with them about fairly serious issues.

This is my view as a male, however, and male primary teachers are VERY rare for whatever reason.

Answer 4

The actual teaching and the relationship you can develop with the children is great. However, I decided not to become a teacher simply because of all the additional paperwork involved - eg. long, medium and short term planning, classroom preparation, lesson preparation, marking, assessment, evaluation of everything and everyone, monitoring, recording absolutely everything that happens, subject co-ordination , preparation of individual education plans for every pupil, planning targets, preparing timetables, providing extra support in the class, etc etc! All this is on top of teaching and interacting with the children which is the real raison d'etre. I work closely with teachers who regularly work from 7 am to 11pm and beyond and many more hours at weekends. I have the greatest admiration for anyone able to cope with this workload but the job satisfaction is the best thing about the job!

I wish you well in your new career - please don't be put off by my comments, but please be aware of the real demands on your time! Good luck!

Answer 5

my friend was a primary school teacher and had more problems with the parents than the kids.

Answer 6

Not dissimilar to being a keeper in a monkey house, I should imagine.

The biggest complaint I hear from primary teachers is the stupid amount of paperwork. I've known folk to quit their teacher training because of it.

Answer 7

My best friend teaches 3rd grade and, although she enjoys it, she saids it's extremely demanding. Tons of assignments to correct, working with students who learn at different paces, dealing with difficult parents and having no free time during the day, and the overall responsibility of teaching children enough to pass on to the next grade. You must be extremely dedicated for this job.

Answer 8

Much much nicer than being a secondary school teacher

Answer 9

Its the best job in the world!!!

Very rewarding... and you get to play alot!!!

Of course there is alot of hard work before and after school but the teaching is really fun!!!

HEALTH WARNING!!!

Its not just a job, you must love kids and it does become your life!!!

Answer 10

Paperwork. they get about 13 weeks holiday a year and two to three times ordinary folks wages, what are they moaning about, I work in an office and you should see the paperwork I deal with. Get on with it, do your paper work at playtime!