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Term Project Paper: Elementary Education

Brittney Iverson

11/21/17

BUS 1010

Salt Lake Community College

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I have wanted to be an Elementary Teacher for as long as I can remember, I would

always make my older sisters play school with me and let me be the teacher. I never actually

liked going to school and when I was there I found it miserable but for some reason I still wanted

to be a teacher. I dont know what it is, it could be having the opportunity to work with children

and really helping shape their mind or maybe it is being there to help guide them through their

education. When I got my first job it was at a daycare, although being a teacher and daycare

teacher are two very different jobs, I knew that working with children is where I wanted to end

up after I completed college. I found this project very interesting and I learned so many different

things that will be beneficial to me as a future Elementary teacher.

Job Description:

An Elementary Education teacher has many duties and day-to-day task that they are to

complete every day. The basic job description I found of an Elementary Education teacher is

from www.americasjobexchange.com, Responsible for instructing students in an elementary

school from grades K-5. Creates lesson plans, administers praise and constructive criticism,

instructs students on subjects such as science, literature, and math, and creates a well-rounded,

comprehensive instructional program. (Elementary School Teacher, n.d.), however in the state

of Utah, Elementary Education teachers teach kindergarten through sixth grade.

I learned from www.CareerPlanner.com that there are over thirty duties that the

Elementary teacher most be able to complete. Some of the ones that I think are the most

important are: Establish and enforce rules for behavior and procedures for maintaining order

among the students for whom they are responsible; Observe and evaluate students performance

behavior, social development, and physical health; Adapt teaching methods and instructional

materials to meet students varying needs and interests; Plan and conduct activities for a
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balanced program of instruction, demonstration, and work time that provides students with

opportunities to observe, question, and investigate; and Confer with parents or guardians,

teachers, counselors, and administrators in order to resolve students behavioral and academic

problems, (Elementary School Teacher-Job Description, n.d.).

Although all of the duties are what create a well-structured classroom, I found that these

are some of the most important duties that each Elementary Teacher should be trained in. As

teachers you need to have good social skills, so you are able to communicate with your students,

their parents or guardians, and other school staff.

General Career Path:

Through all of my research, I found that teaching is an entry level position. Entry level

position is defined from www.collegegrad.com as An entry level job is the first job that a new

trainee or graduate takes upon completion of a training or degree program. Entry level in this

sense refers to the entry point into a specific chosen profession. An entry level job may or may

not require (or at least prefer) some level of work experience, (Entry Level Job Definition, n.d.).

After you graduate you can apply for jobs as a teacher and that is usually the position where most

hired teachers stay until they retire.

General Education Experience:

I took a look on the University of Utahs undergraduate program for the Elementary

Education program and found that to become an Elementary Education teacher in Utah, you need

to obtain a Bachelors of Science or Art degree in Elementary Education which can take two

years to obtain. I also learned that the difference between Bachelors of Science and Bachelors

of Art is that the courses you take are slightly different. For the Bachelors of Science, you need

to take more credits in the science department like Chemistry and for the Bachelors of Art you
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need to take a foreign language. When you have completed your Bachelors degree you need to

take your states licensing exam. Once you receive your license you can then start applying for

jobs. After obtaining the Bachelors degree, you can further your education and earn your

Masters degree. Many teachers try and work toward their Masters degree because you may

receive higher pay and after gaining experience in teaching, you can become a principal.

Average Salary:

I learned from www.college.usatoday.com that teaching is one of the lowest paying jobs

with a degree. Starting out as an Elementary Education teacher in Utah they make a salary of

$32,400 a year. They earn a median salary of $51,890 and can earn up to $81,080 a year. The

first Education class I took at Salt Lake Community College, my professor gave us advice about

becoming a teacher and it is something that I think about often. She told us, Dont go into

teaching for the money because you are going to be really sad with the outcome, go into teaching

because it is something that you are truly passionate about and cant imagine another career for

yourself. Although I think what teachers get paid is ridiculous and is something that should be

considered to change, I have to remind myself, its not about the money, its about the lives you

are going to help shape.

Career Outlook:

I would say that a future in this career is very optimistic. There is high demand for

teachers all over the country. Many of the older teachers quit after they changed the curriculum

that they have been so used to teaching, they didnt want to learn a new way to teach their

students that they have been teaching for so many years. Another reason is many people dont

want to become a teacher in the first place because the pay is so low, and they arent willing to
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accept that amount of money. The need for teachers is always going to be there because there are

always teachers leaving and less people are going to school to become teachers.

Bio of Someone in the Profession:

For my interview, I interviewed Alisha Chase. The reason why I picked Alisha is because

she has been my mentor teacher for all of my Education classes at Salt Lake Community College

and she is someone that I look up to as a role model. She was also my sixth grade teacher in

Elementary school. Alisha Chase has been teaching for twelve years. She has taught a variety of

different grades, second, third and sixth. She is teaching second right now and says that it is her

favorite so far because she loves the age and how curious they are. Starting out Alisha went to

Dixie State University to receive her Associates degree, after that she went to Utah State

University and received her Bachelors of Art degree, she then headed to Southern Utah

University for her Masters Degree. Alisha also has her endorsement in Multicultural Education

and mentor training.

I asked Alisha how she decided she wanted to become an Elementary Education teacher

and she responded, Well Im not really sure what made me really decide. It was something that

I always thought about growing up and couldnt ever come up with a reason not to become a

teacher. There was nothing else that I knew I wanted to do more. Im happy I made that decision

because I couldnt imagine my life without me being a teacher. I feel like its my place in this

world, (Alisha Chase, November 1, 2017).

While sitting down with Alisha, I also decide to ask her the questions that I was supposed

to gather information on to get her answers of the question and to also see if she had better

answers instead of the research I found on the internet. These are her answers to the following

questions:
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Job Description: Classroom management, lesson planning, organizing classroom, records, etc.

General Career Path: Teaching is an entry level position.

General Education Experience: Bachelors degree, Masters degree, English Second Language

Endorsement, and mentor training.

Average Salary: Started at $35,000.

Career Outlook: Positive, always a high demand for teachers.

Pros and Cons: Pros- Help teach kids, summer vacations and holidays off, good benefits, and

every day is different. Cons- Lots of different personalities, not flexible with time off because

creating a sub plan is difficult, and lots of germs.

Pros and Cons:

I found that many of my pros and cons matched with Alishas. Pros: Help shape the

minds of children, good benefits-dental, vision, and health insurance, you get all of summer off

and holidays, and going to career that you love every day. Cons: Low pay, germs (especially

because I get sick easy), and having to do parent teacher conference with parents who dont

agree with how you teach.

Your fit with this Career:

I feel that I fit perfectly with this career. I love working with children and being able to

help them succeed and learn. I also can provide students with the care and compassion that they

need throughout the day. It will be my responsibility to watch out for each of my students and

take care of them as if they were my own while they are away from their parents or guardian. I

also am good at managing things and organizing. It is important to be able to manage twenty to

thirty students at one and time and be able to organize the classroom, so it is well-structured, and

my students can get the best learning outcome that they can. I know with all my heart that this is
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what I am meant to do with my life and I cant wait until I am done with all my schooling so I

can begin teaching.

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Sources

Chase, A. (2017, November 1). Personal Communications.

Elementary Teacher Education Undergraduate Program. (2017). Retrieved from

https://uite.utah.edu/future-students/elementary-

education/Elementary%20Teacher%20Education%20Undergraduate%20Program%2020

16-2017%20jan.pdf

Elementary School Teacher. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://www.americasjobexchange.com/elementary-school-teacher-job-description

Elementary School Teacher. (n.d.) Retrieved from https://job-

descriptions.careerplanner.com/Elementary-School-Teachers-Except-Special-

Education.cfm

Elementary School Teacher Salary in Utah. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.sokanu.com/careers/elementary-school-teacher/salary/Utah/

Entry Level Job Position. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://collegegrad.com/about/entry-level-job

Stockwell C. (2014, August 13). The Top 10 Lowest Paying College Majors. Retrieved from

http://college.usatoday.com/2014/08/13/the-top-10-lowest-paying-college-majors/