Teaching is no walk in the park, and anyone who can cast their mind back to when they themselves were a child will surely admit as much. All the same, it remains a popular career choice worldwide, and why not? Which other career presents the opportunity to enrich the lives of others and have some input on influencing a future generation? There’s a reason why everyone remembers their favorite teacher: because teachers have the ability to create a lifelong impression on us.
No matter what the classroom age group, teachers bear a great responsibility to make a difference not only to a young person’s education but also to their life experience. What’s more, there is no shortage of demand for qualified teachers.
So, what qualifications are needed to teach?
As a first-time teacher, you will be issued with an initial teaching license, sometimes called a temporary or conditional license.
This initial license is valid for up to three years. Once you have been approved, you will move on to qualify for a standard license or a permanent license.
If you wish to teach pre-kindergarten or early years, certain institutions run courses that allow you to acquire an Add-On License in Early Childhood Education, which prepares you to work in grades Pre-K through Grade 2.
The list of skills required to be a teacher is endless; throughout the course of any given day, a teacher can find themselves wearing many different hats, confidante and counselor one minute, and conflict resolution expert and mediator the next.
Skills and aptitudes needed for teaching
- Good communication skills – unsurprisingly, a large part of a teacher’s role, if not the most important, is communicating and relaying information in a way that makes it accessible to students and in a form that best fits the stage they are at in education.
- Empathy
- Confidence
- Creativity
- Organizational skills
- Team player
Teachers often work long hours, as much of their time outside of standard school hours is spent devising lesson plans and in classroom preparation, grading papers, attending parents’ meetings, or committee meetings. Much time is also spent collaborating with other members of staff, sharing ideas and communicating any problems they may be experiencing.
Teaching makes a difference
It is not uncommon for students to get disheartened. Sometimes, you will find yourself surrounded by young people who are going through a stage in their lives where they are particularly low in confidence and self -esteem and are generally doubtful of their own abilities.
It is up to the teacher to find a way to get through to that particular individual in a way that suits their preferred learning style.
Everyone has their own learning style, and when a teacher is able to connect with a student and bring understanding to a subject they had been struggling with, this makes all the difference.
The student gains a sense of pride, and for the teacher, the rewards become evident, and the long hours pale into insignificance.
