Being a teacher takes a lot of hard work, passion, and determination. I mean, whether you are a pre-service teacher or in-service teacher, you are dedicating your life to preparing the future minds for success and contribution to communities and society. Being a teacher DOES take a lot of hard work, however, if you possess these qualities then you may want to consider it a career option.
1. You don't care about the money.
As we all know, often times teachers don't make the greatest money. What I was considering before going to school is I want to do something that makes me happy rather than I make a ton of money. That's why I chose to teach. Being able to inspire the minds of others and work with bright children every day is a dream of mine, so despite the economics involved, I'd rather do something that makes me happy rather than rich.
2. You're passionate.
Teachers have to be passionate, whether that's about their work, curriculum, or students, there is a hefty amount of passion involved. You want to be passionate to not only be the best teacher you can be, but you need passion to advocate for your students as they often don't have the voice or option to.
3. You love children/kids.
Whether you work with preschool, elementary aged students, middle school, or high school, it's kind of a given that you have to love the children you work with. Often times teachers spend more time with students than the students do with their parents, so it's important to love and care for your students and keep their best interest at heart.
4. You can work well with others.
Whether you are a paraprofessional, general education teacher, special education teacher, or literacy coach, you need to be able to collaborate and work well with others in order to promote the best interest and welfare of the student. By being able to work well with others, you are giving the student the best education and experience they can get.
5. You possess dedication.
It's no secret that although teachers get weekends off, they never really have a day off. As well as working late hours and bringing your work home with you, with all the prepping, pre-planning, planning, and implementing a lesson and following a curriculum, you have to possess a certain dedication to your job and the students you teach in order to give them and implement the best instruction.
6. You're considerate and mindful.
Imagine this. You encounter a classmate who is falling asleep in class. You encounter a classmate who has worn the same shirt three times that week. Some may think the classmate just stays up all night, but maybe they're up all night because their parents are fighting. Maybe they're wearing the same shirt three days in a row because it's all they have. Being a teacher you have to be considerate and mindful of who your students are and where they come from.
7. You have to have good time management skills.
With having to be collaborative with so many other professionals, you have to have good time management skills. You'll have to balance your workload, the fact that different students may be pulled out to work with different professionals throughout the day, different specials, etc., you have to know how to balance in order to work efficiently.
8. You have to have patience.
I think this is the number one quality that teachers have to possess. The art of being patient is crucial when working with children. You can't just get frustrated if a student isn't getting a concept, instead, you have to have patience and be willing to teach the same concept in multiple ways in order for your students to find a way that works for them.
9. You have to be creative.
Regardless of the age or grade range you teach, you have to possess creativity. This creativity will help you create lessons that are hands-on, engaging, and meaningful to students, as well as being creative in problem-solving and working with a multitude of different students.
10. You have to be a morning person.
If you want to teach pre-school or kindergarten classes that start in the afternoon, this may not pertain to you, however, it goes without saying that you have to be a morning person. Your attitude is infectious and your students will feed off your energy, so being a morning person helps when your job starts typically from seven to eight in the morning.
If you possess any of these qualities, then teaching may be in your future. Teaching is one of the most rewarding careers one can pursue, and having these qualities ensures that you will be effective in your teaching/implementing instruction.
