In an elementary school, teaching is dependent on skill rather than academic qualification. Several skills are necessary to aid the elementary teacher to impart knowledge to the students. The ability to capture students’ attention is important to any elementary teacher. Pedagogy and andragogy theories of learning suggest that elementary school students do not have full concentration in the learning process. The teacher has to keep the students attentive in order to impart knowledge to them. Keeping the students attentive is one of the most important skills in my career. Young students have a short span of concentration. To get the attention of the students, I have to create a dynamic environment, and avoid monotony in a teaching session. For a teacher to have these skills, there is need to create a good environment for teaching. This is achieved through empowerment of teachers.
A teacher must also ensure that there is a systematic development of a child’s knowledge to avoid frequent shift of attention. When a child does not understand the initial steps in an introduction to a course, there are chances that the child will lose interest in the course. It is important for a teacher or an educationist to ensure that a student develops from understanding simple concepts, to comprehending complex concepts within a discipline. Thus, for each step in the process of learning, there should be a base on which to develop the new concept. This is crucial for the student to develop interest in the subject. Apart from the academic qualification, the two skills are essential for effective execution of my duties as a professional educationist.
I consider the success in changing of the attitude of the students in my last year’s class the most significant achievement in the year. In the beginning of the academic year, I was assigned a class that was academically disoriented. The students were prejudiced towards lessons, and it was difficult to ensure systematic development of the students in the course. Students seemed to be engrossed in their own affairs. After trying out some therapies to develop interest in the students, a positive response began to show. This was after structuring my lessons in such a way that the students were always eager to listen to me. In addition, I would reward students who showed significant interest and attention in class. Increased attention and concentration reflected a significant improvement in the overall performance of the class. By the end of the academic year, the lessons improved from being disorganized and uncoordinated to attentive and participative sessions.
In a school community, it is necessary for a good relationship to exist between the teachers and the students. It is through this good relationship that the school system is able to provide quality education for the students. When the students and teachers are in a good working relationship, the lessons are likely to be harmonious and participative. This way, the students are able to follow the teacher’s systematic explanation on a particular subject. In addition, the teacher is always enthusiastic about his or her work in such an environment. To achieve this, the school community has to maintain a high level of discipline in the student community. When the student community is highly disciplined, it is more cooperative with the teachers. The school administration has the duty of ensuring that high discipline is maintained.