Elementary Education

Elementary education lays the foundation for everything to follow

Elementary education usually begins when a child is 4 or 5 years old, lasts for between four and eight years, and is often the first full time organized education for a child.  It is hardly surprising that many prospective teachers are drawn to this age group - elementary teachers are in demand, often loved by the kids, arguably have a more rewarding teaching experience than in any other age group.

By the time the child reaches 11 or 12, and moves on to secondary education, the elementary school teacher will have ensured that the kids have a solid foundation in the basics of literacy and numeracy, although of course there are differing methods in different school districts, and these can show varying degrees of success. We will cover some of these approaches here.

Although elementary education concentrates on the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic, otherwise known as the three r's (reading, riting and rithmetic!), the foundation for other topics is established at this level too. Consequently science is introduced at the elementary school level, along with geography and history, and other social sciences. Having all these options open to an elementary school teacher means that classes need never be boring, since there is a wealth of information to convey to all these little eager minds. Obviously it is important to aim the level of the information to the age of the children, and this is a very important aspect of a teacher's planning.

The methods used to teach elementary school children vary with school district, country, and with the latest educational ideas out there. The first elementary class sometimes called Kindergarten is not always full time, and because of this it may be a morning class, or an afternoon class, but not usually both. Some schools have their kindergarten classes in family groupings, which means that there are mixed ages in every class. The idea here is that children are not naturally separated by age - you very rarely see a group of children of the same age playing together outside of the school environment. It is supposed to teach leadership and responsibility to the older children in the group, while helping the younger ones by having the influence of the older children.

Besides family groups, there are open classrooms, where there are fewer walls, and a much freer environment. When it comes to open classrooms, it can be very distracting to have the voices of others intermingled with your group, but on the other hand, this is what happens in the real world, and we all have to learn to adjust to the situation. However, for the younger students, or those with attention disorders, this can be particularly challenging, especially if they can watch other children and age groups, possibly misbehaving! Often in this situation, there is team teaching, where the class will perhaps go to another teacher for, say, a science lesson, while that teacher's class goes to the first teacher, for say math instruction. This can help some children who do not respond well to a particular teacher, as they will not be with them all the time.

The success of family groupings and open plan classrooms depends a great deal on the teachers working there, and of course the support they receive from their principals. With all kinds of education, it is important to keep accurate records of a student's progress, so that problems can be dealt with immediately, but this can be extremely challenging for the elementary school teacher. If a class has children of approximately the same age, it can be assumed that the ability of these children is not as varied as a class with children of 4 or 5 different ages. It is therefore easier to plan lessons if children are of similar ability, rather than having 5 very different lesson plans on the go at any one time.

If you have a child that is ready for elementary education, do your research of possible elementary schools carefully, if you have a choice in which school they attend, so that your child's education begins with a style with which you are completely comfortable. Otherwise, you may find the elementary years of schooling are not only taxing for your child, but for you too!