What does a 2nd grade teacher do?
A 2nd-grade teacher specializes in educating young children, providing them with a safe and efficient classroom environment. One of their primary responsibilities is to devise strategies to improve the students' academic knowledge and interpersonal skills, craft effective lesson plans, and enhance their reading and writing skills. Moreover, a teacher must assess the students' progress by conducting tests and quizzes, encouraging them to learn through various activities, monitoring the children's behavior, and reporting to their parents should there be any concerns.
2nd grade teacher responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real 2nd grade teacher resumes:
- Manage a classroom of students with special needs, including students diagnose with LD, ADHD as well as ESL students.
- Provide RTI in math and reading in addition to after school extra help sessions to students in need.
- Partner with school literacy and math coaches in ongoing professional development opportunities.
- Work closely with the other 2nd grade teacher to develop lesson plans, activities, and RTI methods and practices.
- Design and present PowerPoint presentations for staff development/
- Create developmentally appropriate instruction for each learner within reading groups and math partnerships.
- Design student's IEP and administer standardized test for initial and reevaluation referrals.
- Provide a nurturing learning environment for all ESL students using learning support and differentiate instruction.
- Develop lessons using various resources, including technology, create PowerPoint presentations and implement to students.
- Co-developed and execute individual educational plans (IEP) design to promote academic, behavioral, social, and emotional development.
- Assist with parent involvement activities, participate in portfolio, FCAT teaching/learning presentations along with coordinating extra-curricular activities.
2nd grade teacher skills and personality traits
We calculated that 19% of 2nd Grade Teachers are proficient in Classroom Management, Math, and Professional Development. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Patience, and Physical stamina.
We break down the percentage of 2nd Grade Teachers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Classroom Management, 19%
Infused Responsive Classroom techniques such as logical consequences, guided discoveries, and interactive modeling into everyday classroom management and culture.
- Math, 11%
Created developmentally appropriate instruction for each learner within reading groups and math partnerships.
- Professional Development, 7%
Manage classroom along with administering student assessments, attending staff meetings and professional development collaborating with colleagues to design lesson plans.
- Student Learning, 5%
Address student learning and behavioral needs through differentiated instruction, individualized tutoring and incentive plans, and collaboration Special Education colleagues.
- Language Arts, 5%
Practiced differentiated instruction and flexible grouping in language arts and mathematics.
- Social Studies, 5%
Collaborated with Social Studies grade level team developing benchmarks and curriculum.
"classroom management," "math," and "professional development" are among the most common skills that 2nd grade teachers use at work. You can find even more 2nd grade teacher responsibilities below, including:
Communication skills. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a 2nd grade teacher to have is communication skills. Their role and responsibilities require that "teachers need to discuss students’ needs with parents and administrators." 2nd grade teachers often use communication skills in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "implemented technology, guided reading, dimensions of learning, wrote communication arts curriculum k-12. "
Patience. Another essential skill to perform 2nd grade teacher duties is patience. 2nd grade teachers responsibilities require that "kindergarten and elementary school teachers must respond with patience when students struggle with material." 2nd grade teachers also use patience in their role according to a real resume snippet: "exhibit patience & positive attitudes in establishing an encouraging learning environment. "
Physical stamina. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of 2nd grade teachers is physical stamina. This skill is critical to many everyday 2nd grade teacher duties, as "working with kindergarten- and elementary-age students can be tiring." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "participated in "laptops for writing" pilot program also taught physical education for kindergarten, including yoga for kids"
The three companies that hire the most 2nd grade teachers are:
- Distinctive Schools9 2nd grade teachers jobs
- IDEA Public Schools4 2nd grade teachers jobs
- Berkeley High School3 2nd grade teachers jobs
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Compare different 2nd grade teachers
2nd grade teacher vs. Teacher-in-training
A teacher-in-training is a teaching professional who offers technical teaching assistance to teachers in developing effective behavior management and instructional strategies to support student learning. The teacher must collaborate with principals while employing diverse techniques to increase the effectiveness of student learning. By observing classes and then giving feedback to teachers about their teaching style, classroom management, and techniques are some of the responsibilities of a teacher-in-training. The teacher must also develop a wide array of curriculum materials and lesson plans for classroom instruction.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a 2nd grade teacher are more likely to require skills like "math," "professional development," "student learning," and "learning styles." On the other hand, a job as a teacher-in-training requires skills like "k-12," "staff development," "curriculum development," and "mathematics." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Teachers-in training earn the highest salaries when working in the education industry, with an average yearly salary of $39,697. On the other hand, 2nd grade teachers are paid more in the education industry with an average salary of $46,266.On average, teachers-in training reach similar levels of education than 2nd grade teachers. Teachers-in training are 3.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 1.9% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.2nd grade teacher vs. History teacher
A history teacher analyzes all resources and prescribed texts to create quality curricula and lesson plans, collaborate with other teachers, and learn from the classroom management techniques, teaching strategies, and methods. These professionals deliver engaging history-related lessons on various movements, periods, and other history-related figures and events. Moreover, history teachers grade tests, exams, presentations, assignments, and quizzes and call parents and other staff members to schedule interventions and discuss concerns. Also, they use digital technology to keep accurate learners' records and improve learning.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real 2nd grade teacher resumes. While 2nd grade teacher responsibilities can utilize skills like "math," "language arts," "social studies," and "learning process," history teachers use skills like "world history," "history curriculum," "geography," and "classroom environment."
History teachers earn a higher average salary than 2nd grade teachers. But history teachers earn the highest pay in the education industry, with an average salary of $51,944. Additionally, 2nd grade teachers earn the highest salaries in the education with average pay of $46,266 annually.history teachers earn similar levels of education than 2nd grade teachers in general. They're 3.2% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 1.9% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for 2nd grade teachers in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Diana Jones
Chair, Department of Kinesiology, Anderson University
2nd grade teacher vs. Esl teacher
An ESL teacher specializes in teaching the English language to non-native speakers of all ages, usually in a virtual setting. Their responsibilities revolve around devising lesson plans, organizing learning materials, evaluating progress, and coming up with strategies to make learners feel comfortable. Furthermore, they must maintain a healthy and safe learning environment, whether the lessons are in a one-on-one or group setting. When it comes to virtual learning, an ESL teacher must have the necessary equipment, a stable internet connection, and an obstruction-free teaching location.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, 2nd grade teachers are more likely to have skills like "math," "professional development," "student achievement," and "parent-teacher conferences." But a esl teacher is more likely to have skills like "kids," "whiteboards," "curriculum development," and "english language."
Esl teachers make a very good living in the retail industry with an average annual salary of $52,367. On the other hand, 2nd grade teachers are paid the highest salary in the education industry, with average annual pay of $46,266.esl teachers typically earn similar educational levels compared to 2nd grade teachers. Specifically, they're 1.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.5% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.2nd grade teacher vs. Language arts teacher
A language arts teacher is responsible for teaching the English language to the students, improving their written and oral English communication by sharing the best practices, conducting engaging lesson plans, assigning group activities, and providing comprehensive educational materials. Language arts teachers strictly adhere to the learning curriculum, as well as monitoring the students' progress through individual evaluation, identifying their areas of improvement, and adjust learning strategies to address the difficulties. They also encourage the students to attend workshops, programs, and other extracurricular activities relating to the subject matter.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between 2nd grade teachers and language arts teachers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a 2nd grade teacher might have more use for skills like "math," "professional development," "language arts," and "kindergarten." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of language arts teachers require skills like "curriculum development," "grammar," "language," and "instructional strategies. "
In general, language arts teachers earn the most working in the education industry, with an average salary of $48,676. The highest-paying industry for a 2nd grade teacher is the education industry.In general, language arts teachers hold similar degree levels compared to 2nd grade teachers. Language arts teachers are 2.2% more likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.6% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of 2nd grade teacher
Updated January 8, 2025
