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The differences between elementary educators and first grade teachers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a first grade teacher has an average salary of $49,757, which is higher than the $38,957 average annual salary of an elementary educator.
The top three skills for an elementary educator include mathematics, math and elementary education. The most important skills for a first grade teacher are classroom management, math, and social studies.
| Elementary Educator | First Grade Teacher | |
| Yearly salary | $38,957 | $49,757 |
| Hourly rate | $18.73 | $23.92 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 32,900 | 70,517 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
An Elementary Educator is mainly responsible for teaching basic academics among children while facilitating their social skills development. They are in charge of developing lesson plans and learning materials, organizing individual and group activities, creating quizzes and tests, utilizing audio and visual equipment, and developing strategies to meet the students' needs. They also monitor the students' academic progress and behavior, updating parents or guardians regularly. Moreover, an Elementary Educator develops various learning approaches while maintaining a safe and healthy classroom environment for everyone.
First-grade teachers are the first instructors of children after they finished the kindergarten level. They play an essential role as children aged six to seven move to more structured learning. Generally, they set an exciting tone of learning for the fundamental skills in writing, reading, and math. These teachers create and give effective learning activities to the children to enhance their physical, emotional, intellectual, and social development. They have to effectively manage the classroom and ensure that all students are safe. Also, they give regular assessments to children to evaluate if their teaching method is effective and to determine the learning style of each child. Additionally, they need to communicate with parents, guardians, and principals on the progress of the children.
Elementary educators and first grade teachers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Elementary Educator | First Grade Teacher | |
| Average salary | $38,957 | $49,757 |
| Salary range | Between $26,000 And $56,000 | Between $37,000 And $65,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Maryland | New York |
| Best paying company | Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES | Shady Side Academy |
| Best paying industry | Education | Education |
There are a few differences between an elementary educator and a first grade teacher in terms of educational background:
| Elementary Educator | First Grade Teacher | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Elementary Education | Elementary Education |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between elementary educators' and first grade teachers' demographics:
| Elementary Educator | First Grade Teacher | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 20.2% Female, 79.8% | Male, 7.5% Female, 92.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 3.7% White, 69.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.8% Asian, 3.7% White, 69.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 9% | 9% |