How To Become An Elementary Educator: What It Is and Career Path

What is an elementary educator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Bryan Carter Ph.D.,

Tara Kirton

Being an elementary educator is not as easy as ABC. In fact, there's a lot more to it than you might think. That's because elementary educators form the foundation for an individual's lifetime of learning. To do this, they must have an in-depth knowledge of learning principles and child development. They use this knowledge to develop lesson plans and teaching aids to instruct students in basic academics as well as good social skills.

Elementary school teachers encourage and establish behavioral rules and procedures to ensure children learn and maintain order. They also interact frequently with parents and guardians, giving them frequent updates on a child's progress and special needs. These instructors play a critical role in inspiring a child's curiosity and love for learning. In addition to working during school hours, teachers must spend time during evenings and weekends grading papers and writing lesson plans. If you'd like to be an elementary education, you'll need at least a Bachelor's degree in elementary education. You'll also need to pass the state licensing exam for elementary teachers.

What general advice would you give to an elementary educator?

Dr. Bryan Carter Ph.D.

Director, Center for Digital Humanities, Associate Professor, Africana Studies, University of Arizona

To ensure they keep in mind cultural studies courses taken at the university, consider supporting the department you received your major in some way.

ScoreElementary EducatorUS Average

Salary

3.0

Avg. Salary $38,957

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.6

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.52%

Asian 3.67%

Black or African American 9.84%

Hispanic or Latino 12.66%

Unknown 3.91%

White 69.40%

Gender

female 79.77%

male 20.23%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress level

7.6

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.5

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.3

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an elementary educator

Explore elementary educator education requirements

Most common elementary educator degrees

Bachelor's

75.7 %

Master's

14.3 %

Associate

6.1 %

Start to develop specific elementary educator skills

Skills	Percentages
Mathematics	12.71%
Math	12.56%
Elementary Education	7.44%
Public Schools	7.21%
Kindergarten	6.29%

Research elementary educator duties and responsibilities

Provide departmentalized instruction in language arts, mathematics, and social studies.
Provide general classroom support with administrative duties such as obtaining and distributing worksheets, reading packets and math packets for students.
Recommend and implement online math programs for school wide implementation.
Develop high quality standards-base lessons including extension menus, differentiate instruction, depth and complexity charts, and literature circles.

Prepare your elementary educator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your elementary educator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an elementary educator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable elementary educator resume templates

Build a professional elementary educator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your elementary educator resume.

Apply for elementary educator jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an elementary educator job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do elementary educators rate their job?

-/5

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1 star

Elementary educator reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2021

Pros

I enjoy teaching or giving knowledge to the children.

Cons

The educational system is very flawed, poor administration who don’t put children and learning first but their own self-interests. I don’t like how many school systems have handled the pandemic, total disregard for safety.