Teaching is a hard job – no argument about it. There are so many skills that they have to develop and work on to make sure that students are able to learn. With the list below, there are 10 skills that are needed for successful teachers and make the job easier!
1. Empathy
A skill that I feel is extremely important is being able to be empathetic. Being able to understand the feelings of others leads to being able to build relationships with students and coworkers throughout the campus. Building relationships is a great way to get students engaged and to trust you within the classroom. Relationships are a foundation to teaching in the classroom.
2. Patience
There are going to be moments that students test you and can push your buttons. Or the moments that they don’t seem to understand the lesson and you feel like it should just click. Making sure to have patience, not get frustrated, and take a breath is so important to successful teaching.
3. Time Management
Not only is time management needed for using your time wisely during your prep period, but also for the pacing during class. There are so many fun things that you want to do in the classroom, but you’ll have to pick and choose what works with the time that you have in class. I would argue that time management and pacing is one of the hardest skills to develop as a new teacher, but once you have it mastered, it is a skill that leads to you being a successful teacher.
4. People Skills
People skills and empathy really go hand-in-hand, but having people skills also impacts your ability to work with your colleagues and students. Just understanding how and why people function the way that they do is important. Plus thinking about what is best for others – I always ask the question: “what’s best for kids?” If it doesn’t benefit or teach the students, why do it?
5. Organization
Being able to stay organized is a key skill needed for successful teaching. Not only staying organized with time, but also having procedures in place in the classroom for how students turn in work, late work policies, when to sharpen pencils – anything that you feel needs to be taught to help your classroom work.
6. Creativity
Another skill that makes a successful teacher is the fun one: creativity. Being able to be creative and have fun lessons or unique ideas in the classroom makes learning fun for students. When you can have fun and creative lessons, students are more likely to engage and learn the content.
7. Flexibility
Flexibility is super important within the classroom. You can always have a plan for what lessons you’re going to do and how you want them to go – however, being able to adjust due to what you’re seeing from students, an unscheduled fire evacuation, internet cuts out, or anything else that can throw off the schedule or lesson. You have to be able to adjust as needed, so flexibility is a must for successful teaching.
8. Confidence
One of my top tips for classroom management is carrying yourself with confidence in the classroom. When you’re confident, you draw more attention to yourself and generate more respect for what you have to say. Confidence is a great way to keep students’ attention, but also making sure that they keep their chatter down. If they are talking over you, I’ve found that when you confidently tell a student to stop talking, they’ll stop. And if you’re struggling to develop confidence, fake it till you make it 🙂
9. Conflict Resolution
When running a classroom and working with people every day, it makes sense that teachers need to have the skill of conflict resolution. Especially when you’re talking about difficult subjects within the classroom or dealing with difficult students that can irritate other students in the class.
10. Collaboration
Another skill needed for successful teachers is being able to collaborate with your colleagues. Not only does this help with your Professional Learning Community, but when you have a student teacher, you can collaborate with them as well! The more minds that come together to create an assignment, lesson, or unit, the better it is going to be!
