Students earning a degree in elementary education generally intend to pursue a teaching career at the grade school level. With an elementary education degree, you could earn your teaching license or certification and apply to teaching jobs in classrooms from kindergarten through eighth grade.

What can you do with an elementary education degree that can make a difference in your community? As an elementary school teacher, you could help inspire a love of lifelong learning in young students. You could also work toward nurturing their self-esteem and help them prepare to become well-adjusted, productive members of society.

An elementary education major is a teaching pathway that prepares students to pursue licensure and teach at the primary school level. The primary school level can be from kindergarten through sixth grade, or it may be from kindergarten through eighth grade in some areas.

Is elementary education a major that leads to licensure? All teachers in all states are required to obtain licensure or certification before teaching in a public school.^{(See disclaimer 1)}

Typically, an elementary education degree will align with the licensure or certification requirements for a specific state or multiple states. It's the responsibility of the student to research the licensure requirements in the state in which they plan to teach and ensure that the degree program they choose will allow them to fulfill those requirements.

A teaching degree program may be designed for high school graduates who are going to college for the first time. However, there are also alternative paths to certification, such as master’s degrees, and some education degrees for elementary education are designed for individuals who are pursuing teaching as a second career.

Elementary education degrees will generally teach similar competencies across different states and schools, with some differences. Grand Canyon University’s Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education degree, which leads to initial teacher licensure,^{(See disclaimer 2)} offers teacher preparation for K-8 classrooms and covers competencies and topics such as:

• Child and early adolescent development across areas such as cognitive, physical, linguistic, social and emotional, with a focus on designing appropriate learning experiences for different age ranges
• Designing culturally responsive lessons and various assessment methods
• Cultivating and maintaining welcoming and collaborative learning environments that promote student engagement and nurture positive, safe relationships
• Professional ethics in education, with a focus on empowering a multicultural classroom in a way that provides equitable opportunities and addresses disparities
• Teaching foundational literacy skills, including phonological awareness, phonics and word recognition
• Strategies for literacy intervention and remediation
• Teaching mathematics, English language arts, social studies and the arts at the elementary school level

While this is the general curriculum for an elementary education major, some majors may have a specific focus. For example, some programs have a focus on teaching STEM subjects.

While students do study a variety of skills that may be applicable beyond the classroom, it’s advisable to ensure that becoming a primary school teacher is the right decision for you before applying to the program.

To make your decision, consider talking to your high school counselor about your personal strengths, limitations, interests and career options. You might also look for opportunities to meet with your former elementary school teachers to ask them about their career choice and what you could expect from a teaching career.

If you do decide that a teaching career in elementary education is right for you, an elementary education degree can prepare you with the skills to tackle the many responsibilities of a teaching career.

Typical Job Responsibilities in Elementary Education

An elementary school teacher plays a critical role in a child’s development and growth. In fact, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has proclaimed that achieving a near-universal level of primary school education globally is one of the world’s greatest achievements in recent memory.^{(See disclaimer 3)}

In primary school, quality education can empower children to learn the essential skills that prepare them to succeed the rest of their life in areas like work, personal life and engaged citizenship. Elementary education also uplifts communities, such as by encouraging social cohesion and contributing to economic prosperity.^{(See disclaimer 3)}

To achieve these remarkable benefits of early education, elementary school teachers handle a variety of tasks, including the following:

• Develop lesson plans to teach in a variety of subjects, including social studies, math, science and English language arts
• Instruct students on the classroom level, as well as in smaller groups and one-on-one
• Develop assignments, administer tests and grade students’ progress
• Speak with students’ parents or guardians about their child’s progress and how they can best support their child’s development at home
• Help students overcome learning challenges
• Develop and equally enforce classroom rules to maintain a safe, positive, inclusive and respectful learning environment for all

Elementary teachers typically teach a variety of subjects. They may also escort children to other classrooms throughout the day to receive specialized instruction in specific subjects, such as physical education and the arts. Teachers may supervise children during lunch and recess, and after the school day concludes, they may attend meetings with teachers and administrative staff members or parents.

Important Skills for Elementary School Teachers 

Elementary school teachers need to know how to develop lesson plans, instruct students and assess student progress. Along with career-specific competencies, the following soft skills are helpful for this career path:^{(See disclaimer 1)}

• Communication skills for teaching lessons and interacting well with parents and administrative staff
• Patience, which helps when working with students who may have behavioral challenges or are struggling with the class material
• Stamina, as working with young children can be taxing physically, mentally and emotionally
• Resourcefulness, which helps teachers adapt lesson plans to meet the needs of individual students

Additionally, elementary teachers may develop skills that are applicable to functions outside the classroom, such as tutoring, curriculum development, academic consulting or nonprofit work.

You might choose a career in elementary education because you’re passionate about learning and want to inspire a lifelong love of learning in the generation to come. 

Consider the following:

Share Your Passion for Learning With Tomorrow's Innovators

An elementary education degree can prepare you to share your passion with young learners. By promoting lifelong curiosity, you can help your students grow in a world that continually changes.^{(See disclaimer 4)} It’s also possible for teachers to discover that they also learn from the students that they teach. Children can offer unique perspectives that adults might not have considered.

Inspire Self-Confidence in Your Students 

Another benefit of serving as an elementary teacher is the ability to help students develop self-confidence and a sense of self-worth. You can accomplish this through actions such as recognizing the strengths of individual students and encouraging them to build on those strengths. As a result, your students may be better prepared to express themselves in positive ways, tackle modern challenges and make contributions to their communities.^{(See disclaimer 4)}

Build Stronger, More Resilient Communities 

It’s often said that it takes a village to raise a child, and that community often starts in school. Teachers are community builders who nurture the partnerships that keep communities resilient. As a teacher, you can expect to engage with multiple stakeholders, including parents and community leaders, working to build supportive local partnerships that may lead to greater resources for students.^{(See disclaimer 4)}

GCU's College of Education offers career-focused education degrees that are designed to prepare our graduates to make a meaningful impact on their future students and communities. We strive to graduate teachers who will not only succeed in preparing their students academically but also empower them to develop a growth mindset and serve as positive influences for others.

Explore our bachelor’s degrees in teaching, such as the Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education degree or the Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with an Emphasis in STEM degree, which leads to initial teacher licensure. When you’re ready to take the next step, fill out the form on this page to request a consultation with a university counselor.