Whenever “Gina,” a fifth grader at a suburban public school on the East Coast, did her math homework, she never had to worry about whether she could get help from her mom.
“I help her a lot with homework,” Gina’s mother, a married, mid-level manager for a health care company, explained to us during an interview for a study we did about how teachers view students who complete their homework versus those who do not.
“I try to maybe re-explain things, like, things she might not understand,” Gina’s mom continued. “Like, if she’s struggling, I try to teach her a different way. I understand that Gina is a very visual child but also needs to hear things, too. I know that when I’m reading it, and I’m writing it, and I’m saying it to her, she comprehends it better.”
We were curious about how teachers reward students who complete their homework and penalize and criticize those who don’t — and whether there was any link between those things and family income.
By analyzing student report cards and interviewing teachers, students and parents, we found that teachers gave good grades for homework effort and other rewards to students from middle-class families like Gina, who happen to have college-educated parents who take an active role in helping their children complete their homework.
But when it comes to students such as “Jesse,” who attends the same school as Gina and is the child of a poor, single mother of two, we found that teachers had a more bleak outlook.
The names “Jesse” and “Gina” are pseudonyms to protect the children’s identities. Jesse can’t count on his mom to help with his homework because she struggled in school herself.
“I had many difficulties in school,” Jesse’s mom told us for the same study. “I had behavior issues, attention-deficit. And so after seventh grade, they sent me to an alternative high school, which I thought was the worst thing in the world. We literally did, like, first and second grade work. So my education was horrible.”
Jesse’s mother admitted she still can’t figure out division to this day.
“(My son will) ask me a question, and I’ll go look at it and it’s like algebra, in fifth grade. And I’m like: ‘What’s this?’” Jesse’s mom said. “So it’s really hard. Sometimes you just feel stupid. Because he’s in fifth grade. And I’m like, I should be able to help my son with his homework in fifth grade.”
Unlike Gina’s parents, who are married and own their own home in a middle-class neighborhood, Jesse’s mom isn’t married and rents a place in a mobile home community. She had Jesse when she was a teenager and was raising Jesse and his brother mostly on her own, though with some help from her parents. Her son is eligible for free lunch.
An issue of equity
As a matter of fairness, we think teachers should take these kinds of economic and social disparities into account in how they teach and grade students. But what we found in the schools we observed is that they usually don’t, and instead they seemed to accept inequality as destiny. Consider, for instance, what a fourth grade teacher — one of 22 teachers we interviewed and observed during the study — told us about students and homework.
“I feel like there’s a pocket here – a lower income pocket,” one teacher said. “And that trickles down to less support at home, homework not being done, stuff not being returned and signed. It should be almost 50-50 between home and school. If they don’t have the support at home, there’s only so far I can take them. If they’re not going to go home and do their homework, there’s just not much I can do.”
While educators recognize the different levels of resources that students have at home, they continue to assign homework that is too difficult for students to complete independently, and reward students who complete the homework anyway.
Middle-class students often enjoy many advantages that other students don’t when it comes to getting help at home with their homework. Kentaroo Tryman via Getty Images
Consider, for example, how one seventh grade teacher described his approach to homework: “I post the answers to the homework for every course online. The kids do the homework, and they’re supposed to check it and figure out if they need extra help. The kids who do that, there is an amazing correlation between that and positive grades. The kids who don’t do that are bombing.
“I need to drill that to parents that they need to check homework with their student, get it checked to see if it’s right or wrong and then ask me questions. I don’t want to use class time to go over homework.”
The problem is that the benefits of homework are not uniformly distributed. Rather, research shows that students from high-income families make bigger achievement gains through homework than students from low-income families.
This relationship has been found in both U.S. and Dutch schools, and it suggests that homework may contribute to disparities in students’ performance in school.
In the schools we observed, teachers interpreted homework inequalities through what social scientists call the myth of meritocracy. The myth suggests that all students in the U.S. have the same opportunities to succeed in school and that any differences in students’ outcomes are the result of different levels of effort. Teachers in our study said things that are in line with this belief.
For instance, one third grade teacher told us: “We’re dealing with some really struggling kids. There are parents that I’ve never even met. They don’t come to conferences. There’s been no communication whatsoever. … I’ll write notes home or emails; they never respond. There are kids who never do their homework, and clearly the parents are OK with that.
“When you don’t have that support from home, what can you do? They can’t study by themselves. So if they don’t have parents that are going to help them out with that, then that’s tough on them, and it shows.”
Jessica Calarco has received funding from the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, through Grant R305C050041-05 to the University of Pennsylvania and from the Networks, Complex Systems & Health Project Development Team within the ICTSI NIH/NCRR Grant Number UL1TR001108. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Council on Contemporary Families.
Ilana Horn currently receives funding from the National Science Foundation. In the past, her work has been funded by the Spencer Foundation, the Carnegie Foundation, the Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the Mindset Scholars Network, and the American Educational Research Association.
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.
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Perhaps above all, a great elementary school teacher needs patience and compassion—but there are many other skills that are essential to teaching success. Some can be learned right away and some only developed over time. Study.com compiled the required skills and abilities needed to become an elementary school teacher according to the O*NET Resource Center, which compiled results from a survey of teachers, occupational experts, and occupational analysts.
Elementary school teachers play an important role in shaping how students learn and can have a lasting impact on students' lives even beyond the classroom. Being an educator has always been a challenging vocation, but those obstacles have been compounded by teacher shortages and various educational restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 crisis. As educators and administrative staff experienced burnout throughout the pandemic, this led to many of them changing careers and exploring other industries.
Low salaries along with the long hours required, both in and out of the classroom, have also been significant factors in the drop in new teachers. A 2022 report from the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education shows that in the early 1970s, close to 200,000 education degrees were awarded annually. In 2018-19, that number was less than 90,000, largely due to students obtaining degrees in other wide-ranging industries.
Elementary and middle school teachers must earn a bachelor's degree in education and be certified by the state in which they chose to work. Requirements do vary by state; some require student teaching or field experience, and state-mandated skills assessment tests. Kindergarten and elementary school teachers help students with early learning concepts, oftentimes by using a hands-on approach to engage students and keep them curious and focused. These educators help students to understand problem-solving and how to develop critical thinking skills.
Read on to learn which eight skills are some of the most important for elementary school teachers to have.
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Perhaps above all, a great elementary school teacher needs patience and compassion—but there are many other skills that are essential to teaching success. Some can be learned right away and some only developed over time. Study.com compiled the required skills and abilities needed to become an elementary school teacher according to the O*NET Resource Center, which compiled results from a survey of teachers, occupational experts, and occupational analysts.
Elementary school teachers play an important role in shaping how students learn and can have a lasting impact on students' lives even beyond the classroom. Being an educator has always been a challenging vocation, but those obstacles have been compounded by teacher shortages and various educational restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 crisis. As educators and administrative staff experienced burnout throughout the pandemic, this led to many of them changing careers and exploring other industries.
Low salaries along with the long hours required, both in and out of the classroom, have also been significant factors in the drop in new teachers. A 2022 report from the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education shows that in the early 1970s, close to 200,000 education degrees were awarded annually. In 2018-19, that number was less than 90,000, largely due to students obtaining degrees in other wide-ranging industries.
Elementary and middle school teachers must earn a bachelor's degree in education and be certified by the state in which they chose to work. Requirements do vary by state; some require student teaching or field experience, and state-mandated skills assessment tests. Kindergarten and elementary school teachers help students with early learning concepts, oftentimes by using a hands-on approach to engage students and keep them curious and focused. These educators help students to understand problem-solving and how to develop critical thinking skills.
Read on to learn which eight skills are some of the most important for elementary school teachers to have.
Teachers must be able to communicate accurate information effectively as they interface with a variety of people. One of the main ways educators communicate with students and their parents is through speaking with them, not at them.
When communicating with students in grades K-2 for example, it's advised that teachers speak in a gentle, welcoming tone, use age-appropriate vocabulary, explain the meaning of new words, and articulate properly.
For students in these grades, this is a highly inquisitive stage where many questions are asked. It's a great opportunity for educators to foster engagement and get creative.
DGLimages // Shutterstock
Teachers must be able to communicate accurate information effectively as they interface with a variety of people. One of the main ways educators communicate with students and their parents is through speaking with them, not at them.
When communicating with students in grades K-2 for example, it's advised that teachers speak in a gentle, welcoming tone, use age-appropriate vocabulary, explain the meaning of new words, and articulate properly.
For students in these grades, this is a highly inquisitive stage where many questions are asked. It's a great opportunity for educators to foster engagement and get creative.
Teachers have a wide array of tasks throughout their work day and one of the main skills required is knowing how to instruct others. Instructing, or showing others how to do something, is no simple feat.
Whether instructing students individually or in groups, various teaching techniques are used such as lectures. For younger students, a more hands-on approach is often required, as individual attention and tactile methods that involve more student-teacher interaction benefit younger learners. Teachers should first identify and assess the educational needs of their students before developing their lesson plans.
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Teachers have a wide array of tasks throughout their work day and one of the main skills required is knowing how to instruct others. Instructing, or showing others how to do something, is no simple feat.
Whether instructing students individually or in groups, various teaching techniques are used such as lectures. For younger students, a more hands-on approach is often required, as individual attention and tactile methods that involve more student-teacher interaction benefit younger learners. Teachers should first identify and assess the educational needs of their students before developing their lesson plans.
Educators employ different teaching strategies and methods to help their students learn. Selecting and using different procedures for teaching new ideas, concepts, and subjects is beneficial in the classroom as each student learns at a different pace and with a different learning style.
Each learning style matters. Engagement tasks students with being involved in various class activities and gaining concentration skills in the face of distraction. Learning through problem-solving uses flexible strategies for handling challenging situations and teaches students how to self-regulate their behavior.
It's important for educators to practice various learning styles to meet the needs of their students and to reflect their diverse teaching capabilities.
Dmytro Zinkevych // Shutterstock
Educators employ different teaching strategies and methods to help their students learn. Selecting and using different procedures for teaching new ideas, concepts, and subjects is beneficial in the classroom as each student learns at a different pace and with a different learning style.
Each learning style matters. Engagement tasks students with being involved in various class activities and gaining concentration skills in the face of distraction. Learning through problem-solving uses flexible strategies for handling challenging situations and teaches students how to self-regulate their behavior.
It's important for educators to practice various learning styles to meet the needs of their students and to reflect their diverse teaching capabilities.
The teaching profession requires solid and effective communication skills, but also reading comprehension, both as a possessed and teachable skill. Educators must teach early elementary vocabulary in the classroom, but in their own work must be able to process and synthesize instructions, handbooks, and other work-related documents that may include highly technical language and policies.
Removing distractions such as mobile phone notifications or other visual and aural stimuli can help an educator better focus on their reading development. When reading more detailed and technical documents, instead of reading in one sitting, it may help to read a paragraph or so at a time to make sure you understand what you're reading before continuing on to the next part of the article. Building in enough time to read complex documents at a slower pace is also key.
Serhii Yevdokymov // Shutterstock
The teaching profession requires solid and effective communication skills, but also reading comprehension, both as a possessed and teachable skill. Educators must teach early elementary vocabulary in the classroom, but in their own work must be able to process and synthesize instructions, handbooks, and other work-related documents that may include highly technical language and policies.
Removing distractions such as mobile phone notifications or other visual and aural stimuli can help an educator better focus on their reading development. When reading more detailed and technical documents, instead of reading in one sitting, it may help to read a paragraph or so at a time to make sure you understand what you're reading before continuing on to the next part of the article. Building in enough time to read complex documents at a slower pace is also key.
Active listening is a method where the listener focuses on what the speaker is saying—too often people are not actually hearing someone's point of view but instead just waiting to present more rebuttals to support their own argument. Also referred to as deep listening, this method can involve responses whereby the listener paraphrases back to the speaker what was said, a technique that improves mutual understanding and reinforces to the speaker that they have been heard.
This type of conversation is generally associated with counseling and conflict resolution but can be applied in educational situations as well. In a classroom setting, active listening is less focused on resolving conflict than encouraging learning.
Active listening is not only helpful for teachers and students. This concept is also beneficial when teachers are communicating with parents as it helps to gain more insight into the parents' perspective and demonstrate to parents their voices and views are being taken into account.
DGLimages // Shutterstock
Active listening is a method where the listener focuses on what the speaker is saying—too often people are not actually hearing someone's point of view but instead just waiting to present more rebuttals to support their own argument. Also referred to as deep listening, this method can involve responses whereby the listener paraphrases back to the speaker what was said, a technique that improves mutual understanding and reinforces to the speaker that they have been heard.
This type of conversation is generally associated with counseling and conflict resolution but can be applied in educational situations as well. In a classroom setting, active listening is less focused on resolving conflict than encouraging learning.
Active listening is not only helpful for teachers and students. This concept is also beneficial when teachers are communicating with parents as it helps to gain more insight into the parents' perspective and demonstrate to parents their voices and views are being taken into account.
Teachers have a ton of responsibilities and must be capable of using logic and reasoning to come up with solutions. Whether it's answering questions from students on the spot, handling conflict between students, or evaluating daily activities while considering long-term teaching goals, educators are required to practice critical thinking.
Teachers don't always have control over the educational materials or standards used in their classrooms—textbooks, learning standards, and evaluations are determined by the school district—so the ability to navigate these requirements while also creating a conducive classroom atmosphere for all students is an essential acquired skill.
Critical thinking is important especially when it comes to curriculum development. The educator's approach to teaching, the strategies used, and how they accommodate students with different learning styles and capabilities are what's critical to ensure learning success.
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
Teachers have a ton of responsibilities and must be capable of using logic and reasoning to come up with solutions. Whether it's answering questions from students on the spot, handling conflict between students, or evaluating daily activities while considering long-term teaching goals, educators are required to practice critical thinking.
Teachers don't always have control over the educational materials or standards used in their classrooms—textbooks, learning standards, and evaluations are determined by the school district—so the ability to navigate these requirements while also creating a conducive classroom atmosphere for all students is an essential acquired skill.
Critical thinking is important especially when it comes to curriculum development. The educator's approach to teaching, the strategies used, and how they accommodate students with different learning styles and capabilities are what's critical to ensure learning success.
Teachers are held accountable for knowing how to communicate—and not merely how to correct grammar. Whether it's writing emails and newsletters to parents or other teaching staff or engaging in academic writing for educational or professional development purposes, a teacher's writing ability must involve contextualizing ideas as well as defining and explaining concepts.
Within the classroom, a firm understanding of grammar, spelling, punctuation, tone, and context is required to help students develop their own writing skills as a primary means of communication. Writing is also a prime function of long-term memory development, and so honing one's writing skills continues to aid the teacher as much as the student.
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Teachers are held accountable for knowing how to communicate—and not merely how to correct grammar. Whether it's writing emails and newsletters to parents or other teaching staff or engaging in academic writing for educational or professional development purposes, a teacher's writing ability must involve contextualizing ideas as well as defining and explaining concepts.
Within the classroom, a firm understanding of grammar, spelling, punctuation, tone, and context is required to help students develop their own writing skills as a primary means of communication. Writing is also a prime function of long-term memory development, and so honing one's writing skills continues to aid the teacher as much as the student.
It may seem simple to just keep an eye on how students are doing, but there's an art and a technique to monitoring or assessing learning progression. A good teacher will want to help their students reach their full potential. Teachers can assess students through observation and interaction, curriculum-based testing where they test students on all material covered throughout the year, consistent evaluations, and even formative assessments.
Outside of the assessments formally prescribed within the curriculum, teachers should develop their own modes and methods of assessment. At the elementary level, fun activities such as a 3-2-1 activity, having students "teach" a subject to one another, and turning study reviews into a game show are examples of approaches that can engage all students.
This story originally appeared on Study.com and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
SeventyFour // Shutterstock
It may seem simple to just keep an eye on how students are doing, but there's an art and a technique to monitoring or assessing learning progression. A good teacher will want to help their students reach their full potential. Teachers can assess students through observation and interaction, curriculum-based testing where they test students on all material covered throughout the year, consistent evaluations, and even formative assessments.
Outside of the assessments formally prescribed within the curriculum, teachers should develop their own modes and methods of assessment. At the elementary level, fun activities such as a 3-2-1 activity, having students "teach" a subject to one another, and turning study reviews into a game show are examples of approaches that can engage all students.
This story originally appeared on Study.com and was produced and distributed in partnership with Stacker Studio.
Failure to complete homework leaves students in the lurch. MoMorad via Getty Images
Middle-class students often enjoy many advantages that other students don’t when it comes to getting help at home with their homework. Kentaroo Tryman via Getty Images
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