What can teachers do?
Teachers' skills & abilities
Are you a teacher who thinks you don't have any skills that are relevant beyond the classroom?
Or a teacher who has a vague sense of what you're good at but no idea what's relevant beyond the classroom?
With the help of current teachers and a few online resources, I've compiled a list of common skills for teachers.
It's just a beginning and certainly not exhaustive.
But ALL of them are transferrable in some way to jobs beyond teaching.
A list of common skills that teachers have
Teachers' Communication Skills
Giving presentations
Emailing and talking to LOTS of parents/caregivers, students, administrators, supervisors, colleagues, etc…
Breaking down and simplifying concepts
Writing for clarity (tests, worksheets, lecture notes)
Representing the school to all stakeholders
Reading the room, knowing your audience
Advocating for your students to receive certain resources or services
Patient repetition of content
Verbal, written, non-verbal body language communication
Teachers' Relationship Building Skills
Empathy, understanding all the layers of a students experience
Mediating conflicts
Building trust
Managing constant and sometimes harsh feedback (thick skin!)
Taking into account everyone’s unique needs (not just students, but also admin, caregivers, colleagues, etc.)
Patience
Seeing the best in people
Collaborating with other teachers
Balancing student advocacy with parental rights and administrative priorities
Teachers' Organizational Skills
Prioritizing anything and everything
Setting and following policies and procedures
Managing time during classes and prep periods
Entering data/grades
Setting goals and objectives and following through
Organizing your room so it works for you and the students
Managing oodles of details and information on SO many students
Gathering and organizing information for your content area
Researching best practices
Preparing for a lesson down to the details in order to be prepared
Documenting anything and everything
Teachers' Assessment/Evaluation Skills
Assessing a student’s work and progress
Creating rubrics and using your best judgment to assign grades
Evaluating a lesson and making changes or improvements as necessary
Contributing to school data
Teachers' Problem solving/Adaptability Skills
Improvising or shifting gears in a lesson plan
Putting out a WIDE range of fires on the spot
Creatively managing classroom dynamics
Adjusting lessons that didn’t go well
Making adaptations to how you teach
Finding resources for your lessons that students will find engaging
Envisioning what could be (lesson plans, curriculum)
Adapting work to students with different abilities
Working within district, state or federal constraints
Teachers' Technology Skills
Formatting content so it’s easy to consume in Word, Google docs, etc…
Creating slides that are visually appealing
Using graphs or charts to present data
Conducting video meetings
Teaching classes online
Using edtech platforms to present and get feedback from audience (e.g. Pair Deck, Edpuzzle, Quizziz, Kahoot,)
Using tech tools (email, calendar, folders) to teach executive skills to students
Teaching basic computer literacy to second language learners who never touched a computer in their lives
What skills did I miss?
Help me add to this list! Email me at coach@lauralitwiller.com or share additional teachers' skills in the comments below.
Identifying your own unique skills & strengths
If you'd like some help identifying your own skill and strengths, read my blog post What are my skills as a teacher.
I can help you identify your skills
Have a nice long list of your skills already? Share them with me! Email me at coach@lauralitwiller.com or share them in the comments below.
If you're feeling stuck pinpointing your skills or don't feel confident that they're worth much beyond the classroom, I can help.
Through 1:1 coaching or my online group course Teachers at a Crossroads: Exploring Career Change & Discovering the Path That's Right for You, we'll dive deep into your skills & strengths to uncover your superpowers!
I'm Laura, a career transformation coach for teachers feeling stuck.
I help you explore career possibilities beyond the classroom so that you can make a confident choice about what's next, based on your strengths, values, and what you want most for your life.
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