1st Grade Teacher and Grade Chairman 

(Female, Age 37) from Collierville, TN

This is a REAL-LIFE job profile written by a Female aged 37 who works as a 1st Grade Teacher and Grade Chairman in Collierville, TN. We have removed all names and personal information in order to protect privacy. This professional kindly spent a bit of their time to complete one of our job profile surveys so that prospective job seekers like you could read their insights. Please excuse any punctuation or grammatical errors in this profile.

At a Glance

Current Job

Basic data on your current job

Job Title 1st Grade Teacher and Grade Chairman
Salary $57,000
Other Compensation None Set
Hours/Week 45
Company Size (not answered)
Location Collierville, TN
Years Experience 13 years

Career Ratings

Opinions on your CAREER overall (i.e. not just your current job)

Years in Career 0
Education (not answered)
Income Rating 0 / 10
Interest Rating 0 / 10
Work-Life Rating 0 / 10
Fulfilment Rating 0 / 10

Current job Q&A

Describe the type of organization you work for.
public elementary school

Describe your job role and responsibilities.
I am responsible for the instruction of 20 first grade students. I have specific curriculum guidelines that must be covered for all students. I also have to supplement instruction. I teach all children finding their specific instructional level.

Please list an additional benefits (beyond compensation) that you receive.
health and life insurance, retirement

Do you feel you are under/over or well/fairly compensated at your current position?
under

Does your job entail you working with others on a daily basis? Is this something you like/dislike about your job? Please explain.
Yes. I like it most of the time. I do not like dealing with people who do not work as much or as hard as I do.

Do you work collaboratively with supervisors/managers?
Yes

Do you work collaboratively with your co-workers?
Yes

Describe your work location (e.g., office, home, theatre, in the field) and what you like/dislike about working in it.
school building–I am in the new addition. I like it a lot. It is new and modern.

Please rate each of the following aspects of your current job on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the highest/best):
Income: 1
Benefits: 3
Hours: 2
Co-Workers: 8
Supervisors: 5
Job Title: 7
Level of Responsibility: 6
The Actual Work: 4

A day in the life of…

Please describe a typical workday for you in your current job:

5am to 6am
6am to 7am
7am to 8am I leave at 7:00 to drive in to work. I prepare for the day by signing in, checking my mailbox, and reviewing my lesson plans.
8am to 9am The children will begin coming in at 8:15. The tardy bell rings at 8:30. We begin the day by calling roll, taking a lunch count and collecting homework folders. I sharpen pencils and review the morning work. Students work on morning work like math, reading, or grammar review.
9am to 10am I begin reading and language arts instruction. I conduct small and whole group lessons. I review the story, vocabulary, and comprehension questions. I stop at 10:00 for a restroom and snack break. I take all students to the restoom and we return and have snack.
10am to 11am We finish snack around 10:25 and go back to grammar and compostition. We learn a specific grammar skill and practice using it in our work. Students will then write in a journal. I may give them a topic or they may write about anything they like. We will begin sharing journals. The children read what they write.
11am to 12pm We will continue to share journals until around 11:45. Next we will do social studies or science. We usually do one lesson a day. We discuss the lesson and do an activity with it.
12pm to 1pm We take a restroom break about 12:15. We will finish up social studies. Next, we do our poetry notebook. I give the students a poem. I recite it and we discuss it together. Next several children read the poem aloud. Next the poems are placed in a notebook that is dated. We go to lunch from 12:45–1:15.
1pm to 2pm After lunch we begin math around 1:15. We will do our lesson or lessons and practice our new skill. At 2:15 we take a final restroom break.
2pm to 3pm We go out to play at 2:15–2:45. We come in for water. We prepare for home by getting our folders and backpacks. I read to the children from 2:55-3:10.
3pm to 4pm 3:10 is dismissal for the students. I walk out with them until they are picked up. All children are brought into the building by 3:30 and placed in the office until a parent arrives. I go back to my room and mark conduct for the day. I pass out morning work for the next day. I change the date on the board and two calendars. I get homework ready for the next day.
4pm to 5pm I make any needed copies or prepare notes for parents. I leave around 4:45 to go home.
5pm to 6pm
6pm to 7pm
7pm to 8pm
8pm to 9pm
9pm to 10pm
10pm to 11pm
11pm to 12am

Table of Contents

How you got your job

How did you get your current job?
in school job posting

What was the application process?
application, resume, interview, posting application

Did you have to interview for your current job? If yes, what did the interview process entail?
Yes. I was interviewed by 3 people at once. I answered questions about students, instruction, expectation, and specific training.

If you can remember, what questions were you asked during the interview?
I cannot remember.

Do you feel your employer properly prepared you for your job? Explain.
My employed did not train me. College did.

Was there training for your current position? If yes, what did it entail?
Yes. I have a B.S., M.S. and 30 hours beyond my Masters Degree. I am also a licensed beginning administrator. In other words 30 more graduate hours.

Do you feel your educational background prepared you for your job? Explain.
Yes. I am highly qualified to do what I do. I am a lifelong learner.

If applicable, do you feel your internship experience helped you prepare for your job?
Yes. Student teaching prepared me to be a teacher. My administrator’s internship (400 hours) prepared me to be a licensed administrator.

If someone wanted to go about getting a job similar to yours, what would you recommend for him or her to do?
Go to college. Complete a degree in early childhood education. Student teach with an experience, qualified teacher.

What skills do you think a person should have if they want to pursue a position like yours?
flexibility, organized, excellent communicator, intelligent

Do you feel that you need a certain level of education or training to be successful in your job?
absolutely–it is required

What advice would you give to someone who was about to start work in your position/ line of work?
Be willing to be flexible. You must be a life long learner. You must enjoy working with people.

Long-term career plans

Is your current employment part of your overall career plan? Why or why not?
yes. It is the largest system in the state. It has good salary and benfits.

What are your current career goals?
I would like to be an assistant principal at an elementary school in the next 5 years and eventually the principal of an elementary school.

Is there anything else you would like to share about your career?
It is rewarding, crazy, fun and exciting all at the same time. It also never the same day twice. Expect the unexpected.

Prior work history

Please list your most recent jobs prior to this current job:

Title Length Salary Description
Prior Job 1 teacher 13 years 57000 1st grade teacher
Prior Job 2

Educational background

Please list your educational background:

High School GPA:3.5

GPA School Degree
College (Undergraduate)
or Technical/Vocational
3.25 University of Memphis BS in Education
Graduate or Professional
(Masters or Doctorate)
4 University of Memphis MS in Instruction and Curriculum Leadership

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