Why adaptability is an essential skill for teachers | The Standard

Learning to be adaptable, flexible and resilient is crucial for any individual who is aspiring to become a teacher. Importantly, a role as a professional educator can be challenging. Teachers are often asked not only to educate their students but also to discipline them!

Needless to say, maintaining order in the classroom can be stressful. That is not to say that becoming a teacher is without reward. Being a professional educator can be one of the most fulfilling, rewarding and inspiring jobs there is. As long as you are adaptable to change, dedicated to your cause, and passionate about your job, you can succeed as a teacher. Here’s how to do it!

If you are serious about becoming a teacher you will, of course, be required to obtain the necessary qualifications. A master of teaching online, for example, is an excellent choice. By undertaking this type of degree, aspiring educators will learn how to develop essential leadership and communication skills, as well as study the foundations and theory behind becoming a teaching professional.

But, there is more to being a professional educator than simply completing a tertiary qualification. You also need to learn how to be adaptable to your environment! Indeed, the ability to be resilient, flexible, and adaptable is central to a teacher’s general well-being.

This is, in part, because the role of a teacher often by default also asks them to become a disciplinarian! Disciplining unruly school children, undoubtedly, can take its emotional toll on teachers. It can be especially taxing if the education professional has not developed the relevant personal attributes required to be a teacher – including adaptability. Along with adaptability, however, there are also several other ‘soft’ skills and personal attributes a teacher can and must develop to become an accomplished educator.

As well as being able to to be adaptable to change, teachers must also develop other important attributes to succeed. Some of these qualities – often referred to as ‘soft’ skills, can include:

Good communication skills are vital to the role of a professional educator. As a teacher, you will, of course, need to be able to be confident in delivering information to a crowd. Crucially, what is commonly known as the ‘art’ of public speaking does not come naturally to everyone. As such, these are skills that will need to be developed, and will only come with practice.

At the beginning of your teaching career, for example, you may wish to rehearse and plan your classes ahead of time. That way, you can ensure you are prepared to deliver the class material to your students.

As a teacher, you will also be asked to perform as somewhat of a role model for your pupils. If you are a primary school or high school teacher, especially, you may also be required to discipline the children in your charge. Of course, this is not easy and requires you to earn the respect of your students. This will enable you to get them to listen to you when you speak, and to ‘obey’ or adhere to the ground rules you put into place in your classroom.

Undoubtedly, the disciplinarian role of a teacher can be emotionally taxing at times. This is especially true if your students are disobedient, rowdy, and do not pay attention in class. Indeed, studies have shown that poor student behaviour has been directly linked with teacher attrition and burnout.

To clarify, attrition refers to cases where employees are so worn down and burnt out, that they eventually resign. To succeed, then, a professional educator must be dedicated to their cause and extremely passionate about their career, and to making a real difference in the lives of the young minds they teach.

Sadly, careers in education are not the most lucrative or well-paid jobs out there. Many voices of authority on the matter would argue that school teachers should be paid more! The reasoning behind this argument attests that a higher salary for educators would validate the value, merit and importance of the work they do in our community. Indeed, what could be more important than forming, inspiring and educating the minds of our young children? Despite this, the critical nature of the teaching role is unfortunately yet to be reflected in a teacher’s annual wage.

Of course, if you are looking to pursue a career in education, you will need to go into it with the right motivations and intentions. While it certainly may not pay off in terms of the annual salary you can expect to earn, there are other benefits.

For example, teachers have often been heard saying that they are inspired by their students every day. No day is ever the same, and you never know what new concept your pupils will surprise and delight you within the classroom! As such, the tenuity and unpredictability of the day ahead are essentially what makes the job as exciting, exhilarating and uplifting as it is for many teachers.

Admittedly, a career in education is not for everyone. The salary is relatively low, and the job itself can be stressful! However, if you are aspiring to a career that will provide you with a great deal of job satisfaction, as well as inspiring, rewarding and challenging moments daily, teaching could be for you.

To succeed, however, there are certain skills you’ll need to develop. Adaptability is one of them. As well as this, it is also just as important to cultivate exemplary leadership and communication skills. Perhaps most important, however, is a teacher’s passion and dedication to their work.

Without this, they would not be able to do their job! Being a teacher is a noble cause, and not for the faint of heart. However, if you’re going into a career in education for the right reasons, there is no reason why you will not succeed.