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What Are the Different Types of Teaching Career Objectives?
It is common for people in the teaching profession to develop a set of teaching career objectives, goals that can help them define their role in both a personal and professional capacity. These goals can be useful not only for a teacher's self-improvement, but can be laid out on a resume to impressive prospective employers. While the different teaching career objectives can be infinite in number, there are some main areas on which teachers will find helpful to focus. These are pedagogical, academic, and professional goals as well as personal or interpersonal goals.
Pedagogical teaching career objectives relate to classroom techniques and experience. A teacher might set out the goal of trying out one or more new pedagogical strategies each year, including such things as group learning or giving students practical experience. Teachers might choose a simpler or more general pedagogical objective, such as keeping students motivated to learn each day. These kinds of goals rely on professional development and accessing career resources such as journals, so that teachers can learn about new strategies for helping students achieve their best.
Teaching career objectives can also be academic in nature. This type of goal involves staying up to date on the developments and knowledge in a teacher's field of instruction. An English teacher, for instance, might set a goal of reading a literary review each week in order to keep abreast of the trends in English and literature. A geography teacher, on the other hand, might set teaching career objectives that involve visiting a new country every couple of years so he can relate this experience back to his students.
Other types of teaching career objectives are professional ones. While many teachers enjoy being in the classroom, some might set a goal of moving up in management at a school. One objective might be to be in a teaching leadership role by the fifth year of a job at a school. Another teacher might decide on a goal of eventually becoming a principal or being involved in some other management capacity.
Part of being a teacher involves interacting on a personal level with students and parents. To this end, teaching career objectives can involve a commitment to a level of personal communication and interaction. Teachers might take on teaching career objectives that involve meeting each student's parents in some capacity during the school year. Another goal might be keep a peaceful and harmonious classroom, and never to turn a blind eye on a student with personal or academic problems.
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Discussion Comments
I think it's really important to be a lifelong learner if you are in teaching. There are always new things to learn and it keeps the job from getting stale if you aren't teaching the same things over and over.
Set yourself realistic goals though. Teaching is such a time-intensive job, you really have to make time for yourself as well. And I would ask at your school if they have any incentives for learning in your field.
@indigomoth - There are some places that don't even promote teachers to that kind of role, but only accept people who have had business or management training, simply because the two jobs are so very different.
I mean, a person who can effectively manage a classroom is going to have enormous skills, there's no denying it, but dealing with disgruntled staff and parents is a whole other ballgame, really.
On the other hand, there are schools (mostly smaller ones) where the principal is expected to take on some of the teaching load. So, really, you have to look carefully at where you are applying, depending on what you want to do with your career.
Do bear in mind that management of a school is a completely different kettle of fish to teaching. I know several people who thought that the logical thing to do was to move up through the ranks to become the principal and only realized after they got there that they really missed the teaching side of it.
No matter how much you think you'll be different, it's almost impossible to see the students unless you're either punishing them or rewarding them on special occasions. You'll miss out on all the small, precious moments that make working in a school worthwhile.
Which is not to say that no one should ever do it, of course, but try to remember why you went into teaching in the first place.
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