10 Elementary School Teacher Resume Examples for 2024

Looking to improve your resume as an elementary school teacher? Learn how to highlight your teaching skills, structure your experience, and make your application stand out. In this article, you will find good resume examples and clear advice for each section of your resume. Knowing what hiring managers look for can help you get the job you want.

  Compiled and approved by Liz Bowen
  Last updated on See history of changes

  Next update scheduled for

At a Glance

Here's what we see in the best resumes for elementary school teachers.

  • Show Impact By Using Numbers: Use metrics like student pass rate, reducing absenteeism, parent feedback scores, and classroom size to show your impact. Numbers help hiring managers see what you achieved.

  • Include Skills From The Job Description: Include skills on your resume that you have and are mentioned on the job description. Some popular ones are curriculum planning, data entry, classroom management, lesson planning, and student assessment. But don't include all of them, choose the ones you have and are mentioned in the JD.

  • Detail Your Teaching Strategies: Mention specific methods like project-based learning or differentiated instruction. Schools look for these.

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Where to place your education

As you prepare your resume, it's good to put your education section after your experience if you've been teaching for a while. This section shows your professional growth in the education field. Here, include your teaching degree, certifications, and any extra training like special education or language programs.

If you are new to teaching or just finished a degree, place your education higher up. Your recent academic achievements will be important for employers to see. Highlight your Bachelor's in Education, student teaching experiences, and any relevant coursework or internships that show your readiness to become an elementary school teacher.

Breaking into teaching field

To break into elementary teaching, highlight any student teaching or classroom assistant experience. Show how you helped manage a classroom, worked with teachers, and supported students.

Include any volunteer work at schools or with children. This experience shows your commitment to educating young minds. Mention any relevant coursework in childhood education or curriculum planning.

Ideal resume length

Keep your resume to one page if you are starting or in the middle of your career in teaching young students. You show that you can highlight your most relevant experiences without overwhelming the reader. For those who have taught for many years, up to two pages might be appropriate to cover all your teaching roles and contributions in detail.

Focus on your current teaching philosophy, classroom management skills, and examples of lesson plans or projects that had a strong impact. Good resumes also include recent professional development courses or workshops you have attended. Make sure your most important achievements are on the first page to catch attention quickly.

Special skills for teaching

Emphasize your skills in lesson planning and classroom management. Show you can create lesson plans that follow school guidelines and state standards.

Highlight your ability to use educational technology. Many schools use tablets, smartboards, and educational software. Show you can integrate these tools into your lessons effectively.

Beat the resume screener

When you apply for a job as an elementary school teacher, your resume might first be read by a computer program called an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). Make sure your resume gets seen by human eyes by following these simple tips.

  • Use keywords from the job description. For example, if the job asks for 'classroom management' or 'lesson planning' skills, make sure those phrases are on your resume.
  • Save your resume as a Word document or a simple text file. Complex formats can confuse the ATS and cause it to miss important info.

Remember, a clear resume that the ATS understands is more likely to reach a real person who can see how good you are for the job.

Align your resume with the job

When applying for a job as an elementary school teacher, you must show you understand what makes a good fit. Use words from the job ad and link them to your past work. Show the employer you have the right skills.

  • Use words like classroom management, curriculum development, and student engagement to match the job description.
  • Show how you have worked with different age groups. Talk about the grade levels you taught if it fits the new job.
  • If you have worked on special projects, like a reading program, include that to show your experience in creating learning activities.

Highlight your teaching skills

As an elementary school teacher, showing your specific teaching abilities is key. Focus on the skills that will help you in the classroom and when planning lessons. Here are some you might include:

  • Classroom management
  • Lesson planning
  • Curriculum development
  • Student assessments
  • Educational technology
  • Special education
  • Early childhood education
  • Behavioral strategies
  • Literacy education
  • Mathematics teaching

You don't need to list all these skills. Choose those that match your experience and the job you want. Include them in a skills section for easy reading. This helps with Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) which look for keywords. If you have used specific programs or tools, like Smart Board technology or Google Classroom, mention them too.

Remember to show how you've used these skills. For example, you could write 'Developed a literacy education program that improved reading levels by 20%.' This gives clear proof of your skills in action.

Quantify teaching impact

When you create your resume, it's important to show how you make a difference. Use numbers to do this. Numbers help managers see your real impact. Here's how you can use numbers for a teaching job:

  • Include the number of students you teach. This shows the scale of your work.
  • Mention any increase in test scores or grades under your teaching. This proves you help students do better.
  • Describe how you have reduced the number of absent days in your class. Fewer absences mean more learning.
  • Share how you've cut down on classroom disruptions. A calm class is good for learning.
  • Explain how you've improved reading levels or math proficiency. This shows you make learning better.
  • Detail any budget savings from your teaching methods or cost-effective projects you've run. This is good for the school.
  • Talk about the percentage of parent participation in events you organize. Involved parents can help students grow.
  • Highlight your professional development hours. This shows you keep learning to be a better teacher.

Think about your teaching experience. What numbers can you use? If you're not sure, try to estimate. For example, if you know your students' test scores have gone up, look at the data and find the increase percentage. Use these numbers to make a strong point about your teaching success.

Tailoring for different school sizes

When you apply for teaching roles, think about the school's size. In a small school or startup educational environment, your resume should show flexibility and a wide range of skills. You might mention experiences like 'Led a class of 20 students and organized school-wide science fair' to highlight your multi-tasking ability.

For larger schools or well-known institutions like Success Academy Charter Schools or KIPP Public Charter Schools, focus on your specialized skills or roles. You could say 'Implemented literacy program for 3rd-grade students, improving reading scores by 15%.' This shows deep expertise in a key area.

Remember to keep sentences simple and clear. Whether applying to small schools or larger ones, show you can do the job well and help students learn and grow.

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