Launch League

Public service, teaching and people · Ohio

Elementary school teacher: what the job actually is

Teaching young kids to read, write and do math, and spending the whole day with the same class, from the first bell to the last.

By , founder, U.S. Air Force veteranChecked against official Ohio sources Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025

The work

What this job actually is

  • Teaching every subject to the same class all day, and switching gears every 45 minutes.
  • Teaching kids to read. It is the most important thing you do, and it is harder than it looks.
  • Managing 20 to 30 young kids at once: noise, tears, bathroom trips and lost shoes included.
  • Talking with parents a lot, about good news and hard news.
  • Bulletin boards, lesson plans, grading and data reports at night and on weekends.

A Tuesday

What a normal day looks like

Not a good day or a bad one. The ordinary version, which is what you would actually be living.

  1. 7:30 a.m. Arrive, set up the day's centers, answer two parent emails.
  2. 8:15 a.m. Morning meeting. One kid is upset about a lost pet, so you start there.
  3. 9:00 a.m. Reading groups. Each group is at a different level.
  4. 11:30 a.m. Lunch and recess duty.
  5. 1:00 p.m. Math, then science, then a fire drill.
  6. 3:30 p.m. Meeting with a parent and the intervention specialist about a student's plan.
  7. 7:00 p.m. Grading and planning tomorrow's lessons.

Honestly

Who loves this, and who should not do it

You may like this if
  • You have lots of patience and like young kids, even on their bad days.
  • You enjoy explaining simple things in many different ways.
  • You are organized and creative at the same time.
  • Seeing a kid finally read a sentence would make your week.
You may hate this if
  • Noise, mess and constant interruptions stress you out.
  • You want to go deep into one subject. Elementary teachers teach everything.
  • Hard conversations with parents would wear you down.
  • You want your evenings free during the school year.

The route in

How you actually get there in Ohio

  1. Earn a bachelor's degree in an approved teacher prep program

    Ohio's resident educator license requires at least a bachelor's degree from an accredited teacher preparation program, including student teaching.

  2. Pass the Ohio Assessments for Educators

    Ohio uses the Ohio Assessments for Educators. For teaching young children these include tests such as Foundations of Reading, content tests and an Assessment of Professional Knowledge. Your program will tell you exactly which ones you need.

  3. Get a resident educator license for pre-K through grade 8

    Ohio licenses are issued for grades pre-K through 8 or grades 7 through 12. Elementary teachers fall in the pre-K through 8 band. The resident license lasts two years.

  4. Complete the Ohio Teacher Residency program

    Your first two years include mentoring through the Ohio Teacher Residency program. Finishing it qualifies you for a professional educator license.

While you are still in high school

  • Some Ohio career centers run early childhood education programs. Mahoning County Career and Technical Center has one, for example.
  • Many districts run a Teaching Professions program with real classroom field experience. Kent City Schools offers one to grades 10 to 12.
  • College Credit Plus lets Ohio students in grades 9 to 12 take college courses at no cost at public colleges.
  • Volunteer at a library reading hour, a summer camp or an after-school program.

Where this comes from: Ohio Revised Code 3319.22: educator licenses and grade bands · Ohio Revised Code 3319.223: Ohio Teacher Residency program · Ohio Assessments for Educators · Kent City Schools: Teaching Professions career-tech program · Mahoning County Career and Technical Center: Early Childhood Education program · Ohio Revised Code 3365.02: College Credit Plus eligibility. Rules change, so check the official page before you rely on a detail.

The money

What it pays in Ohio

Last on purpose. Pay matters, but it is a bad reason to pick a job you would dislike for thirty years.

$77,370
Median pay in Ohio, a year
47,870
People doing this job in Ohio
$78,560
Median pay in the Akron area, a year

Most people in Ohio earn between $47,680 (the lowest-paid tenth, usually new starters) and $99,210 (the highest-paid tenth) a year.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: Ohio and Akron, OH metro area. Median means half earn more and half earn less.

Try it this week

Read with a young kid

  1. Ask a parent, neighbor, library or after-school program if you can read with a child aged 5 to 8 for 20 minutes.

  2. Let them read to you. When they get stuck, try to help them sound the word out instead of just telling them.

  3. Notice how long you stay patient, and what helps them most.

  4. Afterward, write down one thing that worked and one that did not.

Questions to ask somebody who does it

  • How do you teach a kid who is far behind in reading?
  • What does a hard day look like?
  • How much time do you spend planning outside school hours?
  • How do you handle a parent who is upset with you?
  • What would you tell a high schooler who thinks they want to do this?

Can you own one?

Not really: this job is almost always done for an employer.

Questions

Quick answers

How much does a elementary school teacher make in Ohio?
The median pay for a elementary school teacher in Ohio is $77,370 a year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for May 2025. Most people earn between $47,680 and $99,210.
How do you become a elementary school teacher in Ohio?
Earn a bachelor's degree in an approved teacher prep program. Pass the Ohio Assessments for Educators. Get a resident educator license for pre-K through grade 8. Complete the Ohio Teacher Residency program.

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