Elementary School Teacher Resume Examples for 2023

Christian Eilers, CPRW

Career Expert

Updated 01/09/2023

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You’re about to write an elementary teacher resume that gets the primary school job.

You’ll teach kids how to write. Educate them on history. Prepare them for their teenage years.

You’re a modern-day superhero.

But first—

You need a resume that scores an A+ on the principal’s report card.

Don’t worry.

This elementary teacher resume guide will show you:

Elementary teaching resume examples better than 9 out of 10 other resumes.
How to write middle school teacher resumes that get more interviews.
Tips on how to put skills and achievements on a primary school teacher resume.
How to describe your experience to get any teaching jobs you want.

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Sample resume made with our builder—See more resume examples here.

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Targeting a different job in the teaching industry? Follow up with:

Check also our guide on how to become a teacher which covers everything from getting a teaching degree through passing a teaching interview.

What’s the Best Format for an Elementary Teacher Resume?

Without a strong syllabus laid out in advance, teaching becomes a nightmare.

Same with an elementary resume—

You need a sturdy structure in place to keep your resume organized.

Use the chronological format.

This format puts the most recent work history and education first, and goes backward from there. It’s a hit with principals and department heads alike so you won’t go wrong.

Here’s what to include on a resume for elementary teachers:

Write a short heading paragraph to introduce yourself.
Add previous work experience with quantifiable achievements.
Include your education and relevant teaching coursework.
List the most important teaching skills.
Create additional resume sections to stand out.

Fresh graduate teaching for the first time?

Place your educational background and teaching certificates above your work history section.

Pro Tip: Save your elementary school teaching resume as a PDF. The PDF format ensures that the principal is able to read it on any device they choose.

Not convinced using the reverse-chronological format for an elementary teaching resume is right for you? See our guide: Best Resume Format & How to Choose It [Guide with Examples]

Elementary Education Resume Objective or Summary?

Like a balanced breakfast to start your day, a compelling heading statement starts your teaching resume with energy and enthusiasm.

You’ve got two choices: the summary or objective.

Use a resume summary when you have teaching experience, even if it’s preschool or high school.

The summary statement sums up your time as a teacher, and it gives a quantifiable win to prove you’re the right educator for the job.

Here are two elementary teacher resume samples of summaries:

Elementary Teacher Resume Examples: Resume Summary

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Patient and empathetic kindergarten teacher with 2+ years experience supervising and mentoring over 30 students at a time. Awarded “Teacher of the Year” for 2018 at P.S. 166. Successfully implemented new lesson plan technique which saw a 13% increase in teaching effectiveness with a 25% reduction in time.

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I am a kindergarten teacher who started out as a substitute teacher. My teaching skills include designing lesson plans, teaching the alphabet and numbers, helping children develop social and emotional skills, and organizing fun field trips to the zoo.

In the wrong example, you tell the hiring principal you’ve done teaching tasks, but it doesn’t tell them how well you performed them.

That first one makes you look like Professor X.

This brief paragraph gives an overview of your kindergarten teaching experience, followed by accomplishments with numbers to validate your skills.

Now—

What if you’ve never taught professionally?

Use a resume objective, which states your career goals as a future teacher. Like the summary, achievements with numbers still verify your abilities.

Here’s a sample career objective for teacher jobs:

Elementary Teacher Resume Objective Examples

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Dependable child care worker with 2+ years expertise supervising and nurturing toddlers and preschool-aged children. Seeking to leverage skills with child development and 100% parent satisfaction to become the next kindergarten teacher at Henry Gradstein Elementary School.

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I’ve been a daycare worker for more than 2 years now, and it has helped me learn skills and abilities related to teaching small kids. I supervised children, kept them safe, and helped to ensure that their hygiene was up to standard.

You’re coming from a child care background, but the second one goes about it all wrong.

It’s as frightful as the schoolyard bully.

That first example, though, is a winner. You showed how your experience from a different career path is transferable to being a kindergarten teacher. And you backed it up with numbers.

Also, you dropped the school’s name—a simple method of scoring extra credit points from the get-go!

Pro Tip: A kindergarten teacher resume starts with an objective or summary, but write it last. Saving it for the end allows you to thoroughly consider what you’ll write.

Want more advice on writing a career summary or career objective on a resume for teaching positions? Check out our guides: Professional Resume Summary: 30 Examples of Statements [+How-To] and 20+ Resume Objective Examples for Any Career [+General Proven Tips]

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.

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How to Describe Your Elementary Teaching Experience?

According to the BLS, kindergarten and elementary school teacher positions are projected to grow 7% between 2016–2026. That’s 116,000 new teachers in the US alone.

It’s as competitive as getting into Harvard.

To land the elementary teaching job, your resume has to look like an SAT score of 1600 by writing a work experience section that beats the others.

Here’s how:

Work Experience on a Kindergarten Teacher Resume—Examples

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Kindergarten Teacher
January 2018–December 2020
P.S. 122 Mamie Fay, Astoria, NY

Key Qualifications & Responsibilities

Created and implemented the new Common Core-aligned curriculum.
Assumed responsibility and accountability for classroom academic progress.
Built and maintained a classroom culture in which students love learning.

Key Achievements

Awarded “Teacher of the Year” for 2019.
Implemented new syllabus procedure which increased teaching effectiveness by 13%.

wrong

Kindergarten Teacher
January 2016–December 2018
P.S. 122 Mamie Fay, Astoria, NY

Key Responsibilities

Teaching kids.
Recess safety.
1st grade preparation.

The wrong example is as questionable as school lunch mystery meat.

But that right example!

It has hand-picked kindergarten teacher duties, a key accomplishment with numbers, and a previous award—proving to them you’re gifted and talented.

But what if you have no teaching experience?

No problem!

Show them you still have experience related to teaching jobs:

Sample Elementary Teacher Resume No Experience

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Early Child Care Worker
January 2016–December 2018
Building Blocks, Maspeth, NY

Key Qualifications & Responsibilities

Supported onsite teachers with all academic activities.
Developed learning material allowing children to solve problems, experiment, question, and master concepts through active learning.
Supervised children in a nurturing, family-like environment.

Key Achievement

Awarded “Child Carer of the Month” for 5 straight months.

Though you’ve never been an educator, add school-related achievements and responsibilities. Babysitting on a resume counts as experience, too.

It easily lets them picture you in the teaching role.

Pro Tip: Don’t have teaching experience? Check out the school board you’re interested in to find some alternative openings, such as supervised classroom teaching. For example, the NYC Department of Education suggests either their traditional prep program or an alternative prep program.

Is Your Education Section Underperforming? It Might Be

An elementary teacher resume template without a great education section is like a math teacher who hates numbers—

It makes no sense.

Here’s how to list your degree:

Education on Primary Teacher Resume

BS in Elementary Education

New York University, New York, NY

Concentration: Curriculum and Instruction

Relevant Coursework: Child Development Psychology, Curriculum Development, Educational Technology, Classroom and Behavior Management, Special Education.

Even if you don’t have a bachelor’s specifically related to teaching, you probably have relevant coursework. List those courses in a subheading at the end of your education entry.

Remember to mention continuing education on your resume as well.

If you are finishing up your degree soon, add it like this:

Majoring in Elementary Education

City University of New York, New York, NY

Concentration: Special Education

Relevant Coursework: Teaching Practice Integration, Educational Psychology, Language Arts Instruction, Instructional Planning and Presentation, Special Education.

Remember—

If you don’t have relevant teaching experience, place the education section above the work history section.

Pro Tip: If you are applying to become a teacher at an elementary school for a particular subject (e.g., science teacher or history teacher), add relevant coursework for those concentrations (e.g., Anatomy & Physiology or Industrial Revolution Studies).

A bachelor’s degree is required for 99.9% of elementary teaching positions. But, if you have a different educational scenario you want to configure, check this guide out: Education on a Resume

How to Put Skills on a Primary School Teacher Resume

You need a resume that gains attention, not one that gets put in detention.

How?

You’ve got to talk up your teacher resume skills.

Whether they’re middle school teacher resumes or special education teacher resumes, show them you have the skills they’re looking for.

But which skills?

First, make a basic list of elementary teacher resume skills, like these:

Elementary Teacher Resume Skills

Primary School Teacher Resume Skills
Elementary Teaching Soft Skills	Elementary Teaching Hard Skills
Communication Skills	Lesson Planning
Compassion & Empathy	Teaching Strategies
Instructional Skills	Standardized Testing
Interpersonal Skills	Classroom Management
Organizational Skills	SMART Board Interactive Displays
Creativity & Innovation	Learner Assessment
Patience & Understanding	Hardware (e.g., smartboard, tablets)
Enthusiasm & Friendliness	Software (e.g., Haiku Learning, Edmodo)
Respectful	Mobile Apps (e.g., Kahoot)
Collaboration	Child First Aid & CPR

Those teacher skills resume examples above are excellent options.

However—

Don’t just copy-paste this resume skills list.

That’s way too elementary.

Instead, show them you’ve done your homework by using the job ad to guide you.

Here’s an example elementary teacher job description for resumes:

Participate in collaborative curriculum development, grade-level activities, and school-wide functions. [1]
Use assessment data to refine curriculum and inform instructional practices.
Implement curricula and activities to meet academic standards. [2]
Communicate effectively with students, families, and colleagues.
Design and implement assessments that measure progress towards academic standards. [3]

With the job ad as your guide, you know exactly who they’re looking for:

Elementary School Teacher Resume Skills Section—Sample

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Able to collaborate on all school functions [1] Skilled with implementing activities which meet academic standards [2] Efficient in measuring academic progress [3]

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Wrong

Public speaking.
Lesson plans.
Time management.

The right skills delight them like waking up to a surprise snow day.

Adding the wrong skills is like making up those snow days during summer break.

Also, remember to curate some skills based on the topic you’ll be teaching. If you will be an art teacher, show them your art skills, for example cartoon drawing.

Finally, you need to please the ATS as well as the principal.

An applicant tracking system is software that helps larger school districts handle the barrage of teaching applications they receive.

It’s like the old Scantron tests—

School administrative staff scan resumes into the ATS, give it keywords to search for, and get results back based on each candidate’s match.

To ace the ATS exam, use resume keywords exactly as the job ad requests.

Pro Tip: The most important teaching skills to add on a resume will be soft skills (e.g., positivity, preparedness, organization). Hard skills vary by school, district, and state, so place extra emphasis on teacher soft skills.

Want more tips for writing teaching resume skills? See our guide: 99 Key Skills for a Resume (Best List of Examples for All Types of Jobs).

How to Add Other Sections for an Effective Elementary Teacher Resume

Up to this point, you have a solid elementary teacher resume.

But—

So do all your competitors for the teaching position.

To stand out, you’ve got to get unique with your resume by adding extra resume sections which make it your own.

Here are additional sections to consider for your resume:

Elementary School Teacher Resume Sample: Extra Sections

Certifications

Before you become a teacher in the US, there is a certification and licensing process. Here are the most commonly issued certificates to become a teacher:

Check out the US Department of Education website for state-by-state certification requirements.

Volunteer Work

Volunteer work is a great way to show those ever-important soft skills teachers need, such as compassion, empathy, and consideration.

Languages

The importance of knowing another language as a teacher can’t be understated, especially if that second language is a “majority-minority” kind, such as Spanish or French.

Hobbies & Interests

Adding hobbies and interests to a resume is another way to show your traits and skills on a resume. Just pick relevant hobbies (e.g., after-school program tutoring), rather than irrelevant ones (e.g., weightlifting).

We’ve got a great guide on the best things to put on a resume, as well as a complete tutorial on resume sections. Check them out!

Pro Tip: For a primary school teacher resume, other great sections to add are an “Awards” section and a “Publications” section, if these fit your situation. Each adds only one line to your resume, but they speak volumes on your behalf!

How About an Elementary Teacher Cover Letter?

A teaching resume without a teaching cover letter is like a classroom without supervision—

Not a great idea.

You need a cover letter when applying to teaching jobs, as 53% of employers say a resume alone won’t cut it.

Here is how to write a teacher cover letter:

Open with an introduction which grabs their attention from the beginning.
Continue with saying why you are a perfect fit as the next elementary teacher.
Explain to them why this particular school is the ideal employer for you.
Close with a strong call-to-action which encourages them to read your resume.

Pro Tip: Add a postscript below your signature on your primary school cover letter. A P.S. is a great hack when writing, because it gives you one more opportunity to capture their interest and compel them to read your resume.

Our resume builder will also help you write a professional cover letter for teaching positions. See these articles: 35+ Successful Cover Letter Tips, Advice & Guidelines (With Examples) and How to Write a Cover Letter in 8 Simple Steps (12+ Examples)

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

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See more cover letter templates and start writing.

Key Takeaway

Let’s summarize how to write the best resume for elementary teachers:

Use the reverse-chronological format to make it easy for principals to scan.
Write a compelling elementary teacher resume objective or summary.
Add your work experience using relevant duties and impressive achievements.
Pay particular attention to soft skills when creating a teacher skills section.
Include extra sections to stand out from the other teaching applicants.
Don’t forget to attach an elementary school teacher cover letter.

Now THAT’S how to write a primary school resume that gets a gold star sticker!

Got any questions on how to write an elementary teaching resume? Not sure how to talk about your academic skills or educational achievements? Get at us in the comments below, and thanks for reading!

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