Over 3,000 students. That’s the number of students, on average, that a teacher will impact throughout their career.
Regardless of what subject you are teaching, there’s no doubt that teachers will influence their students. However, some teachers desire to have an even greater impact on their students. They decide to take their careers further and become educators.
What’s the difference between an educator vs teacher, and can you be both? Here’s what you need to know.
An Educator vs Teacher Role
A teacher is a professional who imparts knowledge to learners in a formal setting such as a classroom.
An educator promotes lifelong learning, helping students to become independent thinkers and learners. Educators often tailor their teaching to individual students’ needs.
Educators may also work in educational therapy. This involves evaluating each student’s needs through various methods, then aiding them with issues such as reading or math challenges. For more info on this branch of education check out this link about educational therapy explained more in-depth.
Can You Be Both
Can you be both an educator and a teacher? Absolutely!
Many talented individuals start out as teachers, but over time become qualified educators.
Teachers often use traditional teaching methods. These traditional teaching methods may include:
- Written assignments
- Lectures
- Repetition
Educators use innovative and effective teaching methods, such as:
- Field trips
- Project-based learning
- Hands-on activities
Teachers assess a learner’s comprehension of the subject matter. Educators assess a learner’s abilities to think critically, as well as their skills. In either role, an individual should be a lifelong learner.
Making the Transition
What makes for a good teacher? Regardless of the subject, all good teachers share a few traits in common.
Active listening is a necessary skill to be successful in this career. This means actively listening to both their students as well as their fellow teachers and the school administration.
Good teachers should also be creative and adaptive, ensuring that lesson plans are tailored to their classroom. Patience is a must, regardless of the ages you are working with.
Along with these skills, empathy, respect, and a focus on personal and student growth are all great skills to have.
There is no hard and set rule for when a teacher makes the transition into being an educator. Instead, it should occur naturally over time, as a teacher develops their skills and is better able to help their pupils become lifelong learners.
Many educators stay as teachers. However, many transitions into educational therapy, school administrative roles such as a principal or superintendent, after-school program director, instructional designer, or corporate trainer. Making the transition to an educator opens up more possibilities and job opportunities.
You Can Be Both a Teacher and Educator
As you can see, when it comes to the educator vs teacher debate, an educator is the natural evolution of the teacher role. While some educators continue in teaching positions, others move on to educational therapy, administrative, tutoring, or other roles. Once you become an educator, more opportunities open up for you and your students.
If you desire to serve as an inspiration for students, focus on becoming an excellent teacher, so you can later become a great educator.
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