4. Always be mindful of different learning paces and keep all students occupied.
Not all students work at the same pace. One mistake that teachers make with younger grades is expecting students to occupy themselves appropriately when they finish an assignment before others. 2nd graders are curious and social by nature, so when they are finished, they want to ask others around them questions, help others who aren’t finished, or just simply socialize. Teachers should always have an extension in place for those who finish early. A good idea is a “challenge level” assignment. This can be an extension of the original lesson that is a bit more challenging. This way, students can remain working and stay focused on the concept being taught.