What Type of Teacher Should You Be? Take the Quiz
By Laura Tough
Ever wondered what age group you should teach? Take this quick quiz to discover whether you’re an Early Childhood, a Primary or a Secondary Teacher!
- What’s your ideal classroom environment?
- a) Creative, playful and full of imagination.
- b) Structured but supportive, where everyone feels safe.
- c) Engaging, thought-provoking, but also appropriately challenging.
- How do you approach classroom management?
- a) Gentle guidance and clear routines.
- b) Calm and fair, with patient explanations.
- c) Firm but understanding; balancing authority with empathy.
- What excites you most about teaching?
- a) Watching curiosity and imagination grow in young minds.
- b) Seeing students gain confidence and mastering their skills.
- c) Helping students discover their voice and direction.
- A student says, “I don’t get it.” You…
- a) Turn it into a game, add actions and an encouraging ‘you got this!’
- b) Explain it using a different example or modelling it in a different way until they feel more confident.
- c) Ask a question back, challenge their thinking or guide them to find the answer themselves.
- If teachers had a superpower, yours would be…
- a) Making learning feel like play, even when it’s secretly very educational.
- b) Making everyone feel seen, supported and capable, even on their toughest days.
- c) Turning apathy into curiosity, even when they swore they didn’t even care five minutes ago.
- If your classroom has a pet, what would it be?
- a) A tiny mischievous puppy that eats everyone’s crayons.
- b) A calm fish who judges.
- c) A weird exotic lizard that inspires cryptic life lessons.
Your results:
Mostly A’s: Early Childhood Educator
You believe the smallest moments matter most.
You understand that learning starts long before textbooks and tests. It starts with playing in the dirt and creating magical worlds inside your mind. You are patient, playful and notice the tiny wins of a little person trying something new, helping to shape a love of learning from day one.
Learn more about UC’s Early Childhood Education degrees.
Mostly B’s: Primary Teacher
You are endlessly patient and quietly powerful.
You can explain the same thing five different ways to ten different students without losing your cool because you understand that learning is emotional, messy and different for everyone. You instinctively create a sense of safety and belonging within your classroom and help to shape confidence from the very beginning, building the foundations that will last a lifetime.
Learn more about UC’s Primary Education degrees.
Mostly C’s: Secondary Teaching
You balance authority with empathy.
You care about your subject deeply, but you care just as much about helping students find their voice and direction. You understand that teenage years are complicated and that your students will arrive in your classroom with a whole world taking shape in their brain, your subject probably being the last thing they care about in that moment, yet you still show up anyway. You play a pivotal role in helping students see who they could become and helping them get to where they want to go.
Learn more about UC’s Secondary Education degrees.
So, what kind of teacher are you?
Whether you’re drawn to nurturing curiosity from the very beginning, building strong foundations in the middle years or guiding young people through big ideas and even bigger life moments, one thing is clear: teaching takes heart, patience and purpose. There’s no right choice in deciding what kind of teacher you want to be, the best teachers are the ones who lean into what they do best and show up for their students every day.
If this quiz sparked something in you, your teaching journey might be closer than you think. Learn more about what a career in education could look like at UC.
