Skills
High School Teacher Skills & Tools
The technical skills, people skills and tools employers look for in high school teachers, and how to build and show them.
High School Teachers need technical skills such as subject expertise, lesson and unit planning, and assessment and grading, plus people skills like communication and patience. They also use tools such as Learning management systems such as Canvas or Google Classroom and Lab and subject equipment.
Technical (hard) skills
- Subject expertise
- Lesson and unit planning
- Assessment and grading
- Classroom management
- Test preparation
- Educational technology
People (soft) skills
- Communication
- Patience
- Mentorship
- Organization
Tools, equipment and technology
- Learning management systems such as Canvas or Google Classroom
- Lab and subject equipment
- Interactive displays
- Gradebook software
- Online assessment tools
- Presentation software
Skills in action: common tasks
These step-by-step guides show how high school teachers put their skills to work:
How to show these skills on a resume
- Lead your skills section with the technical skills from the job posting, for example, “Subject expertise” and “Lesson and unit planning.”
- Prove soft skills with results: instead of listing “communication,” describe a situation where you used it.
- List credentials such as State teaching license near the top, with the issuing organization and date.
- Use the employer’s vocabulary. Our high school teacher glossary covers the terms hiring managers expect.
How to build these skills
Formal training, supervised practice and certification are the most direct routes. Our High School Teacher training introduces each of these skills with plain-language lessons, procedures and a final knowledge check: a strong foundation before hands-on training or your first day.