There are a lot of different ways of thinking about and looking at personality types. The goal of defining personality types is to be able to efficiently describe patterns that every person falls into that make that person similar to some people but different from most people. Personality classifications are based on measuring different variables that the authors believe are important ways in which different people are different from each other.

Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter, Isabel Briggs Myers, first published their "Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)" in 1962. They based it on four different variables that they felt help distinguish different kinds of people, and that can vary independently from each other. These were based on ideas originally presented by the psychiatrist Carl Jung. Each variable is described as a choice between two opposite traits (also known as a dichotomy):

Attitude: Extrovert or Introvert? [Is the person more outgoing or more reserved?]

Function: Sensing or Intuitive? [Does the person make judgments more based on experience of the world or more based on intuition?]

Function: Thinking or Feeling? [Does the person use rational thinking or emotional feelings most to make decisions?]

Lifestyle: Judgment or Perception? [Does the person tend to make decisions about whether things are good or bad, or does the person have more of a "live-and-let-live" attitude?]

Each one of these variables on the MBTI yields an answer on one side or the other. Because there are four variables each with two possible values, the total number of possible personality types on the MBTI is 2x2x2x2, or 16.

The MBTI, which is self-administered, asks several questions of individual, each of which is designed to shed light on one of these four dichotomies. At the end, the responses determine whether you fall on one side or the other of each of the four dichotomies. The result is that every person who takes the MBTI is given one of the 16 personality types, usually represented by letters from the variables, e.g. ENTP, ISFJ, ESTJ, ISTJ.

The theory is that these four domains combine to create different types of people, and that each of the 16 categories is different from the others. Someone who is "ENTP" would be described as a person who is outgoing, relies on intuition and uses rational thought, but is not quick to judgment. The theory goes on to make conjectures about what this kind of person is likely to be good at, what that person's vulnerabilities are more likely to be, and what other personality types the person is more or less likely to get along with.

Because of these interpretations, many like to use this quick assessment to make people to think about themselves and how they relate to the world, frequently when a group of people is about to work closely together or spend time together, like in a company or on a committee. Some psychotherapists also use the MBTI to help clients understand themselves better and think more objectively about why and how things are difficult or what might be a pitfall in the future.

There are many common criticisms of this assessment. Common ones include:

1. It forces people's description into categories, and doesn't allow for people to be, for example, halfway between any of the dichotomies. Therefore, people who score weakly toward one side or the other of one of the personality variables are given the same personality interpretation as people who strongly manifest that trait.

2. There is not much scientific evidence that these four traits vary independently of each other; it may be that being strongly on one side of any one of these affects how you score on the others.

3. The assessment asks people about how they think about themselves, which may or may not accurately reflect how they actually are.

A teacher instructs students in subjects such as science, mathematics, language arts, social studies, art, and music, and then helps them apply those concepts. Teachers work in public or private elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools. Those working in middle and high schools usually specialize in teaching one subject. Special education teachers, who work with students who have special needs, are not included in this profile.

• Kindergarten teachers earned a median annual salary of $52,620 in 2016 while elementary school teachers earned $55,800, middle school teachers earned $56,720, and high school teachers earned $58,030.
• In 2014, there were 1,358,000 elementary school teachers, 627,500 middle school teachers, and 961,600 high school teachers.
• Teachers work during school hours. Many have two months off for summer vacation, but those who work in schools that are open all year have a week off between sessions and may have a lengthy vacation during winter break.
• The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts employment will grow as fast as the average for all occupations through 2024.

To see what a teacher does in a typical day, we looked at job announcements on Indeed.com: We learned that teachers:

• "Deliver instruction in order to carry out the instructional vision of the school"
• "Regularly communicate students' progress towards goals with families"

• "Participate in staff meetings and required teacher trainings"
• "Utilize formal and informal assessment data to drive instruction and ensure student mastery of standards"
• "Plan, develop, write, and implement curriculum and educational programs in accordance with educational/treatment goals and students' abilities"

• "Prepare classroom for class activities"
• "Keep careful anecdotal and assessment records and use them to write accurate, comprehensive student reports"
• "Provide structure in the classroom by developing and reinforcing school-wide rules and expectations"

While most teachers are only required to be in school during the hours it is open (usually 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.), many supervise before or after-school clubs. They also stay late or arrive early to meet with parents or other school professionals. And the work doesn't end when they leave the building. Teachers often bring papers home to grade and spend their evenings and weekends tending to this task.

To become a teacher, you will have to go to college to get a bachelor's degree. Generally speaking, you will have to complete an approved teacher training program that includes earning a specified number of subject and education credits and completing practical training, commonly called student teaching.

Many school districts around the United States also accept bachelor's degrees in other majors. Some states also require teachers to earn a master's degree within a certain amount of time after becoming licensed.

All states and the District of Columbia require public school teachers to be licensed. State boards or departments of education usually issue licenses. To get this credential, you will have to pass an exam that demonstrates competency in basic skills and proficiency in your subject area.

To be successful as a teacher, you must have particular soft skills or personal qualities. The following ones are essential to your success in this occupation.

• Instructing: You will need the ability to teach your students how to do something.
• Communication Skills: Excellent verbal communication and listening skillswill allow you to share information with students, colleagues, and parents. You must also be able to express yourself in writing.
• Patience: Students acquire information at different rates. You will have to be patient as you work with those who are struggling.

• Interpersonal Skills: Among the interpersonal skills teachers need are the ability to instruct, read non-verbal cues, negotiate and persuade, and empathize.
• Monitoring: You must be able to observe your students and assess their progress.
• Reading Comprehension: Teachers must be able to read work-related written material.
• Critical Thinking: You will have to logically evaluate your various options when solving problems and making decisions.

What qualities do school administrators and school boards want the teachers they hire to have? We found these requirements in job announcements on Indeed.com:

• "Proficient in the use of computers, including but not limited to word processing, spreadsheets, multimedia presentations, e-mail, the Internet, and/or digital media"
• "The ability to execute and communicate in a respectful, direct, and sensitive fashion"
• "Strong collaboration and teamwork skills"
• "Professional integrity, flexibility and a reflective attitude"
• "Committed to getting the job done well, no matter what the obstacles or how long it takes"
• "Must be professionallyresponsible"

• Holland Code: SAE (Social, Artistic, Enterprising)
• MBTI Personality Types: ENFJ, INFJ, ENFP, INFP, ESTJ, ISTJ, ESFJ, ISFJ, ESTP, ESFP, ISFP (Tieger, Paul D., Barron, Barbara, and Tieger, Kelly. (2014) Do What You Are. NY: Hatchette Book Group.)

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