Who is a kindergarten teacher

Share with the teacher your preferred method of communication. Audience: Family. Age: Kindergarten. School Involvement that Counts Sign Here! This involves much more than simple ABCs and s. The current standards for what kindergarteners need to learn include fluently adding and subtracting within 5, decomposing numbers to 10; and reading three-letter consonant-vowel-consonant CVC words, other high-frequency words, and much more.

And this is just the academic component of kindergarten education. Add to this, the necessity to instill basic manners and social skills around lining up, going to the bathroom, sitting down, putting things away, taking turns, conversing with peers, not getting your way, managing emotions.

These things must be taught and fostered every day in kindergarten. They do not just happen, especially in a classroom full of students needing different degrees of support in different areas. They also are not easy to teach. I would have guessed you would like something a bit more challenging.

When children are engaging with books, blocks, and Lego, they are not just playing. They are reading, doing math, learning to share, becoming inquirers, recognizing patterns, making connections, and working on fine motor skills. Unless they are reading a story or working with a small group, kindergarten teachers are in constant motion. They are helping, observing, evaluating, nurturing.

They are teaching sometimes tired, cranky, crying, tantrum-throwing five- and six-year-olds how to navigate this new world of school. Now that some misconceptions about the career are cleared up, ask yourself if you have what it takes to become a great kindergarten teacher.

Passion Teachers who love what they do and feel like they are making a difference will feel a sense of accomplishment that will sustain and motivate them during challenging times. Patience Small children are unpredictable, easily distracted, and sometimes disruptive.

Not all children learn at the same pace, which can be frustrating when trying to complete a lesson. Interaction with parents can also require significant patience. The U. All certified kindergarten teachers in the United States must hold at least a bachelor's degree in addition to a state-issued license or certificate.

Since kindergarten falls under the elementary school umbrella, the license or certificate should be specific to teaching elementary school students.

This type of license allows teachers to teach multiple subjects. Keep in mind that each state has their own specific licensing requirements. Kindergarten teachers ordinarily major in elementary or early childhood education in a bachelor's degree program. The exact route you take will depend on the institution you attend and the state licensing requirements. Elementary or early childhood education degree programs often include the study of basic math, reading and writing in addition to classes in children's literature and art.

The courses also include teaching the prospective teacher ways to implement teaching these subjects to young students. Also, most bachelor's degree programs will include other types of education courses, such as teaching in multicultural classrooms, technology integration and how to teach students with special needs.

Many prospective kindergarten teachers get a degree in child development , elementary education or e arly childhood education. Teachers must also go through a teacher preparation program. If you decide to become a teacher early on in your college career, you will most likely complete the necessary teacher preparation requirements as part of your bachelor's degree program.

However, if you decide to become a teacher after already obtaining a degree in an unrelated field, you will be able to complete an alternate teacher preparation program.

Most teacher preparation programs feature one or two semesters of student teaching in classrooms. During this time, prospective kindergarten teachers are mentored by experienced educators in topics such as managing a classroom, writing effective lesson plans, how to evaluate their students, and communication between parents and teachers.

They are also evaluated on their performance in the classroom. In order to qualify for licensure, the teacher education program must be accredited. In addition, those who wish to become kindergarten teachers must pass the necessary examinations for becoming a general elementary school teacher.

Although the specific exams vary by state, they generally consist of a general skills exams as well as a subject matter competency exam. The subject matter competency exam must be specific to elementary school. Once the prospective kindergarten teacher has passed the required exams, completed the courses required for their bachelor's degree and teacher preparation program and successfully completed their student teaching experience, they must apply for licensure with their state.

Anyone who intends to teach kindergarten must be certified in the state in which he or she plans to work, but the licensing requirements vary from state to state. Most kindergarten teachers need:. Kindergartners are often learning many topics with no prior knowledge.

Kindergarten students can find the transition from home life to the classroom a challenge. Students will likely require different levels of assistance to adapt to the classroom environment for the first time, so as a kindergarten teacher, you must be patient with your students as they adjust to school.

Designing a lesson plan for a kindergarten class takes time and effort before class starts, and maintaining the pace of a lesson in a kindergarten classroom can be a challenge. Knowing how to balance the natural pace of a class with the kindergarten curriculum requires you to have strong and flexible organizational skills. As a kindergarten teacher, you will need to understand how to convey academic concepts to young children in simple terms.

Effectively doing this requires strong communication skills and intuitive knowledge of how children think. You will also have to communicate with the parents of students and school administrators. In the kindergarten classroom, you are the leader of your class.

Most kindergarten teachers work in public schools, but there are kindergarten teachers in private schools as well. They usually teach their classes during school hours, but will spend some of their time outside these hours to grade assignments and prepare lessons.

They often supply their classrooms themselves, which leads to high flexibility when structuring a classroom. Becoming a kindergarten teacher is a process that differs slightly from state to state, but the overall process is similar everywhere in the U. Usually, the path to becoming a kindergarten teacher means following these steps:.