
Oct 9, 2017 ● Kate Lopaze
How to become a kindergarten teacher
As far as teaching careers go, the idea of being a kindergarten teacher seems very appealing. The students are young, not yet subject to the social pressures of middle and high school, and eager to learn about the world. Maybe you see yourself singing songs and helping kids take those tentative first steps on their educational road. But while the job does include those things, the idealized vision of singing about ABCs isn’t the whole picture. Kindergarten teachers are educators first and foremost, and have the daunting task of making sure that many students’ first formal classroom helps set them up for a good education later on.
What does a kindergarten teacher do?
Because of the basic nature of what early elementary school educators teach, there can be misconceptions about how “easy” it is to be a kindergarten teacher. Sure, they typically don’t teach advanced calculus, but they do need to be able to teach in a variety of subject areas, while balancing young students’ complex needs for social and interpersonal development. A kindergarten teacher’s duties may include:- Teaching lessons and basic academic skills across different disciplines (reading, writing, math, science, etc.)
- Managing classroom behavior
- Planning lessons and curriculum
- Developing educational play activities