Graduation is just around the corner and I need to figure out what I am going to do for the rest of life. In my senior year, I took the Ready, Set, Teach class. That class helps assist students and teachers and gives you a feel of what it is like in a classroom setting as a teacher. I got assigned to a kindergarten class. And I can say I love kinder. Those kids are always ready to learn and achieve more. I want to become a kindergarten teacher. I want to pursue in that career because I want to make a difference in their lives at a young age. I want them to enjoy coming to school and want them to be excited when they are going to school. Kinder is a difficult stage to teach. Some teachers said the behavior is the biggest thing in kinder because they are still learning their personalities. One of the teachers I work with says you have to be very patient with the kids. The kids are still babies during the first semester they are barely five years old or they are turning six. They just need lots of patience during the year, but you still have to be stern with them because they will be 1st graders the following year.
Teaching tasks a lot of time out of your personal life. You have to create lesson plans and think of different activities. When I graduated high school, I want to get to know what degree plan I am gonna need to become a teacher. When graduated from college, how long does it take to get a job after graduation? And what additional certifications do you need to get when you get hired at school? When grading papers and creating lesson plans, how much time does it take during your personal life? And how long does it take to make lesson plans? What type of dress codes do you have as a teacher? How do you get your students motivated each day? How do you resolve conflicts with parents who are always at school with their kids? How do you manage difficult students?
The main questions I want to get answers are what skills, education, and experience are required? How much do you need to know about your students in order to be most helpful to them? What are the best teaching methods for younger students? The Search Results Before my senior year of high school, I did not know what I wanted to get a degree for. My mom really wanted me to go into the medical field but I did not want to. Luckily, there was a program at school called Ready, Set, Teach. It is a class where you help the students and teacher and get a feel for what it’s like to be in a classroom setting. At first, I was nervous to be in the classroom but then I fell in love with it. The definition of a school teacher is someone who teaches new things to students in a school environment. Kindergarten teachers usually work with four to six-year-olds. As stated in “How to Become a Kindergarten Teacher: Career and Salary Information”, kindergarten teachers help students' academic, physical and social development. Most kindergarten teachers use hands-on lessons for students to grasp information.
The teachers use games to build these individual things. As stated in the article, “Social-emotional learning in preschool essential for student success”, “kindergarten teachers continue to believe in the importance of social-emotional skills for the younger students. (7)” There is a common rule they learn in preschool and kindergarten teachers start enforcing them more to maintain the classroom. Kindergarten teachers have the most important role in a student's educational life. They are the foundation of their successful educational life. There are many steps to reach my goal to become a kindergarten teacher. All states have different requirements. I came upon many helpful sources and guidelines for becoming a teacher. According to “Kindergarten and Elementary School Teachers: Occupational Outlook”, some of the skills that you need to be a teacher are good communication skills, creativity, patience, and resourcefulness. You need to understand the material that you are teaching and be able to teach it in a way that every child will understand.
There are four main things you have to do to become a kindergarten teacher. First, to become a kindergarten teacher you need to go to college and receive at least a bachelor’s degree. Second, you have to have some type of student teaching experience before you can start teaching. Finally, you have to pass a teacher certification test. Some states require teachers to earn a master’s degree after receiving a teaching certification (Kindergarten and Elementary School Teachers: Occupational Outlook Handbook). Once you have received your bachelor’s degree, you need to complete on-the-job training in order to prepare yourself to be a teacher. In the state of Texas, there are five basic requirements you have to have to become a kindergarten teacher (Life as a Kindergarten Teacher). First, you have to receive a bachelor's degree at a university. Second, you must complete a state-approved preparation program through the state. Then, pass assessments for the grade level or subject of teaching. Finally, apply and clear a background check as well. Kindergarten teachers have a huge responsibility in ensuring that the child gets taught the best that they can in the classroom and that the child is safe during school hours.
Kindergarten teachers set the foundation in a child’s educational life. Some of the main responsibilities of teachers, are to plan lessons in an efficient way that the students will understand, evaluate their students in order to see what they need help with, grade assignments, communicate with and inform the child’s parents on how well they are doing in class, and prepare the students for the end of the year testing. According to the article “How to Become a Kindergarten Teacher: Career and Salary Information”, 'they instruct students by using enthusiastic and hands-on teaching methods and tools, including games, music, art, books, and computers.' Teachers usually work in a classroom setting with about fifteen to twenty students in each class. You will find that most teachers work a ten­-month school year and receive a two-month paid summer vacation as well as having every holiday off. School teachers are paid a salary rather than hourly. “The average annual wage for a kindergarten school teacher is $53,400. The lowest ten percent earn $32,450 and the top ten percent earn $78,320” (Kindergarten and Elementary School Teachers). I wanted to get a source that I knew and interviewed a kindergarten teacher at my elementary school district. Her name is Elizabeth Sanchez and it’s her tenth year of teaching. She graduated from Indiana University. I asked her a few questions. After Elizabeth Sanchez graduated college, it took her only three days to find a job. Many people don’t find a job that fasts after graduating.
I wonder what teaching certifications were needed, but she stated that all of these certifications are important to her, but not necessarily required. She has certifications in math, science, special education, English as a second language, and generalist teaching certifications. She also said it just depends on what subject I want to teach in as well. I asked her how long it take during the week to work on school papers or grading papers and she said about five hours. She does get attached to her students but it is not a bad thing. She said having a positive attachment to the children improves their learning experience and improves parent/teacher communication. The dress code at a kindergarten is to work casually and you being comfortable. She said that lesson plans at first were frustrating and took a very long time. Now, she only takes three hours each six weeks and with the experience makes in fun. During the week, it takes about five to ten hours to grade papers during her personal time. Sanchez states, she strongly believes students learn best in a positive environment and when they have the opportunity to be actively engaged in their learning. Children should be motivated to come to school and want to learn more. If the children want to come to school and feel empowered in their learning environment then you have a child who is motivated. We should try to encourage a positive culture and to keep the students engaged in their learning. She states that conflicts with parents are minimized when communication is frequent.
You must begin all conversations with a positive note and then address issues with the best interest of the child in mind conflicts are usually avoided and minimized. The best way to manage difficult students is to require a behavior plan that reinforces good behavior with a positive consequences. For example, one of my students in kindergarten is on a behavior plan. She fills out a paper asking her how she feels in the morning. Then, it has blanks for throughout the day on how she acts and how she feels during other classes. And at the end of the day she can get rewarded with an owl star if she was having a good day. Difficult students benefit from positive praise, clearly defined rules and expectations, and consequences as needed. Kindergarten school teachers have such a great impact on each and every student and they play a huge part in preparing them for their future careers and for life ahead. As I have said before kindergarten teachers are the foundation of every child’s successful educational life. I believe that being a teacher is one of the most important jobs in the world today because it helps students become better people in whatever they choose to accomplish. According to Clabough, that you have to sacrifice things because you want your children not to feel different or get made fun of, so you just have to go above and beyond the call of duty from a teacher (35).
Education is such an important part in everyone’s lives and without the help of teachers, most would not be where they are today in their careers and accomplishments. I believe that in order to be a great kindergarten school teacher to your students you have to have a desire and patience to teach these children. You have to want to be at the school teaching with a happy heart and a positive attitude. I know that being a teacher will be such a rewarding career to both me and the students because of the many lives that may be influenced by my teaching. My Growth As A Researcher As a researcher, I have learned that you have to have one big thing if you want to be a kindergarten. You have to have patience. Patience is key in the teaching world. You have to be patient with these kids because these kids are just coming out of preschool or daycare. They just learning general rules. You have to teach them not just educational things but social skills. I learned being a teacher for these students shapes their future. Kindergarten teachers shape these kids into lawyers, firefighters, or even teachers as well. Kindergarten teachers are the foundation of each and every student in life. I want to become a kindergarten teacher to make a difference in a child’s life. I love younger children, and I want to be able to make a difference in their lives and build relationships with them.