History
Preschool is something very important for toddlers. Preschools were established in Europe around the late 1800’s. They were later introduced to the United States in the 1920’s. According to the Encyclopedia of careers and vocational guidance 9th edition “preschools expanded rapidly in the united states during the 1960’s”.
Job Description
Preschool teachers usually instruct children usually until they reach the age of five. They conduct activities designed to develop social, physical, and intellectual skills needed for primary school. During an interview I was told many things on the subject. “You need a lot of patience” said Esther Rodriguez a preschool teacher. There are many tasks needed to be done. While researching I came across plenty of information on the internet, Echoices says that some typical tasks are “planning individual and group activities, and monitor activities to prevent accidents and conflicts between children”.
Nature of Work
Preschool teachers play a very important role in the development of children. In the Encyclopedia of careers and vocational guidance 9th edition states that “a preschool teacher’s primary responsibility in the social development and health of each child”. Preschool teachers design activities that build on the children’s native abilities and help them develop skills and characteristics that will help them grow. What children learn a...
Williams, Leslie R. and Doris Pronin Fromberg, ed. Encyclopedia of Early Childhood Education. New York: Garland Publishing, 1992.
Hedges, Helen. ""You Don't Leave Babies on Their Own": Children's Interests in Early Childhood Education." Early Education. Ed. Janet B. Mottely and Anne R. Randall. New York: Nova Science, 2009. N. pag. Print.
...won’t learn anything, they may have made some good friends, or enemies, but they never really realized how to do certain things the teacher wanted them to grasp. Some of the most important, but not necessarily most discussed, things parents should look into can turn out to be how successful their child was in preschool. The location of a preschool can affect whether or not a student or the students parents feel safe about them being there. The curriculum can be the deciding factor when it comes to what the student is going to leave preschool knowing new things or having the same mentality as before. The teachers that are watching over and teaching young children are also very important. Some teachers are much more qualified to work with preschoolers than others. These factors should most likely be looked at thoroughly before parents decide their children’s future.
There are a few types of preschool programs. First there are structured preschool programs that focus on emphasizing an actual school setting and classroom activities in order to prepare the child for kindergarten or first grade. There are also day care centers, which are not as structured as preschool centers. Daycare’s focus mainly on child’s development through social interaction with children and caregivers. Then there are head start programs that are geared to give children a foot in the right direction in order to be ready for preschool or kindergarten. The right kind of childcare can be a wonderful opportunity to promote the profound learning children experience from birth through age five (Selecting child care, 2002).
Early childhood education, although constantly evolving, was actually established and practiced as early on as the times of Ancient Greece and Rome. The foundation that early childhood education is based upon is to instill in children the skills needed to succeed later on in life, while making sure young children enjoy their time in schooling. Throughout chapter 3 in the textbook Who Am I in the Lives of Children, the reader is capable of evaluating just how greatly the methods for teaching today’s youth have evolved and changed for the better.
Children who are in preschool are generally between the ages 3 to 5. During this preschool age, children go through many different changes and stages of development. The development that occurs in this stage, just as in other stages, supports the child and sets a foundation for future development. The child goes through physical, psychosocial, cognitive, moral, and various other types of development during this stage of life.
While growing up and observing my teachers at school, I have learned that it isn’t always an easy job. Teachers do everything they can to teach their students’ academic, social and other formative skills. Plenty of my teachers have to deal with complications, most of them being minor, but it isn’t always an easy job helping children, teens and young adults. As a student myself, I know they can be stubborn, unwilling to learn, aggressive, and irresponsible. Sometimes, they simply don’t care. However, that is a teacher's purpose: to help and shape their students to become better learners, so that they have a clearer understanding regarding a variety of subject matters. Someday, I actually want to become an elementary art teacher, which is why I researched this career. I chose to gather more information of what skills it takes to be a teacher and what you need to do to successfully fulfill this career.
Through extensive research I have learned a lot about the career field I have chosen to attain. A preschool director provides leadership and assistance to teachers and staff as well as providing educational and non-academic activities for the school’s programs. Depending on if the school you choose to work for is public or private depends on the requirements that are needed to be eligible for the position of director. Public schools usually do not expect a degree but some want a Masters Degree, while private schools look for a Bachelors or a Masters Degree. The Bachelors Degree would be desired in early childhood education or a relat...
The results of quality preschool programs can be seen early after they begin. Children learn many important life le...
As a teacher in early childhood development, I believe that the teacher skills and personality influence how children understand, observe and react to the classroom environment and the world around them. Even though part of teacher responsibilities are academic, daily interactions that encourage social, emotional and physical development are important. One of a quality effective early childhood educators’ characteristic is that they should have patience.
When someone walks into a preschool they will generally see a teacher sitting in front of a group of young children reading a story, or even children playing with toys or pa...
Teaching young children is becoming more complex and the demands placed on educators are increasing. By taking part in continuing education, and integrating current research and practices, educators and administrators will be better able to promote innovation and improvement in both managing, and teaching. Since early childcare educators are keenly aware of the needs of children and are able to see trends in early the child care and development system and their impact on children and families, they have a responsibility to engage in informed advocacy for children (Mevawalla & Hadley, 2012). By getting involved in the public policy-making process, they can help educate the public and build support for early childhood issues that will help improve the lives of children and families. Early childhood professionals have many important roles and responsibilities. “Teaching young children is serious work that requires high-quality, dedicated, professional teachers who see the importance of what they do and are eager to increase their effectiveness, knowledge, and skills” (Phajane, 2014, p.
“Universal preschool” is a need for American’s because the cost of sending a child to a preschool is too much for most families (Wolfe and Scrivner 113). Roughly 49.3% of children of the ages three and four in America are enrolled in preschool (Percent of Population Ages 3 and 4 who are Enrolled in School: Census 2000 para 1). To send a child into daycare the cost of it is around $150 per week, and for three children in a preschool program is around $350 per week. Parents should not have to pay this much for their children to go to preschool. Children who go to preschool have a greater chance to become successful in the future, and missing out on the opportunity to become more successful can ultimately hurt the child in the...
Those who support children in starting school at an early age, claim early childhood education is of critical importance during a child’s early developmental period. They believe it is important for early social interactions, play, and learning among peers to be best ingrained early on in a child’s youth. Gunilla Dahlberg, a psychologist specializing in childhood education, wrote a book on the success and factors that play into success a child will have in their education. In Dahlberg’s chapter, “Constructing Early Childhood”, he talks about factors
Early childhood education plays a key role in a child’s academic development because he or she learns soft skills, job skills, and develop positive traits. Preschool is not like kindergarten, but instead a stepping-stone that prepares young students for the years of schooling they will have later in life. As more schools began to open families wanted to be able to verify that programs would benefit and protect their children. In response, the National Association for the Education of Young Children was made to help families find the best care for their children, by providing the early childhood educators with training and ensuring the quality of children’s daily experiences. (“NAEYC”5).