Tracing the Traits – How to become a Good Preschool Teacher?

In the literal ’70s in India, Early Education and Preschools did not actually attract the larger attention that it was supposed to.

Long back, our society had this perception of treating preschool teachers as not so professional personnel. This included taking preschool teaching as a job for granted that can be done by anyone. It was also often associated only with women, and especially women who were housewives, or did not have much to do. There was an unconscious bias against preschool teachers who were often thought of as not contributing much to society.
How did we then deal with such a perception???

A lot of the buzz around this was because of the way in which preschools traditionally worked in the Indian society. We could find regular women in our neighborhood, especially housewives running small preschools in their houses itself. To correct this perception has then required a change in the larger idea of running a pre-school.

It could also be said that such perceptions are beginning to deconstruct in some parts of the country. This change can be attributed to the existence of certain good preschools operating professionally. They focus on the quality of the education and also the educators. The educators are professionals that destroy the pre-conceived notions attached with the preschool teaching methodology.

With various institutions taking up early educational courses seriously, we can see a number of people taking up Nursery Teacher Training for higher studies, including males who are well-read, specialized in the field of teaching, and much more. It is this setting up of standards for good teaching that this blog is aimed at, and how to reach there.

Advice for a New Preschool Teacher!
Once the clouds around the notions of considering preschool teaching as a professional’s task got clear, the natural line of inquiry leads to asking what is the criteria of a good preschool teacher or how to become a good preschool teacher?

The list is not at all difficult, just a blend of following preschool teacher tips and traits along with certain Advice for a New Preschool Teacher is all that needs to be adopted.

• Power of Passion!
A preschool teacher has to be passionate & inherently excited with the idea of being with children. There is no other way to do this job & excel at it unless you’re connected with your heart and soul to what you’re dealing with. Passion can be the only drive to perform a task that can otherwise be demanding & exhausting at times. Best of the teachers are passionate about the idea of working with children & teaching them the basic skills of life. And this is what is needed!

However, what is meant by passion is not necessarily the motherly emotion of spending time with children. The passion can come for various other reasons. Just the idea of helping small children learn the basic life skills that can define their success later on, providing parenting tips to guardians & help the society, in general, can be very exciting for many youngsters like us! Also, the bundle of sweetness that children are, does work for many teachers.

• The CAP Formula: Being Composed, Affirm and Patient!
As we all know, working with children is not always hunky dory, and things are bound to get messy at times. What really defines a good teacher is how they behave in situations when children are just not ready to listen to them, or how to make them work when they are in a good state of mind to do everything properly.

We cannot say that patience is a virtue possessed by all. But, it is something that can be cultivated & worked towards. There can be situations when teachers end up losing their calmness & dealing with children harshly. However, a good teacher will always be able to reflect on the situation and take lessons from it. It is about being able to learn from mistakes quickly & having some realistic expectations from toddlers that defines a good preschool teacher.

• Creativity and Personal Touch – Master Keys to teaching!
One thing that every preschool teacher tips series will tell you is that no children in the classroom would want to follow a strict pattern of working & learning. Following a similar set of practices & activities for a few days is enough to bore the children & make them disinterested in the classroom learning. Thus, the ways of keeping classrooms vibrant & exciting for children is to always be on your feet and come up with creative styles of functioning. A curriculum will only suggest you a few fun activities & tasks, but it takes a lot more than that to get children interested. Also, teachers have to be creative in their ways of connecting personally with every child since personal connections with them are extremely crucial.

All of this also goes back to how passionate & dedicated a teacher is to their job. A good teacher will always travel that extra mile to ensure that the classroom space is a happy space for every child. This requires taking the job personally.

• Fluidity and Limits: Balancing the Super Powers!
As mentioned above as well, engaging with children in one set pattern can be difficult. It is also unfair towards the little ones at a certain level. Their mood swings & unpredictable behaviors are something that cannot & should not be curtailed. Thus, the ability to allow fluidity in the timetable & not get agitated by it is something that a good teacher should possess. They realize that things will not always go as planned and make room for those diversions.

However, at the same time, it is also crucial to define limits of behavior in the class. There are always some actions & behavior’s that a preschool teacher must know to prohibit & discourage. Thus, the art of getting this balance right must be known to a good preschool teacher.

The above list only highlights certain essential characteristics that a good preschool teacher possesses or can be acquired in order to become a pro at preschool teacher tips. The experiences of the classroom bring up these factors in a more nuanced manner & above everything else a teacher aspiring to become great at their job, should always be aware and expect the new challenges. Self-reflection, in that sense, is one of the crucial characteristics that any aspiring preschool teacher must look forward to…
Till then … GOOD LUCK!!!