5 Skills That Make A Great Pre-School Teacher

This is no secret that working with children can be incredibly fun and that is why teaching is considered to be an exceptionally rewarding career. The enthusiasm that children bring with them is infectious, making the job a lot more pleasant. There is a sense of pride knowing you've nurtured the development of a child in the most important learning years of their life. A pre-school teacher not only requires formal education in the field, but also requires certain personal traits which will help excel at their jobs:

Patience

• Children can sometimes be loud, stubborn, emotional and irrational; where the patience of the teacher comes to play.
• A teacher should have the ability to understand the child's mood swings and patiently engage him/her into learning.
• One might even have to teach children in different ways for them to understand a concept.
• Interestingly, patience also comes handy for teachers to deal with the incessant queries and concerns parents have about their child.

Also read: How can teachers motivate their students?

Creativity

• Children can be easily distracted; hence the teacher needs to be very creative.
• He/She should have the ability to come up with new and innovative techniques to teach children so as to grab their attention and keep them engaged at all times.
• Children have different skills of learning - some are attentive while some understand better through visuals or through activities.
• So as a guru, one needs to employ a variety of techniques to ensure seamless flow of learning.

Also read: Ways to develop social skills in children

Classroom Management

• Managing a classroom can be very challenging.
• A teacher should be able to control children, but at the same time she/he should not scare them.
  
• It is important for a teacher to strike a balance between being firm but at the same time have warmth around his/her personality.
  
• Creating a welcoming, engaging environment in which the children can learn while playing is essential.

Also read: 6 things a teacher should never say to a student

Communication Skills

• The teacher should have good communication skills.
  
• It is very important for her to communicate difficult concepts to children in a way they understand.
  
• Teachers can incorporate lessons through songs, rhymes, role play, etc.
  
• Communication skills can also help her record and communicate the growth of the children to their parents as well as other teachers.
  
• More importantly a pre-school teacher should be an active listener and should be able to gauge the body language of children to understand their thoughts and emotional condition. This is paramount.

Also read: Checklist for teachers to create a successful classroom environment

Educational Qualifications

• The educational qualifications vary from state to state.
• A background in education is essential, and a good candidate for a preschool teaching position will have taken higher education classes in the fields of psychology, child development, education, classroom management, and curriculum.
• Many university courses also require aspiring teachers to gain some hands-on experience volunteering in a classroom, day care centre or other similar environment.

Also read: What can teachers do to be successful in their career?

There are ample opportunities for preschool teachers who have undergone training in pre-primary education or have a diploma in early childhood care. To serve the growing demand for trained preschool teachers there are many courses certified by the government and private institutions, with respect to the same, the fees for which ranges from Rs.40, 000- Rs.65, 000.

Remuneration can vary from 1,50,000- 3,00,000. On the whole, looking at the rate at which pre-schools are growing these days, there is not only a demand for pre-school teachers, but a larger demand for quality teachers who understand and blend well with children.

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About the author:

Jitendra Karsan is the CEO of leading international pre-school chain Safari Kid India. After immense success in USA, Canada, Dubai, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Safari Kid entered India last year. Currently the pre-school chain operates in Mumbai, Bangalore and Pune, with new centres coming up very soon. Safari Kid trains its teachers for more than 100+ hours of offline and online training by their international curriculum management.

For more tips and tricks about teaching, teachers, handling classroom, motivating students, and more look into our section Tips For Teachers.