There’s no one resume item or skill that makes a great teacher. Wonderful teachers come from all sorts of backgrounds and have diverse life and professional experiences.
The one quality good teachers always have? Heart. Being an early childhood education teacher gives you the chance to make the world a better place, one child at a time.
If you have these five qualities and skills, a career as an early childhood education teacher could be a good fit for you.
1. A Love for Children
It may go without saying, but in child care, a passion for making an impact on young lives is paramount.
“I love seeing the spark in a child’s eye when something clicks,” says Sydney, a Toddler teacher at Primrose School at Old Henry Crossing in Louisville, Kentucky. “When they finally write their name and they run up to me with a huge smile to show me what they did ... It makes me feel like I am affecting these children’s lives in a positive way.”
2. Organizational Skills
Teaching children can be chaotic. Children will look to you as the source of order in their world.
Naturally, a teacher who is organized and prepared will be the most effective.
“The older classes need to be learning on a strict schedule, while infant teachers are fitting learning moments between bottle feedings, diaper changes and nap times,” says Tabitha, an Infant teacher at Primrose School of Brentwood in Brentwood, Tennessee. “There are eight different schedules that we’re adhering to at the same time, so we just have to be organized.”
Fortunately, with the stress-free Primrose Balanced Learning® curriculum, teachers don’t have to design lesson plans or schedules; the structure for an organized day and week is already provided.
3. Positive Energy
Positivity is a ubiquitous trait at Primrose schools and a quality of a good teacher.
“Positivity isn’t something you can fake,” says Walter, a Pre-K teacher at Primrose School of Roswell North in Roswell, Georgia. “You have to truly see things through a positive light, especially when things get a little tough.”
4. A Love of Fun
If you teach young children, your days will never be dull.
Keeshemah, a Pre-K teacher at Primrose School of The Westchase District in Houston, Texas, says children recognize authenticity. She advises new teachers to explore what makes them happy, be it singing, dancing or making funny faces. As long as you’re enjoying it, they will, too.
“The children will feed off of you,” she says.
5. A Desire to Do Good
Early childhood education teachers have the opportunity to help children feel loved and that they belong, an important foundation for learning, growing and becoming a happy and kind adult. At Primrose, we believe who children become is as important as what they know, and teachers play a critical role in developing positive character traits.
Teachers at Primrose schools also get to participate in charitable events that teach children about giving without expectation.
Kelsey, a Toddler teacher at Primrose School of Nashville Midtown in Tennessee, says she feels like she’s helping to shape the next generation.
“I get to teach them how to be good humans, and how to be nice to themselves and nice to each other,” she says.