Modern Education Review: Preschool Teacher

When entering the words “Preschool Teacher” lots of information will come up. Information such as how to become a teacher, what it takes to be a teacher, how much they earn, and lots of other interesting facts. One of the searches talked about how teachers need to be very stern and need to show the children who is boss. Teachers also have to be very firm with the students, because they have to know how to respect and listen to their teacher. Most elementary teachers have a technique to discipline the kids who are distracting other students from learning. One way a teacher can discipline a student is by not letting student or students participate in any activities, if the student is not following directions or is misbehaving. As a teacher, to keep the students interested in what they are teaching they should use activities to do with the kids in order to help them learn.

Not only does it keeps them entertained, but the teacher is giving them a lesson on what they need to learn that day by making it fun. Teachers have a huge responsibility, not only do they teach kids what they need to learn, but they also have to teach them to respect themselves and others no matter the circumstance. Teachers help teach children about different diversity’s to respect everyone no matter where they come from.

According to the online site Truity the author states, “Teachers include topics in their lessons to teach children to respect people of different backgrounds and cultures. Many preschool teachers work in public and private schools or in formal childcare centers that have preschool classrooms” ( “Preschool Teacher”). This shows that teachers have other lessons to each the kids other than the basics such as, math, reading, science, etc. They also use rewards to make the student want to stride toward greatness. For example, a teacher may assign a paper and whoever scores the highest grade gets no homework assigned for that day. Many teachers find this method to work really well, it gets the students more involved in learning and also treats the kids who have excelled in wanting to learn.

Today preschool teachers must meet certain credentials to become a teacher, each different state require different demands. For example, in the online site it states, “33 state-funded preschool programs in 27 states require all preschool teachers to have a bachelor’s degree. Only 9 states offer state-funded preschool programs, but all have a different criteria for teachers” ( “Preschool Teacher Requirements: Degrees, State Certification, and National Credentials”). Another online site states, “Some states call for preschool teachers to hold associates degrees in applicable fields, while others require only high school diplomas and Child Development Associate(CDA) credentials” ( “Preschool Teacher Requirements and Career Information”). Even though you can still work as a preschool teacher with a certificate program or associates degree, in other parts of the country most schools would like for teachers to hold a bachelor’s degree or higher in early childhood education.

In order to become a preschool teacher they need to complete a teacher preparation program; next pass state/national competency examinations which is basically demonstrating their knowledge of early childhood education. Then they need to earn a certification through their state board of education. It is not required but having a bachelor’s degree in elementary education is preferred among schools. One must also have some type of experience in a classroom. Each teacher must have a certain amount of hours of spent in a classroom to become a licensed teacher. Aspiring teachers must know how it would be in an actual learning classroom. There are many distractions in a classroom full of children and people who would want to become one must learn how to be professional in a workplace. An average teacher makes about $40,000-$50,000 a year elementary teachers, and middle school teachers make quite a bit more than a preschool teacher would. Preschool teachers make an average of $32,500 a year.

The author of an article on U.S news and World Report states”, Preschool teachers earned a median salary of $28,570 in 2015. The profession’s top salaries were more than $51,990 a year, while the lowest salaries were $19,130 or less”. Many schools pay the preschool teachers less than they would a elementary teacher typically because they usually make the same salary amount as sports coaches, recreation, and fitness workers. Depending on your location also differs on a teacher’s earning. In more urban areas teachers get paid more rather than smaller towns. Working as a preschool teacher in a elementary school, teachers earn more rather than working as a preschool teacher in a child day care. Another quote from U.S News and World Report states”, Child day care services tend to employ the most preschool teachers, while elementary and secondary schools tend to pay them the best”. This shows that preschool teachers get paid more if they choose to work at a elementary or secondary school.