Essential Qualities of Early Childhood Educators

Many people report a calling to work in education, but it takes a special kind of person to be able to work with young children in their first few years of life. While studying hard can prepare you to be a good educator, there are several essential qualities that will help you stand out and excel at your job. 

Passion 

There will be days when teaching feels extra challenging, so having a passion to make a difference will help keep you motivated, even on days that feel extra difficult to get through. 

Patience 

Along with having a passion for teaching, great early childhood educators need plenty of patience. When you’re working with young children, it’s important to remember that each class has students at various levels of development. They will need constant reminders about manners, hygiene, and classroom rules during a typical school day. From dealing with slower learners to kids with behavioral challenges, it takes lots of patience to maintain order and balance in the classroom. 

Flexibility 

While it’s always a good idea to have your day planned out, a good early childhood educator understands that unexpected events can occur at any given time. If you remain flexible, you are better able to deal with change and will be equipped to handle almost anything that comes your way. 

Creativity 

Creativity is more than simply doing fun art projects with your students. It’s also the ability to adapt lesson plans to concepts that children can understand. Incorporating learning games and other teaching techniques will help keep your students engaged and motivated to want to participate and learn. 

Compassion 

Early childhood educators should model compassion and kindness on a daily basis. It’s important to compliment and encourage your students by providing positive affirmations. Even something as simple as “I knew you could do it” or “You did a great job” can go a long way.  It’s important to remember that you’ll be working with young children, and some of them might be feeling scared or apprehensive about being away from a parent or caregiver, so a little kindness and compassion will go a long way in earning your students’ trust. Plus, being a compassionate role model is the best method for teaching children about kindness and setting a good example will be the key to getting them to apply these same values to others. 

Sense of Humor 

If you’re interested in becoming an early childhood educator, it helps to have a sense of humor, or at least be able to appreciate the honesty, curiosity and silliness that young children possess and bring to the classroom. 

Communication Skills 

Having good communication skills is a must for any individual interested in becoming an early childhood educator. Not only will you need to know how to effectively communicate with your students, but your job will require constant communication with family members, administration, and other staff. 

Interested in Becoming an Early Childhood Educator? 

While it helps to familiarize yourself with what qualities make a good early childhood educator, don’t worry if some of these qualities don’t come completely naturally to you, either. With the right education and training, future early childhood educators can gain valuable knowledge and experience to help shape their success in the classroom. Finding the right early childhood education program can make all the difference! 

If you’re ready to get started in this fun and rewarding career field, contact Athena Career Academy today for more information on becoming an early childhood educator.