How to be a Good Preschool Teacher

Working with children isn’t for everyone, as some people simply aren’t equipped to deal with the challenges and frustrations that may arise from working with young, unpredictable pupils. For those chosen few who truly love what they do and excel at their job, it seems to be more of a passion that drives them toward excellence in front of the classroom.

Here are 8 qualities that good preschool teachers naturally possess:

1. Patience

For those lacking patience, they should probably seek employment elsewhere, as a good preschool teacher must possess more patience than the average person. For example, if you can watch a toddler attempt to tie their shoe 40 times in a row without breaking a sweat, then you most likely have the proper patience required to teach a preschool class.

2. Personality

The best educators are those oozing with spirit and personality. This doesn’t mean you have to be a cheerleader all the time, but children tend to prefer those teachers who are easy to talk to and provide a kind, loving, and gentle learning environment. Children also tend to navigate towards teachers who have a good sense of humor as they usually have several silly stories to share.

3. Energy

A good early childhood education teacher knows how to bring enthusiastic energy to the table when they teach by providing fun, interesting, and interactive activities in an uplifting, spirited, and energetic fashion.

4. Flexibility

When working with young children, anything goes; therefore it’s always wise to expect the unexpected. Good teachers know how to adapt and quickly switch gears whenever something isn’t going as planned.

5. Communication

There is nothing more frustrating to a young child than an adult who isn’t paying attention to them when they’re trying to speak or tell a story. A good preschool teacher knows how to effectively communicate and listen to everyone around them, including parents, students, and fellow employees.

6. Organization

Along with strong communication skills, a good preschool teacher should also be neat, tidy, and organized. Being an early childhood education teacher requires the ability to multi-task in a fast-paced environment. When working with young children, you need to be able to find materials quickly as once you lose their attention you often lose their interest as well.

7. Creativity

A good preschool teacher knows how to think outside the box and create lesson plans and activities that are not only educational, but also entertaining and engaging. This is especially important when dealing with very young children who don’t always have the greatest attention span.

8. Passion

Teaching preschool is a huge responsibility as you’re shaping the minds of young children and setting them up for future academic success. Teachers should have a love and passion for children. That doesn’t mean that they have to love what they do every minute of the day, but a good teacher is one who can shake off those less than perfect days and move on.

While studying hard and getting good grades may help prepare you to be a knowledgeable and competent preschool teacher, it won’t necessarily teach you what you need to know about how to become an extraordinary one as some of these things can’t really be taught.

If any of these traits don’t come naturally to you, don’t give up and throw in the towel just yet. Instead, try doing a little self-reflection by examining which gifts, talents, and abilities will make you stand out. Have you been thinking about a career in early education? Becoming an early childhood education teacher is a very rewarding career. Here at Athena, we pride ourselves in the education our students receive and help people like you every day achieve their career goals. Find out more about becoming an ECE teacher and schedule a tour of our campus today!