Characteristics of an Early Childhood Educator Essay

Early childhood educators work hard to prepare young children for the transition into kindergarten. The importance of pre-kindergarten education has resulted in a larger number of preschool teachers needed across the country. These educators should have certain characteristics to be effective teachers. To properly prepare young children, the teachers must have patience, compassion and creativity. For most students in preschool, this is their first experience with schooling. These children commonly struggle with following classroom rules and staying focused while working on activities. Preschool teachers must be patient with these beginning learners and understand that, without previous school experience, everything is new to them. Without patience, the teachers are likely to become frustrated, and the overall effectiveness of the lesson being taught will ultimately suffer. Preschool students often struggle to control their emotions. This is because they are still developing the skills needed to handle sadness, anger and other emotions. Preschool teachers need to understand that children this age do not have the ability to control their emotions on their own. This means these teachers must be compassionate and understanding. They need to offer comfort to scared or upset students when it is needed, instead of ignoring their feelings. Keeping preschool age students engaged in learning activities can be difficult. Preschool teachers must have the creativity needed to create interesting lessons that teach and entertain kids. Art activities can make lessons easier for preschoolers to learn. They also allow them to practice the skills that they are learning without getting bored or losing focus. Preschool is also a time when students develop their imaginative play skills. These skills are used in everything during this stage. If you engage students in creative activities, the preschool teacher can help them learn these skills and give them with the opportunity to explore their imagination. These are just a couple of examples of characteristics that an early childhood educator should posses. Without the proper skill set, teaching preschool aged children may be more difficult than it needs to be. However, if you do have these characteristics, you have the ability to be a successful educator.