We all know the essential qualities of a teacher that one should generally have when getting into the profession: kindness, passion, patience, love for children, empathy, compassion, determination and pretty much every other characteristic that is named in this blog from About Education.
However, becoming a kindergarten or early grade teacher requires a special set of qualities that may not be mentioned in all the “Qualities of a Good Teacher” blogs that can be found all over the web.
Teaching little ones is fun and rewarding, but it is also extraordinarily hands-on and can be exhausting. These are the unusual qualities of a good teacher that you need to have if you are looking to get into teaching young kids:
Humor
We all know that patience plays a huge part in being a successful teacher, but this really goes hand in hand with a healthy dose of humor. And by healthy, we mean a lot of it.
Young children thrive on having fun, and this is much easier to bring into a classroom if you have a great sense of humor. Children love jokes, tricks, and laughter, and will learn more easily if this is incorporated into their educational environment.
The ability to laugh at yourself, and also the things that kids are bound to do or say is hugely important to ensure that you get through long days. There are bound to be mistakes: wet pants, accidental swear words, crayons eaten and paint on the walls – learning to laugh about these things while still teaching the children how it should be done is one of the most special qualities of a good teacher.
Closeted artist
Not all of us are blessed with artistic genes, and in fact many people don’t even like to partake in these activities – but being a closeted artist is one of the most important qualities of a good teacher at kindergarten level.
We aren’t saying that you have to crank out an oil painting masterpiece that Pablo Picasso himself would be proud of, more that you should be willing to have fun playing around with art-based activities.
You needn’t be an incredible artist but merely happy to learn arts and crafts and use them in your classroom to help teach your children in a fun and exciting way. Be prepared for many finger painting sessions over the years.
A strong stomach
One of the most unusual qualities of a good teacher of a young age level is undoubtedly having a strong stomach. If you are a mother, or father, or have had any real contact with young kids (which hopefully you have considering your chosen vocation) you will know that kids can sometimes be a little gross. Not on purpose, most of the time.
You need to be able to handle toilet accidents in the classroom without gagging, and remember that kids tend to have a penchant for snot – whether that’s eating it or throwing it. Where there are children, there always seems to be some kind of body fluid making itself pronounced somewhere along the line. A strong stomach will make your days with little ones a whole lot more pleasant.
Musical
Kids thrive off music, and in fact, music, instruments, or any sort of rhythm can be used in the classroom in a variety of ways – like to get kids to concentrate or use it to signal quiet time, and so on. It’s not necessary for you to hold a note like Mariah Carey, however, having a knack for music is a huge asset when it comes to the qualities of a good teacher for kindergarten.
Being completely tone deaf could be a problem, however, being talented in other areas such as with an instrument like a guitar is incredibly useful. The knack to keep rhythms going or at least to learn and implement musical games in the classroom is really important and will be beneficial for your kid’s overall education and enjoyment.
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