There are some very good reasons for wanting a job where you will be caring for children. It is an honor and a privilege to work with the youngest members of society and to help to shape their lives. It is also a huge responsibility so it is important that you think carefully before you choose this career path. Working with children is often referred to as a vocation in the same way as nursing or working with animals. It is something that you feel you have a calling for and no other career will satisfy you in the same way.
If you are looking for a job where you can make a positive contribution to children’s lives, here are a few ideas.
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Prepare for your future career
The best thing that you can do is to get some work experience in the sector that you think you would like to work in. You can volunteer with a welfare organization or at a medical center. This will give you the chance to make sure that a career working with children is for you. If you can get some regular experience caring for children it will look great on your CV and will prove your commitment to this career.
Then you need appropriate qualifications. There are some great online courses that are suitable for people who want to get involved with teaching young children. You will learn all about how to create a healthy environment in which children can learn and develop. You will learn about the stages of child development, family systems and curriculum and instruction methods.
Armed with this knowledge and experience, teaching is an ideal career.
Kindergarten or elementary school teacher
When you teach in a kindergarten or an elementary school you are shaping the youngest minds in society. It can be very challenging but it is also a highly rewarding job. The wages are good and kindergarten teachers can expect to earn around $55,000 per annum. Elementary school teachers earn a little more. There are employment opportunities in some day care services or religious organizations but here you would earn around $10,000 less per year.
As an elementary school teacher, you will have a very varied workload and no two days will be the same. The exact tasks that you carry out will depend on the grade of the students you are working with. Most elementary schools provide education for children in kindergarten through to the fifth grade. Some schools also provide pre-kindergarten classes which may accommodate children from around 18 months of age.
Working as a pre-kindergarten teacher or kindergarten teacher
Your priority will be to teach children so that they are actively involved in what is going on in the class. You are aiming to help them develop a love of learning that will last a lifetime. To do this, you will need to know how to create an engaging environment where you can nurture the children’s natural curiosity. This is not just about you teaching them. It is also all about you encouraging them to become independent learners. There are some basic skills that all pre-kindergarten and kindergarten children should acquire and they are letter recognition and very basic reading skills, phonic learning, early math skills and appropriate social skills.
Working as a first-grade teacher
First-grade education is all about hands-on learning. You will also use discussion groups to develop teaching themes further and encourage participation. The core subjects must be covered in detail and they are mathematics, science, and English. There will also be space in the school day for you to include art, physical education, and music. Your role is to help the children to build confidence as active learners and create a positive attitude towards learning.
At the same time, you will be aiming to foster a positive attitude towards others and to the world around them. You will need a number of skills to achieve this as well as patience and understanding. You will certainly need excellent communication skills (with children and with adults), problem-solving skills and the ability to work under pressure and show initiative. A classroom full of boisterous six-year-olds can be a very challenging environment within which to work.
Some of the children in your care will still require support to adjust to school routines and behavioral expectations. Some developmental and behavioral problems become obvious at this age and it is part of your role to be on the lookout for them.
Working as a second-grade teacher
As a second-grade teacher, you will spend less time helping children to adjust to school life and you will focus more on teaching them. The children in your care will be able to take on more responsibilities and they will learn from doing so.
You will be teaching the children more complicated mathematical concepts and tackling more sophisticated texts in English. You will still be vigilant for signs that there are issues relating to your student’s emotional well-being. You may find your authority is being challenged and questioned at this age so it is vital that you are consistent, firm and fair.
Working as a third-grade teacher
At this stage, the field of learning becomes more diverse. As well as numeracy and literacy skills, you will be introducing social studies, more sophisticated science and physical education, and further art and music. You will probably have to deal with issues relating to social differences as well as racial differences in students which will need to be handled sensitively.
Working as a fourth and fifth-grade teacher
This is the stage at which teaching can become a lot more challenging. At this age, students need a strong, intuitive teacher. You will need highly developed communication skills so that you can help your students get the best out of school. Holding kid’s attention at this age can be very hard as there are so many distractions. You will need endless patience, energy, and creativity to do so.
It is vital that you treat every single child as an individual as they will all need a different input from you. If you get it right, you will have played an essential role in preparing these remarkable young people for the next stage of their educational journey.
