Being a preschool teacher is not easy. Caring for three- and four-year-olds requires patience, energy, and a deep sense of commitment. It is true what they say—you must be passionate.
During morning drop-off, the hallways echo with cries as children call out for their moms or dads. Students get overwhelmed they even get sick. To the point where they are throwing up, coughing, and get a runny nose from all the crying they have done. We can get a happy child coming to school but when their parent leaves, we realized we have an upset child calling you names or hitting you because they want to go with their parent.
Throughout the day, students express a wide range of emotions. Children get upset because they want to keep playing in the learning centers. Others are hungry, and many are simply tired. In the learning centers children love the pretend and learn center. Currently we have the center as goldilocks and the three bears— children love to dress up and react the story with other classmates. This helps their social skills, communication skill, and literacy development.
We also work with students who have disabilities, such as those who are not yet potty trained, and some children exhibiting challenging behaviors. Teachers accommodate to children’s needs and work one on one with those who need more help, by incorporating students interests to keep them engage in learning.
But at the end of the day, it is all worth it—when your students hug you to say goodbye, and a parent returns the next morning saying their child went home and taught them something new.
Teaching is a passion. A calling. A way to help little minds grow.
Working in a school setting is what I am most enthusiastic about. Ever since I was a little girl, I have wanted to be a teacher. I used to pretend to be one while playing with friends, and my mom would buy me extra school supplies just for my pretend classroom.
Everything changed when my daughter started preschool. I volunteered in her classroom and realized that teaching was truly what I wanted to do. While volunteer I learned the fundamentals of being a caring and loving teacher.
During that year of volunteering, I completed my CDA certification and hired the following year. It has been a wonderful experience working in the classroom, teaching young children the fundamental skills they will need in their everyday life.
We help them build independence and social skills for everyday life. Staring with mealtimes helping them to open their milk, cereal, cookies, and even serving their food them self. Students have chance to pick up after themselves after every activity done during the day.
It is a joy to witness their growth—from the beginning of the school year to the end. By the time they leave to another school, they are independent, potty trained, and have acquired social skills.
Accomplishments such as blowing their nose, covering when sneezing or coughing, and learning to wash their hands are the most popular in preschool. A process you get to enjoy— young ones learning to draw themselves with a circle, two dots for eyes, and a line for a mouth. They leave drawing with distinct color to make their clothing, shoes, arms, legs, nose, hair, and even eyelashes. Cute drawing that melts your heart that give you joy.
People tell me “Why don’t you become a teacher, you do well in the classroom.” I know I can be a good teacher. Teaching is my calling. I love and enjoy working with children. They have so much to learn, and I have so much to teach. Helping young minds grow is the best feeling.
The first step I’ve taking is to complete an associate of arts in teaching, followed by a Bachelor of Science, Human Development & Family Sciences.
That is why I decided to return to school and pursue higher education. I want to become a certified teacher and continue following my passion.
I have noticed a shortage of certified teachers in the district where I work. One teacher assistant has been serving as the lead teacher for five years, despite not having certification. Being a teacher assistant often means doing the work of a teacher without the credentials. This is one of the reasons I am pushing myself to go back to school, children deserve a well-rounded education and teachers who are enthusiastic about providing it.
The teacher shortage has been ongoing for years. School administrators often must step in because of understaffed classrooms. There is no clear solution yet. Different districts offer opportunities for aspiring teachers to work in classrooms while completing their certification. Many have been teaching for years but cannot be lead teachers due to lack of credentials.
Teacher assistants serving as lead teachers stay in the classroom even with the lack of pay because they are enthusiastic about teaching their little ones. Administrators as I must step in and cover as teachers, while still doing administrator duties. I get overwhelmed and worry when deadlines approach and cannot work on tasks because have I have to teach a classroom. Following lesson plans, teaching a different topic every week, creating activities to incorporate to the lesson. Doing small group with students, giving them activities according to their academic learning needs.
To this day, the teacher shortage remains a widespread issue. Sadly, it is one of the biggest challenges in education—driven by low pay and heavy workloads, leaving a negative impact on schools and student learning. Based on the article “Fixing the Holes in the Teacher Pipeline: An Overview of Teacher Shortages, school districts across the country are struggling to attract and keep good teachers.” It is hard for some teachers who have never been in classroom setting, I have seen teachers walking out on the first day of school.
According to the article “Breaking the Cycle of Teacher Shortages: What Kind of Policies Can Make a Difference? — teacher shortages have recurred in the United States over many decades.” I believe that teacher shortage has been more prone now a days. Veteran teachers are retiring and new teachers recently certified are coming in but have zero experience in the classrooms. Trainings and scenarios are giving with perfect situations, and they do not show what a real classroom could look like. This is when teachers get discourage as they were not prepared.
Work Cited
Barth, Patte, et al. "Fixing the Holes in the Teacher Pipeline: An Overview of Teacher Shortages," Center for Public Education (2016).
Darling-Hammond, Linda, and Anne Podolsky. "Breaking the cycle of teacher shortages: What kind of policies can make a difference?" Education Policy Analysis Archives 27 (2019): 34-34.
Tonya Pena a student at Houston City College majoring in education. I was a teacher assistant from 2014-2019 and currently an administrator at a preschool. I have been in the classroom teaching in a bilingual classroom since school stared due to no teachers. I love working with children and like teaching the young kids different life skills.