Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Personal Philosophy
The role of a preschool teacher is very complex and vital. The educators role
is to know each child individually on a deep level and plan for experiences and
activities that will meet the childs needs and interests. The educator must be
mindful of the activities planned and must tailor each one to benefit all children in
the room, not just one. A preschool teacher must be intentional- meaning
everything that is done has been carefully thought out, planned, and is
than teacher-led activities. Teachers must not force children to move to new
developmental levels, but be patient and let them develop at their own pace. When
actions. For this reason, teachers must allow children to construct their knowledge
through experiences that happened throughout the day, especially during play. I
agree with Jean Piagets theory of cognitive development that children learn about
the world around them through their senses and by interacting with the
looking for teachable moments for children to learn something new. It is equally
important that educators know it is best to let the child discover on their own at
times because it means they are building their knowledge by interacting with the
environment around them. A preschool teacher must know how discern when to let
the child discover on their own and when to step in. This means a preschool teacher
I am a firm believer that children learn best when they are directly involved
and are interested in the topic. Therefore, all activities, lessons, and curriculum
Samantha King
must be based around the interests and needs of each child. Children have an
inborn desire and need to discover the world around them using all their senses. For
this reason, the activities need to hands-on and available for the children to explore
and discover both on their own and with the teacher. Since every child learns
variety of ways to make sure all children are receiving the highest level of learning.
The educator must provide many materials, both closed and open-ended, to the
environment for the children to explore, discover, and experiment with. Every day,
children will build upon their former knowledge both on their own and with teacher
interaction.
A preschool teacher must make her classroom warm and inviting of all,
diversity. I believe that the problem lies in the heart. A preschool teacher must have
it made up in her heart that she will love every child equally no matter what. I
understand that there will be trying times, but I also understand that these times
will mold me into a better teacher. Regardless of how a child acts, I will teach them
the correct way. If there is a wrong thought, idea, or assumption of others in myself,
I will make sure I continue to learn the correct way. Children with disabilities will be
welcome in the classroom from the very beginning. I will make sure the
environment is safe and accessible to all children. Partnering with others will help
me make sure I am meeting every childs needs in the class. If a child needs special
preschool teacher who loves and wants the best for all her children.
preschool teacher. Through my own studies, I have learned that basing the
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curriculum around the child is very effective. According to Infants, Toddlers, and
Education, Curriculum is not just a book of lessons plans or activities for the day, a
(Gonzalez-Mena, 2015) I believe that before any child can learn, their basic needs
must be met through caregivers and routines. By interacting with children through
caregiving routines, children will learn that you can be trusted and will form a
needs. It is the job of the educator to think of caregiving routines as curriculum and
strive to gain trust of the children every day so the child forms a secure attachment
and learns.
Preschool teachers must be aware that conflict is likely to arise. It is the job of
the teacher to make sure conflicts are managed in the classroom professionally.
Children will be expected to listen and display good behavior in the classroom. The
educator must work with the children to create positive classroom rules and
behaviors that all who enter will follow after. If any child is to disobey the rules, the
teacher must talk with the child individually about what happened, what they are
feeling, and what they should do next time. I believe in discipline, but I mean it in
the very context of the word. Teachers must disciple and teach the children the way
to act. A preschool teacher must model good behavior at all times and always
acknowledge the childs efforts to follow and try to follow the classroom rules.
A childs biggest influence comes from their family. For this reason, I believe
that it is the job of the educator to involve the family in their childs education.
Teachers should stay in frequent contact with families through daily conversations
during drop-off and pick-up, texts, calls, e-mails, and meetings. The teacher should
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get to know each family and figure out which mean of communication works best
for them. Teachers need to keep the families updated and involved- meaning parent
events are planned and parents are welcomed to help in the classroom. It is my
understanding that most families want to be involved but they just do not know how
to. The educator must step in and encourage the families that they are welcomed
and appreciated in their childs education. Partnerships are key in early childhood
professionals, they need to remember that they cannot do it alone. The old African
proverb, it takes a village to raise a child, cannot ring more true in early childhood
education.
Samantha King
References
A. (1998, November). 'It takes avillage to raise a child.' - Igbo and Yoruba
proverb-of-the-month/23-1998proverbs/137-november-1998-proverb.html
https://www.simplypsychology.org/piaget.html