Preschool Teacher Tips

conistency with how you treat kids and parents.
no worksheets,
play with the kids and assess if they know their colors or not before you spend 2 months teaching them the rainbow when ALLL of them Already Know it .
If you are going to put a pencil in the children's hands and tell them to write their name or what ever please please please teach them how to hold a penicl correctly and if their little muscles aren't ready give them playdough and other small fine work to do to strengthen the muscles before they try to write with the wrong grip.
Be smiley and fun. speak in a soft voice.

When my little ones were in pre-school the skills I most appreciated them learning were following directions. It was wonderful to go out to story time at the library and have my son sit down and listen!! Circle time really seemed to help with this skill.

M.

socialization skills....nipping bad/impolite behavior in the bud & modeling more appropriate manners - while at the same time displaying/owning acceptance in the "difference in others". Every family approaches life differently, not all kids are taught appropriate manners. As educators, it's up to us to provide this common ground!

Don't just "talk the talk, walk the walk"! Too many teachers give a shout out to the kids....& never govern their own actions.

Next up would be: follow the school district's KG screening checklist. Get those kids ready for the screening, but be sure to make it fun & hands-on....not paperwork! Throw some song & dance in there, along with hands-on manipulatives....& life will be more interesting.

As a resource, check out Project Construct....an excellent way to teach kids! There are also many online resources. I simply type in preschool activities & try to stick with one website....one which provides a worksheet or two, several activities, & a project or two. Love the internet!

Very little TV. Adjusting lessons and activities for individual levels of readiness. I'm sure there is a technical term for that. My son was one of the oldest in his preschool class. I really appreciated when his teachers brought in math games for him after they noticed that he was ready for it, even though most of the other kids weren't there yet. When the local library donated a bunch of books to the preschool, one of the teachers saved a book about snakes just for him that was more advanced than preschool level. But because she understood him and what he was ready and willing to learn, the book was perfect for him. At the same time the teachers were helpful in teaching him social skills that needed improvement. I could tell that these teachers took the time to think about my son and what would help him individually to grow, just like I do. What I don't like is to hear preschool teachers yelling or being sarcastic with the children. And while I understand the stress and exhaustion of working with little ones all day, I don't like to hear teachers making comments like, "I can't wait until my lunch break". I don't want to hear that they would rather be somewhere else than with my kids, even if it is true.