Teacher Responsibilities

Responsibilities Complex and demanding, but rewarding Often play the role of teacher and parent educator You will be a friend, colleague, counselor, janitor, nurse, decorator, safety expert, and even a cook on some days. Challenging (designing curriculum, coping with behavior problems)

To Know How Children Grow and Develop Teachers need to know what children are like. Teachers need to understand their abilities and interests. Teachers need to understand children’s behavior. Overall, teachers need to know what is developmentally appropriate at each age.

To Prepare the Environment It needs to be inviting and stimulating. It must encourage children to explore, experiment, and manipulate. Teachers need to provide a variety of materials to promote physical, social, emotional, and cognitive development. What happens if there are not a variety of interesting materials/activities?

To Communicate Effectively Teachers need good communication skills. This is effective when dealing with kids, parents, and co-workers. What happens when teachers don’t build relationships with their students?

To Demonstrate Teamwork Teachers need to support coworkers through actions and words. Share ideas with them. Even when team members work well together, conflicts will arise. Accept different styles of caregiving and know how to resolve conflicts.

To Manage Time Wisely Time management helps teachers work smarter, not harder. Teachers need to stay organized, set priorities, and distinguish between urgent and non urgent matters. There will always be more that could be done.

To Participate in Professional Organizations This can help teachers keep up with current developments in the field. The largest organization is the National Association for Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Membership covers state and national conferences and publications.

To Follow Ethical Standards Ethical decisions are decisions conforming to accepted standards of conduct. Ethical decisions are sometimes unpopular with parents, kids, or coworkers. Teachers need to recognize that biases, opinions, and personal priorities can alter professional judgment. What would be an example of violating your ethics to avoid conflict?

To Continue to Learn Professional development is an ongoing process. Conferences, in-service learning, updating education, developing curriculum, etc.

Characteristics of Successful Teachers Fondness for children Patience Compassion Confidence Sense of humor Commitment Personal desire Physical and mental health