Can only Pre-K teachers answer please?

Question

I am on a 3rd year in college and I finally know I want to be a teacher. I don't care about the money and I am very new in budget management and how money is spent. A pre-K teacher is said to make ave. $37000. Is that enough to get you through everyday? Do you have money to save?

And since I am new to the field,is there any advice, knowledge I must carry with me? Thank you

Answer 1

I wish I would have been making $37k a year when I was teaching pre-k. I made roughly $24k, and that was after teaching for over 9 years with a degree at a very prestigious Montessori school in an affluent area. Needless to say, even without a car payment or credit card debt, I had a very tight budget and did not have savings.

You will want to look for a job affiliated with a school system or a private school or private day school and avoid a chain preschool like La Petite. This is for the salary aspect as well as the burn-out aspect. You might make more teaching at a Montessori school, but that would require some extra training in the Montessori philosophy.

Also, realize that you may have to pay for some or all of your supplies for your classroom out of your pocket. Some schools simply do not have the budget for extra items for art centers or games or whatever.

As someone who taught for ten years, I would advise you to always have a good rapport with the parents in your classroom--you will have parents who are incredibly intolerent, selfish, and difficult, but you will need to be able to stand up for yourself without insulting them. You will also have parents who are generous, kind, and supportive--take them up on any help they are willing to give. I once mentioned to a parent that I was running out of construction paper--turned out he worked for a printing company and brought me TONS of colored paper for free! Knowing what your parents do for a living, what free time they have, and what they want for their child (simply academics, socialization, etc.) will be helpful.

You will also need to be creative with discipline--time-out doesn't work for every kid. Children have a hard time behaving if they don't feel good about themselves, so discipline needs to correct behavior without hurting the child's self concept. If you email me I can share more about this topic--it's an important one!

Finally, I would advise you to always start a new class by having them memorize the rules, go over them daily (at first) and then weekly (later) and stick to them. I had a director tell me one time to "start out as a witch and end up as a sweetheart" when teaching, and she was right. Reinforcing the rules you've made every time they are broken at the beginning lets the kids know exactly where the line is; if they get disciplined every time they break a rule, whether that means they go to the back of the line, or have to miss 5 minutes of play time, or whatever, it will hit home that you are consistent. This will save you TONS of wasted time disciplining when you could be teaching, and helps the classroom run more smoothly so you don't have to watch each kid like a hawk--they become more self sufficient when they know the rules.

Last piece of advice--never yell, ever. Children get yelled at when they are at home, and they end up blocking it out. It's really more for the adult to blow off steam than for the child. Instead, when you are getting frustrated or irritated, get the children's attention and then talk very, very quietly. This ensures that you know who is listening--they have to be quiet, in order to hear you--and it gives you a moment of quiet so you can collect yourself. I used to get their attention by saying, "If you can hear me, touch your nose. If you can hear me, touch your toes. If you can hear me, put your hands on your hips. If you can hear me, zip... your... lips." Classroom management is EVERYTHING.

There are TONS of resources out there for new teachers. Utilize every one you can get ahold of. If you meet some great teachers along the way, ask to observe in their classrooms to see what they do and how they do it.

Answer 2

Remember that 37000 is an average, and it will also depend on the state in which you teach.  Your state should have a website for its department of education.  The website should have a salary scale for what teachers will make minimally in your state.  Also consider first year teachers will not make as much as someone who has taught for twenty something years, and with much of the teaching force in that group of having taught 15+ years, that drives up the average.  In New York, beginning teachers make more than beginning teachers in say South Carolina... but also consider the cost of living.  If you just have you to take care of, a teacher's salary is probably plenty.  However, if you have children or family to take care of, it may not be enough.  

I should know, my husband is a teacher and just recently I finished my degree so I could teach too.  We took care of three small children on one teacher's salary, but mind you we lived in meager conditions in a poverous state.

Answer 3

i'm a preschool taecher.i get only 1500. i think u get enough good salary.

Answer 4

that figure must be based on a program within a public/private school and not in a center (kindercare, lapetite, etc).  as in a center you will only make about 15,000.  so be careful where you work.  and the jobs in schools are few and far between.

Answer 5

I have been a prek special needs teacher for 6 years now...and I survive.  My car is paid for, but my student loans are what eat me alive.  If you do not have those sort of circumstances and depending on where you are from, you can make it through life with a little extra money.  Regardless, that would be the same for any teacher that works for a school system, preschool or not.  Most school systems pay based upon years of experience and degree (BS, BS+15hr, MS, MS+15hr, PhD).  Remember that you also get benefits with most jobs, so that also figures into your overall salary.  So...my recommendation to you would be to continue on with your education when you can and get more college credit and an advanced degree under your belt if you are having difficulty making ends meet.  

Unfortunately, if you would work for a private preschool/daycare, you will make considerably less because those programs usually do not require any degree over an associates.