The drawbacks of being a preschool teacher?

Question

are there any negatives on being a preschool teacher?

Answer 1

Well preschool teachers are generally not paid high wages.  They also have to have lots of patients.  The have to organized, firm, flexable, artisitc, energetic, loveable, caring, adaptable, and knowledgable of the needs of the children. If you do not have any of the above skills, you will face many drawbacks.

Answer 2

EVERY job has drawbacks.

For ECE Teachers:

--Disease:  Having a large group children in a classroom who are at the age where they are still learning when to wash their hands, cover their mouth when they cough, etc.  You will be exposed to a lot of sickness.  Most people get sick quite frequently when they first start off.  As you build up your immune system, you will need less sick time.

--Tiring:  It is a tiring job.  Imagine a day when you don't quite feel 100%, it's raining outside (and play time) so you have to entertain the kids inside, and you have one child that's off to the side screaming bloody murder because he misses his mom.  You're still going to have to find the energy to overcome all that and play some games or sing some songs.  It ain't always easy.  You have to be like a professional actor who just "lets the show go on."

--Pay:  Yeah...don't want to complain about that one.

--Parents:  Don't get me wrong.  I have had great relationships with most of my parents.  But you'll frequently get the one that REALLY drives you nuts or the ones who you really like, but drive you nuts anyway.  One parent dropped his child off about 25% of the time, then asked me why we didn't see much progress from the last time we had a conference.

--Administration/Other Teachers:  Not always, but sometimes (like any job) you and your boss/co-workers don't agree on how to run the classroom.  Or you might hate working with someone.  This is going to be true of any job, but might as well throw it out there because it applies here too.

--Balancing stress with pleasure.  There's a weird dynamic in preschool where so much is expected of you - and rightly so to a large degree.  You should understand why children behave a certain way, do certain things, learn certain ways, and how that is different from where we are as adults, where the child will be in x amount of years, and what the child used to do.  Then you will often be called on to explain that to parents.  Parents, as a general rule, want what's best for their children.  They just always do not understand exactly what that is.  They might think that making a 4 year old try to read for an hour every day is the best way they can learn.  You have to teach them that is not correct, yet still be sensitive not to sound like you're telling them how to raise their child.  It's a juggling act sometimes :)

I could write a much longer list about the benefits.  But you didn't ask for both so I'm stopping my response here 8-P~

Matt

Answer 3

I can think of only one - doing it when you don't like small kids.

Answer 4

I think to be a preschool teacher and enjoy it, you must truly enjoy the company of young children.  You have to be ready to listen, really listen, to what they have to say.  You have to be patient, because they're not all angels.  You have to be creative, so you can develop lots of interesting and constructive activities for them.  Yuo need lots of Kleenex and vitamin C because you will catch every virus that comes along, and you need to not have ambitions of making a lot of money in this field.

Answer 5

The exposure to illnesses, low pay, and lots of work on your own time. But Iove it.

Answer 6

The drawback i have from being a preschool teacher is the fact that i want to teach not babysit. Some parents take the learning part and continue the lesson at home and others just think its a day care. I love my kids though, they are my little star fishies!The best part would be when you teach them something and you see the ligh bulb go off THAT IS PRICELESS!

Answer 7

Yes, since pre-school age children should be with their mommies, and daddies, you get paid to play games, read stories, wipe little noses, and have a job description that reads babysitter, not teacher.

I see very little, or no benefit at all for either the child, or someone who wants to teach "subjects" by placing a young child in a pre-school setting, and a "teacher" trying to teach these babies anything other than how to function in a play group setting.

On the other hand if you are really good at making each, and every subject into a game, are willing to observe, and follow the children's lead you will have a wonderful rewarding time because children are awesome.

http://www.universalpreschool.com/

Answer 8

I would think that being around children often, not just preschool, you would be exposed to the Flu a lot!  When I was younger I was always getting sick at preschool and grade school.  Other than that is should be a blast.