Teaching Kindergarten: Myths and Reality

Teaching kindergartners"the fledgling members of the academic and cultural world"is anything but child's play. It's about setting the foundation for a lifetime of learning and keeping the American education system filled with active minds.

For some educators, the formative years, when young students are molded into nascent scholars, are the most exhilarating. Mary K. Martell, a current preschool teacher and former kindergarten instructor in Rochester, N.Y., is one of these early childhood education enthusiasts.

"Early learners have limited life experiences and look to teachers as the ultimate role models. The children watch everything we do and say, be it good or bad," says Martell, a full-timer at the Holy Cross School in Rochester who has taught kindergarten throughout the state of New York. "They need our assistance to form opinions and ideas about right and wrong, so we have a huge responsibility to them."

Elementary school teachers like Martell are the first to introduce children to language, science, mathematics and social studies through games, music, films, books, computers and artwork. Martell assumes the role of the omniscient eye that evaluates daily performance, assesses areas of weakness and strength and alerts parents to behavioral and emotional problems.

"Teaching early education is like being in a constant state of learning about everything, not just curriculum and state standards, but social skills, table manners and everything in between," Martell says.

Being a multilevel teacher, as many kindergarten instructors are, means juggling and mastering every topic from reading to arithmetic, in order to make the content digestible to developing brains. The most effective ways to impart this knowledge and promote critical thinking are through hands-on approaches like props and "manipulatives." Teachers may have students play board games or video games to learn addition and subtraction, for example, or send letters to pen pals overseas to understand multiculturalism and geography.

Stressful hurdles for kindergarten teachers arise when they are bogged down with large classes and rambunctious students"common problems in many public school systems. Those issues, and others are often enough to send qualified teachers to the private school world, where admissions processes are more selective, technological resources are more available and the head count is lower.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of schoolteachers is expected to grow by 12 percent from 2006 to 2016, about the same rate as in other occupations. Jobs will likely be more obtainable for teachers with expertise in math, science and bilingual education, as well as for those willing to teach in rural or urban districts. Those who are more geographically mobile and licensed in more than one subject will have the biggest advantage.

"If you want to enter this profession, you have to be ready and willing to change your focus at a moment's notice from the lifecycle of a butterfly to what we could have done rather than hitting Jimmy when he pulled your hair," Martell says. "You take your cues from the students just as much as they take their cues from you."

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