The Popularity of Teachers

Reading chapter six of America’s Teachers: An Introduction to Education (Newman, 2006) reminded me of the Barenaked Ladies song It’s All Been Done (Page, 1998). As I read the conflicting sides of each argument regarding education as far back of the Civil War, I kept thinking how none of this sounded new. It’s all been done before, and we are still debating many of the same issues. Newman (2006) put it another way, “Despite promoters’ claims to the contrary, few educational wheels are brand new. Most have been reinvented. Sold to the public as innovations, they are more like retreaded and recycled tires” (p.180). The purpose of education, the way in which education is managed by state and federal governments, and whom we educate (and how) will always be, in my opinion, a hot debate.

Over the years, I feel I have been guided by God to pursue Elementary Education, which narrows my focus to the kindergarten classroom. I will clearly define the most helpful theories that may be implemented throughout the kindergarten learning environment. Effective teacher characteristics will be identified and why they are imperative for this particular age group. Young children have different learning characteristics and it is important for teachers to recognize and accommodate to the needs of their students. Throughout this course, I have discovered certain characteristics about myself and I will elaborate on my unique learning styles.

There are many characteristics that are necessary for teachers to have. First, it’s important for teachers to be vastly knowledgeable about their subject matter. Teachers need to be enthusiastic about whatever they are teaching, especially if they want to sustain students' interest. If the teacher isn't interested in the subject, why should the students? Educators should always be willing to learn all they can about the content in which they are teaching—making the content as relevant or interesting as possible. Another characteristic that is vital in a teacher is having respect for students. Showing respect towards students means valuing each student’s ideas and opinions. It also means exemplifying respect for

Teaching is an extremely important profession as we are responsible for training up the future generations of our community, country and in effect, the world. In order to be a successful and effective teacher there are some basic skills and competencies that one must possess. The experiences that students have inside (and outside) our classrooms, schools and various other institutes will shape and mould their approach to our subjects and to life in general. Therefore, it requires a certain level of skill and training to be deemed professionally fit to enter into this career path and even then, continuous

A “high-quality” preschool program is curriculum based with certified teachers and a low child to teacher ratio (Robin, Frede, & Barnett, 2006, p. 1)

Participants were selected for this study in a specific way. The first step was that the teachers had to teach Pre-k to 3rd grade in the state of Louisiana. They also had to be a state-certified teacher and have 3 years or more of teaching experience. The researchers obtained e-mail addresses from all school websites, and from the 2,228 teachers that were emailed only 382 met the criteria. Of those 382 teachers, 247 were non-national board certified teachers (non-NBCT) and 135 were nationally certified teachers (NBCT). 61.8% of those 382 participants held elementary education degrees, 43.5% taught in rural districts, 54.2% held bachelor degrees, 87.4% identified as white and 26.2% were kindergarten teachers. “The framework for the study is built around the belief that successfully achieving National Board certification (NBPTS Process) in the area of early childhood generalist affects teachers perceived use of DAP” (McKenzie, 2013,

The procedure used was a 20-question survey called the E-Tip or Early-childhood Teachers’ Inventory of Practices. The survey consisted of two parts, the first was composed of demographic and background information. Some of the items included level of education, years of teaching experience, school setting and current grade the participants were teaching at the time of the research study. The second portion of the survey asked the participants to rate their teaching practices on a 7-point Likert-type scale.

I interviewed a childcare teacher engaged in the Early Childhood Development. She graduated from East Tennessee State University. She has been intrigued by children her entire life, she has volunteered with children with disabilities and worked with children since age 16. You can say that teaching has been a dream job of hers. Going through the interview I went through a series of questions as follows. What are positive and negative parts about being a teacher? What disciplinary styles work the best? And how can teaching in America be improved?

When I went to NAEYC conference, Nov 18-Nov 21, Orlando, Florida, I attended 4 session. One of them was “America’s Best and Brightest: New Market Research on Attracting and Retaining Early Childhood Professionals.” Because I lack English listening skills, I couldn’t understand whole contents. However, I came to know about ‘understanding the attitudes and beliefs of current educators about the profession’ and ‘identifying factors that will be most helpful in encouraging educators to make the field a long-term profession.’ I thought that these contents would be useful and helpful for our classmates, as well as me, in understanding “current preschool teacher in the United States.”

I had the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Inger McGee, Assistant Professor Director of Elementary Education & Early Childhood Programs University of Arizona South. Professor McGee began her teaching career after earning Bachelors in Elementary Education, her M.Ed. in Teaching and Teacher Education and later, a Ph.D. in Education with Curriculum emphasis.

The 2010 National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Initial and Advanced Standards for Early Childhood Professional Preparation Programs provides standards that set guidelines for what and how early childhood professionals prepare themselves to be efficient educators and caregivers. Professional development tools and strategies are critical assets for providing high quality early childhood education and care that meets the needs and interest of all learners. Today’s early childhood settings are filled with a diverse group of learners. Efficient educators must use a broad range of approaches, tools, and resources to ensure success for all learners. The NAEYC Initial and Advanced Standards demonstrates particular strategies for early childhood educators to prepare themselves to be successful and effective teachers. For this brief composition I chose to highlight the initial standard #4: using developmentally effective approaches.

The article called, “Twelve Characteristics of Effective Early Childhood Teachers” focus mainly on the personal characteristics that an early childhood teacher should conserve. To begin with, there are twelve characteristics that are included in the article, which are:”[…] Passion, Perseverance, Willingness to take risks, Pragmatism, Patience, Flexibility, Respect, creativity, Authenticity, Love of learning, High energy, and Sense of humor” (Colker, 3-5). However, in the article, “Twelve Characteristics of Effective Early Childhood Teachers:” “[…] attempt to identify some of the key characteristics early childhood teachers need to excel in their job” (Colker, 01). Nevertheless, some of the early childhood teachers enter in the field, due

The effort teachers contribute in a child’s early development are often misapprehended as being simply hands on, without anticipating that it involves appropriate communication techniques, the use of numerous structured strategies and adhering to set of guidelines set by governed bodies such as department of education.

In this assignment, I will review the debate on professionalism. Looking at the teacher as a professional and discussing their professionalism. I will highlight the differences and the similarities between professionalism in education and several other professional vocations. I will discuss the shifting views of professional status of both mainstream teachers and FE teachers, and developments and where I see the FE sector heading.

When I think about teachers that I have had in the past, several different ones come to my mind. Each of these educators stands out in my mind for a variety of diverse reasons. Whether it is their sense of humor, their tactfulness, their love of the subject matter, their fanatical and sporadic behavior, or their yearning to be childish themselves, I can still remember at least one quality of every teacher I have ever encountered. Every one of these teachers conveyed subject material to their students just as they were educated and employed to do. However, I trust that every professional in the world has an abundance of opportunity for improvement; teachers could discover and improve themselves merely by having