Here are 10 things you need to know as a kindergarten teacher: 1. How to Manage Your Classroom Knowing how to manage your classr...
Here are 10 things you need to know as a kindergarten teacher:
1. How to Manage Your Classroom
Knowing how to manage your classroom is key! There are so many questions to ask before setting up your classroom. You should know how to keep order, set up learning centers, establish a discipline policy, coordinate classroom activities, and be able to effectively place students in groups. Never fear! There are so many resources available to make sure you know how to make your classroom a positive environment focused on a day full of learning.2. How to Choose and Store Supplies
You can’t have an effective learning environment if your classroom is cluttered! Make sure you are utilizing storage options that keep unused objects out of the way while clearly labeling items for daily use. Visuals will go a long way in aiding how students use your classroom for supply needs so label, label, label! Your classroom should be clean and make sense for daily student navigation. To make your life a little easier, we have some great suggestions for affordable storage solutions.3. How to Get Parents Involved
To make it through the kindergarten school year, you’ll need parental support to ensure the complete education of each child. Communication is key. You should focus on the basics – returning phone calls, answering emails, simply letting parents know that you care as much as they do! Not only should you be communicating, but you should be doing it often, as well. A good kindergarten teacher realizes that constant communication, whether through a monthly newsletter or individual notes on homework assignments, is critical to individual student success.4. How to Arrange Your Desks
Seating plays a huge role in determining how focused your students will be while you teach. Will you have them arranged in groups for learning stations or facing toward each other for reading circles? How many students will you have and how will you most effectively utilize your classroom space?5. How to Maintain a Steady Stream of Lesson Plans
If you’ve taught kindergarten before, then you know how important it is to not only keep content flowing, but also to ensure that content keeps students engaged! We’ve compiled a few websites for you to frequent when you run out of ideas. Who knew being a kindergarten teacher would be so creatively exhausting?6. How to Motivate Your Students to Clean up
By the end of the day, you’ll want to know the secret to motivating students to clean up the mess they’ve made! After all, there’s only one of you compared to a considerable amount of little hands always up to mischief! Some cute ideas for getting kindergartners to clean include creating a clean-up map, assigning tasks that rotate weekly, giving each student a specific number of pieces of trash they are responsible for collecting, and setting a time limit (15-20 minutes) to see how much they can race to clean up in a designated area.7. How to Set the Pace in the Classroom
Pace is important in the classroom, as it will determine if and how long you’ve captured your students’ attention. Pace your lessons so that you are only showing a couple of steps at a time and ensure demonstrations or discussions don’t last longer than 10 minutes. If they do, chances are you’ve lost them. Group work will help keep a kindergarten class on the same level and help everyone to feel successful.8. How to Expect the Unexpected
You never know what your day will consist of as a kindergarten teacher! Whereas higher grade teachers can come prepared with the basics—pens, paper, construction paper, glue—kindergarten teachers have no handbook to go by! Here are a few Edutopia-inspired suggestions to help you better expect the unexpected:- Bring a spare change of clothing for students in case someone has an accident.
- Have non-latex bandages on-hand in case students have latex allergies
- Have a belt handy to ensure students aren’t distracted by pants that don’t fit properly!
- Keep hydrated! You’ll need a large bottle of water at your desk after hours full of teaching, and it will set a good example for snacking options to students!
- Keep a squishy ball at your desk in case you have a student who gets overly fidgety. This will help them concentrate and keep the class on track!
- Have stuffed animals prepared for Day 1! Sometimes, kindergartners get teary when it’s time to say goodbye to mom and dad. Having stuffed animals to let them hold until they realize how fun kindergarten is going to be is a great way to make children feel safe.
