5 Rare Truths Every Parent Should Know About Kindergarten Teachers

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If you’re a child going to kindergarten for the first time, you probably know that the beginning of the school year is anything but sweet. It’s not uncommon for kindergarten teachers to share their experiences of nervous and excited parents walking through the door.

For the kids, it’s the start of the new adventure of formal learning. Everyone involved including teachers and parents alike wants to get it perfect, or at least most of it.

There is an unwritten rule that kindergarten teachers are expected to be fun, structured, disciplined, and full of compassion. Kindergarten teachers are passionate about what they do and they’re honored to be a part of every student’s educational journey. But underneath that steady, comforting smile, most parents are in a state of oblivion about some things that teachers have.

This article sheds light in some of the things every parent should know about kindergarten teachers. Let’s get started:

1. Kindergarten Teachers Know What They Are Doing

To parents, kindergarten may look like child’s play, but without a bachelor’s degree, you can’t be a kindergarten teacher. Some teachers hold a master’s degree and above, and that number is soaring.

Kindergarten teachers have a very particular skill set which they’ve acquired over years of training and teaching. There are certain times when teachers are unable to meet what they want with their own resources, and they reach out to the experts for assistance. To help the student learn more effectively, it is common for teachers to tailor their instructions and teaching methods.

The point is, kindergarten teachers are experts in their fields and they all want the same thing the parents want: the best for the child.

2. Your Child Is Listening

This is something most of us seem to know all too well but ignore. Your child listens to everything you say and they observe everything happening around them. Whether you’re arguing with your spouse, the profanities you’re uttering, the gory scenes of the horror flick you’re watching, and so on.

Rest assured that your kids have seen and heard it all and won’t be reluctant to share it, especially when their teacher is reading a story about a magical unicorn saving a princess and how they lived happily ever after.

So, to benefit the child’s teacher and their peers, and most importantly, for the good of the kids, be extremely careful of what is happening in their environment.

kindergarten teachers — The start of the new adventure of formal learning.

3. Don’t Judge Us And We Promise We’ll Do The Same

Kindergartners are amazing storytellers. When they tell a story, they don’t always remember every detail, so they blissfully fill in with their own details. This happens in the classroom.

Your sweetheart will gladly share everything that has happened in the classroom and about us as well. Not everything is right, of course. So let’s make a promise: do not to judge us for the occasional disruptions in the classroom, and we’ll promise not to judge you when your kid tells us about the creative language you used when that driver cut you off when driving home last night. Deal?

4. Your Child Is Not Perfect

Five-year-olds are perfect. They’re strange beings, and yes, they’re supposed to act that way. They’ll eat crayons, lick their friends, and forget to go to the toilet. They’ll shout, throw tantrums, hit other kids, and say mean things.

Sure, this doesn’t mean the world will end tomorrow, but it is imperative to acknowledge that these things are not okay. So, if your child did something that isn’t “okay”, please don’t call and apologize every time.

Kindergarten is about learning and getting acquainted with new things and, at certain times, the kids do things that don’t work out. When your kid is struck with some of “retribution” at school, by no means, we have done it because their teacher isn’t fond of them or loves them any less.

If your child steps out of line, we promise we aren’t judging your parenting skills. Our goal for your child is to learn to be the best they can be and if that leads to them some mistakes along their way, be it.

5. We Are All In This Together

Let’s be honest: When we discipline your kid, by no means we are attacking them. When we are advising you about something, don’t assume we are judging you. Teachers love to teach and love your children.

We aren’t exaggerating when we say that we plan the whole summer to make the school year fun and enjoyable for the kids we haven’t met yet. We miss the children that have stolen our hearts. We won’t forget the kids that have moved somewhere else and we will love them forever.

It is true that the love and compassion we have for your kids cannot compare with the love parents have for their own kids. But never question for a moment that we don’t have a special place in our hearts for your kids.

And last but not the least, we will dream for, make plans, and strive for what’s best and right for every child in our classroom every year.

This article was contributed by David A. Buhr, a pre-school teacher currently working in SmileTutor, a Singapore based tuition agency. If you happen to live or travel to Singapore, you can engage with the best primary school tutors here.