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- Mumma, I love my teacher.
- No Papa, don’t send me to school, please. I don’t like ma’am at all.
- Mumma, please, can’t I play in school for some more time? I just love the place.
- Papa, please don’t leave me
here.
For
these tiny angels, school is their first independent outing. It starts their
journey on the path of education. They learn social skills, sharing,
vocabulary, cooperation, good habits, and good manners; develop motor and
cognitive skills; recognize colours, numbers, and letters; communicate and
follow the commands by somebody other than their family members.
When
they come to the pre-school, these children feel restless because of coming out
of their comfort zones. They need to be settled first and once they are at
ease, the teaching must start joyfully.
Role
of a Pre-primary Teacher
Their teacher is the first person outside the family with whom the little angels are
required to spend long hours at a stretch. She has to act like a caring mother
and facilitate joyful learning. This method of teaching can be termed as the
Play-way method. Their entire process of learning comprises singing songs;
dancing merrily; laughter; playing games; applying creativity; reading
colourful books; drawing and colouring; and many more such activities. Their
teacher becomes their role model and personification of the school for them.
Most of the parents happily comment that their children get so much enamoured
with their teacher that they only follow what she has told them to do.
Basic Qualities required in a Pre-primary teacher
The
Pre-primary teacher is required to have certain basic attributes. These can be
described as follows:
- Educational Qualifications-
Graduation is a basic qualification. However, the person with Nursery
Teachers Training qualifications or a B. Ed. Degree additionally has a
professional edge.
- Patience- Patience is the first requisite in a Pre-primary teacher. The toddlers are restless, having left their mothers’ laps to come to the school. They look for a mother figure in their teacher with a caring face. Some of them would be hollering; some
may feel too excited to run; some may become angry at the other children;
some may not want to sit in the class; some of them may not have control over their bowels….There are endless issues but the teacher has to be poised and calm.
- Creativity- The teacher needs to have an innate sense of creativity. They may create models for an easy explanation. This creativity becomes useful not only in teaching but also in Art & craftwork, acting out stories, and designing different types of games to engage them.
- Child-centric Approach- This means that she must be an epitome of love, affection, and caring. She must love to be among the children drawing their attention in whatever she does. Even for controlling them, she cannot be harsh or aggressive with them. She must be the center of attraction. The children look up to their teacher so she should have an appealing personality with a good dress sense.
- Communication Skills- The teacher must be able to go down to the children’s level to make them understand. That is the crux of the communication skills. Besides, she must be in regular communication with the parents who are keen on their children’s adaptability in the school.
- Classroom management- A good teacher would always be in control of the class. A cluttered and unmanaged class where the children are crying, running after each other, jumping, or just walking around is nobody’s idea of a good class. This chaos can disturb even otherwise peaceful children.
- Story-telling- The best scene of a Pre-primary class would be when all the children are sitting around the teacher and enjoying listening to a story. It is a very good quality of the Pre-primary teacher and a very good way to grab their attention.
- Technological expertise- These days the technology has taken over. Smart classes are in order of the day.
There are interactive boards. Moreover, the corona pandemic has forced all the children to remain indoors and attend to the online classes. The teachers are required to interact with the children on various online platforms like Zoom, WhatsApp, Google classroom, Skype, etc. The teachers should be comfortable teaching on these and make videos etc. for teaching the students.
- Lesson Plan- A regular plan is required even for teaching and other activities. Plans should be made for long periods and then split into a weekly and daily basis. It is not enough only to make these plans but look into their proper execution as well.
- Proper conceptualization- Only book or board teaching is not sufficient. These little ones have to be taught the basics in an easy manner. The teacher has to teach them the concepts of sharing and help them learn proper words for various things that they see around them. It is very important to explain to them the same lessons in many different ways for their retention. For example, the numbers or alphabets can be taught by using different models and games.
- Rhymes and songs- Singing
Nursery rhymes and songs with the children is a very good way to introduce them to the magical world of the music. These rhymes and songs have lyrics close to their hearts and transport them to a world of their dreams. Acting these out adds to the children’s interests.
- Teaching good habits, manners,
and etiquette- The teacher must teach the children good habits, manners,
and etiquette. For example, they must learn to eat properly with the help of spoons without spilling the eatables. She should also teach them good
habits like brushing their teeth; combing their hair; wearing clean
clothes; eating properly; using magic words like PLEASE, THANK YOU, SORRY,
EXCUSE ME, YOU ARE WELCOME, etc. This would be possible only when the teacher is well-versed in these.
- Agility- The teacher of the pre-primary classes has to be very much agile. She has to be constantly on the move otherwise the class would become unmanageable. She needs to have enough strength and mentally fit for this job.
- Drawing and coloring- Knowing
Drawing and Colouring can be an added asset for the pre-primary teacher.
It is a very good activity to encourage children’s imagination. The teacher can also use this activity in explaining the concepts to the little ones. For example, drawing and colouring the sun, moon, clouds,
etc. may give them an idea about these.
- Adding to the variety of teaching- Variety in the teaching methods helps in engaging the children.
For example, the celebration of various days by the name of colours or fruits or flowers such as an orange day or mango day or a rose day, helps them learn about the colours, fruits, and flowers but also improves their association. The children have to be dressed in that particular colour.
They eat fruits of that colour and name or draw flowers, fruits,
etc.
Conclusion
These
basic qualities have to be made an innate part of the teacher’s personality to
make her, the darling of her pupils’ hearts.
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