A career as an early childhood development teacher requires an individual to effectively work with and teach young children. It's her responsibility to communicate with and lead children in order to further their cognitive and physical development. As a result, some of the more common duties of an early childhood development teacher include giving lessons that promote development, providing a fundamental education, organizing arts and crafts activities and transferring information to colleagues and parents.
One of the primary responsibilities of an early childhood development teacher is to give lessons that aid children in development. For example, a teacher may explain the basics of personal hygiene by teaching children how to brush their teeth or how to use a potty. Another example could be explaining the importance of eating a healthy, balanced diet and what foods are good for a person. Basically, this aspect of the job deals with instilling positive and healthy behaviors in young children.
Another integral part of this career is providing children with a fundamental education. It's up to an early childhood development teacher to lay down the foundations for children that will transfer to their future education. For example, she might teach her class about basic math like addition and subtraction. Another activity might be story time where she reads books to children in order to teach basic literacy. These types of activities are designed to stimulate young minds and prepare them for later challenges in life.
Organizing various arts and crafts activities is another common responsibility for teachers in this field. Activities like drawing with crayons, watercolor painting or making simple collages are all examples. During these activities, an early childhood development teacher will provide leadership and assist children. If they run into problems, she will help them figure out solutions. In turn, arts and crafts should help young children get their creative juices flowing and hopefully establish a long-term interest in art.
In addition, it's also the responsibility of the teacher to transfer pertinent information to colleagues and parents. Different children will learn at different rates, showing strengths in some areas and weaknesses in others. It's up to the teacher to analyze the behavior and progress of each student and provide feedback to other teachers and parents. Doing so should make it easier to encourage positive behaviors and minimize negative ones. Also, if a student is considerably behind or ahead of her peers, appropriate actions can be taken to maximize her potential.
