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Kindergarten Teacher Requirements
One of the primary kindergarten teacher requirements has nothing to do with your education or degree. It has everything to do with your outlook and love of children.
Personal Requirements
If you do not love young children, cannot interact well and communicate effectively with five-year-olds, and cannot maintain a gentle discipline within a group of young children, then you probably will not have a rewarding career as a kindergarten teacher.
These personal character traits are imperative and included in the primary level of kindergarten teacher requirements because teaching at this level involves a tremendous amount of hands-on teaching and different methods of instruction compared to older age groups.
Teaching methods can be learned while you attend offline or online courses that lead to an accredited offline or online degree, but how well and consistently you are able to invoke the methods most appropriate for this age group will depend on more than just book learning. Top online universities can and do teach you theory of education and the psychology of teaching and effective techniques, but no career training can instill a natural inclination and willingness to immerse yourself in the world of these young minds and imaginations.
You must have a great deal of patience. A classroom full of young, energetic and sometimes needy children can generate a great deal of stress for the teacher. If you tend to become irritable easily, perhaps an older group of children might benefit more from your teaching ability.
However, if you meet this fundamental level of kindergarten teacher requirements, investigate the educational and licensing requirements for one of the top careers in the country.
Education and Licensing
First, the kindergarten teacher requirements for a private school environment are slightly different from those in a public school environment.
Almost every school system in the country requires a four-year degree from an accredited school and successful completion of a teaching program. Your degree does not necessarily have to be in education, but the direct correlation does help. However, your four-year degree can be in a different field. You must complete an accredited program, though, to learn how to teach your chosen age group.
Once you have the degree and the specialized training, you can apply for positions within private school systems. If you want to teach in public schools either immediately or later, you will need a state license and meet its continuing education requirements.
Every state requires public school teachers of all primary and secondary school-aged children to possess a current license to teach. To get the license, you must pass the state exam, issued by the state’s Board of Education.
Be sure to take the correct test for your target age group, though. If you take the test for a license for teaching grades six through eight, you cannot teach any other age group. Your kindergarten certification will include the letter K for kindergarten.
Although it is not necessary, additional certification is voluntary and accelerates your advancement and wage potential. The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards offers national certification recognized by every state and the majority of school systems, both private and public. If possible, add this certification to your personal kindergarten teacher requirements to maximize your career potential.
