| Kindergarten Teacher Career Information, | | | | needed anything, and help children who had |
| Salaries, Interview Tips and More. | | | | trouble leaving their mother's that day. After we |
| My day as a kindergarten teacher always started | | | | said the Pledge of Allegiance (yes, they still do |
| at 5:10 a.m. when I'd leave home for work. I had | | | | that in some schools), I'd start my first class.y |
| a 20 minute commute that includes highway and | | | | only free time each day. By the time the aides |
| interstate driving, and it's often very foggy in the | | | | collected the children for recess and brought them |
| South. I'd arrive at school by 5:30, unlock the door | | | | back early; I had about 20 minutes free of |
| for the day, and haul in anything I'd taken home | | | | children during the day. Most days I didn't get to |
| to work on the night before. | | | | use the restroom until I was back home again |
| I'm always perkiest in the mornings, so this was a | | | | around 3:30. |
| great time of day for me. During the two hours | | | | After recess and dealing with the resulting fights |
| before school started I spent my time planning | | | | and tears, I read the children a carefully-selected |
| lessons for the future and prepping materials I | | | | story. Then it was their turn for SSR (Silent |
| would need. By the end of the year the kids could | | | | Sustained Reading). This was a time when they |
| do their own coloring and a lot of the prep work, | | | | could choose a book from the book rack and |
| but a beginning Kindergartener generally can't use | | | | read by themselves. We did this for about ten |
| scissors much less cut anything out. So I'd do it | | | | minutes prior to getting ready to go home. |
| for them. | | | | At 2:30, we had to march the kids out the back |
| My planning included the numerous different | | | | door and around the building in case any of their |
| subjects I was teaching. I was also responsible for | | | | parents were waiting out on the side of the |
| turning on the computers, cleaning the room, and | | | | building. The children who weren't grabbed walked |
| emptying the trash. Prior to 7:30 I had to go | | | | clear around to the front porch with me where |
| upstairs and get my mail, communicate with any | | | | we waited with them until the "bus" teacher |
| other teachers I needed to speak with, and use | | | | showed up. If it was a high school teacher's turn, |
| the restroom. | | | | we might be there indefinitely. If we were lucky, |
| The salary for a kindergarten teacher is dismal. | | | | we got back into the building by 3:00 when it was |
| But I love working with children. Furthermore, the | | | | time to go home. Back inside I'd gather up all of |
| working conditions are great, along with summers | | | | the things I needed to take home and work on |
| off! | | | | that evening, turn off the light, lock the door, and |
| At 7:30 the bell would ring, and the children would | | | | go home to start getting prepared for the next |
| come trouping in. During the next half hour I was | | | | day. Little ones are fun, and I love teaching, but |
| expected to keep the children busy, take lunch | | | | it's not a job for the faint-hearted. It's a lot of |
| money, fill out attendance reports, talk with any | | | | work, and you have to answer to a lot of people. |
| parents who came in as well as anyone else who | | | | |