kindergarten By Cathy-Dee

With kindergarten you have a very different maturity level from even grade 1 and especially grade 2 onwards.

They are eager to be in school, but miss their moms. They need to be taught all the basic rules - how to line up, how to sit quietly, how to ask questions, etc., so routines are very important in a ECS classroom.

I have always believed that preparation work is heaviest the younger the grade. You have to do a lot more prep work - getting crafts ready, activities, making games, etc., than perhaps you would for a grade 2 room.

There are pluses as well - they are loving and most really want to please the teacher.

They get excited over the smallest things.

You often teach by themes rather than by curriculum so it allows you to really get into topics you enjoy.

Sometimes it is fun just spending time learning the letters, sounds, how to print letters and not to focus on story writing, math lessons, etc., that you would do for older grades. Less formal testing as well.

You often have a lot of parent support in ECS as moms have a hard time letting go of their little ones. So you can put them to work for you.

If you are not totally sure about this grade level perhaps see if you can visit the ECS class in your school for a morning or even a half a morning to get a better idea of where the kids are at even at this time of year. You can also see the program that the current teacher is using and see if the whole atmosphere of the room along with the program would be something you would enjoy. Kindergarten is not for everyone, but those who I know who have taught it for a few years just love being in that grade level. Personally I prefer working with a curriculum and subject areas but that's just my preference.