Alma Vargas

December 4, 2014
Child Development 258
Professor Hunter

Why I am ready to become a teacher

I am ready to become a teacher after taking 9 classes of early childhood
education. I have gained the knowledge and skills that have prepared me to
become a teacher.

In addition, in having the opportunity to volunteer in a

preschool classroom for two years. Volunteering gave me the opportunity to see
that not all children learn the same and that activities should be planned in the
interest of the children. I also had the opportunity to work in a first grade class and
was assigned students who were ESL. Working with students who are ESL was a
great experience, I was able to help one student that spoke no English. After
working with her for a year she now was able to understand the basics and was
ready for the next level. All together the classes, being a volunteer and working in
a classroom has prepared me to become a teacher.
It is important to understand and learn the development conception
to early adolescence. Promoting a healthy brain development in young children by
providing a safe, healthy, stimulating environment and good nutrition. Studying

Child Development has prepared me for the expected and even unexpected;
behavior, physical, social and emotional changes that will take place in the stages
during a childs life. All children do not learn in the same level therefore, children
should not be taught the same. I also learned the importance of play in a childs
life. Play enhances language development, social, creativity, physical motor and
thinking skills.
My future plans are to open my own center and I learned the qualities that a
program needs. A child learns in a unique way and at an individual pace, so we
must teach them in various way. Children learn best when they are given choose
of activities that are appropriate and meaningful to them. Arranging the classroom
so that children are allowed for movement and the classroom is organized in areas.
Include materials that reflect the children, their families, and their origins. Small
group sizes and adult-to- child ratio encourages the best opportunities for a childs
development. A center should give opportunities for meaningful parent
involvement.
Family involvement is also an important component of a childs education.
A center should also have a meaning family involvement by; building a
relationship, having monthly workshops and open door policy. Parents should feel
the trust that any information or concerns of their children is confidential and no
one should be judge based on any information. At times a teacher might notice

that a child that is not engaged in activities as before as a teacher you want to have
the trust to ask the parents if there has been any changes at home that can be
affecting the childs emotions. By working in a team a teacher can be able to help
the child with any concerns. Ways to support families in a child care program;
helping in times of stress, strengthening families and support families of children
with disabilities.
I learned the benefits of observing young children with the necessary tools
and procedures. A teacher is able to plan a curriculum based on the needs of a
child. A teacher can also identify a childs weakness or/and strengthens in their
developmental domains. The benefits of identifying a child I will be able to
provide activities, like one-to-one activities or small group activities. Children can
also be assessed through play, a teacher can identify any social/emotional
weakness. In my field experience I able to see how some children make decisions
on their own to which play area they want to play. Others wait to see what another
student would choice. Also, I had the experience to observe a child and saw a
difference in the child from week 1 to week 15. By the teacher working with him
he was able to improve in his behavior. He was following rules and a routine that
help to have self-control.
As a teacher children should be exposed to literacy every day. Literacy
increases the development of their spoken language skills, their ability to express

themselves verbally, and to stand up for themselves. There are different ways that
we can get children to learn words not just by reading a book. I learned the
importance of reading a book to the children. The reading should be engaging, use
various tones of voices and have eye contact with the children. In my field
experience I was asked to read a book to the children during circle time, by
remembering the techniques it was much easier to have children engaged in the
story. Also, children should be provided with books in each of the play areas in
the center. There should be 2 books per child in the class and all books should be
rotated every 2 weeks. Children who play in the dramatic area will act to be a
teacher and act out the story.
Provide children with art activities, which is an excellent form for young
children to express their feelings, ideas and their understanding about themselves
and the surroundings as they see it. Art in not the only way to involve children in
creative art there is music, paintings, plays and dance. Children enjoy creativity
and benefit from it in many way, they learn to feel good about themselves, learn to
seek many answers to a problem, develop new skills and experience the joy of
being different. Children also have the ability to come up with creative answers,
creative approaches, and creative uses of materials. During my field experience I
was able to see how the children enjoyed to handprint a crab and decorate sea
animals with scraps of paper, pasta and other recycle items. As a teacher there are

many activities that can be provided to children besides a pencil and a paper.
Through art children are enhance their language, being social talking about a
painting, emotional because they are feeling joy of expressing their feeling, fine
motor skills by using a paint brush, For example the melting crayon activity,
painting with syrup and food coloring, children are able to enjoy the smell and
texture of the syrup. Preschool activities should lead to each students growth in all
the Illinois Standards. The learning standards explain what children between the
ages of 0 to 5 should know and be able to do before kindergarten. A teacher
should provide a well-rounded educational experiences and to help children
prepare for their future.
I also learned that young children should be given the opportunity to Math
and Science activities. It is important to teach math and science in early childhood
so that they can develop the concept. Early childhood stage is very important
because children develop habitats and if they are good habitats will help them in
the future. Math and science is part of our everyday life and so teaching them
early is important. Children can be exposed to math by setting up the table for
lunch, they are counting how many children sit in a table. A simply science
activity I learned is making play-dough, they are measuring the amount of
ingredients, children are seeing the change of texture and color.

An important part of being a teacher is children should be ask open ended

question. For open-ended questions they can be answered in a number of different
ways and there is no right or wrong answer. This allows a child to think, to reason,
to compare and notice details.

Again children are enhancing development

domains. Children are developing language, they are being creativity and problem
solving. Open-ended questions encourage conversation between the child and the
teacher.

Discipline should not mean to punish a child, but to guide and direct
children to a good behavior. Children need the opportunities to talk out problems,
think of solutions, and make decisions. This will help children use problemsolving skills.

Planning ahead.

Conflicts can be avoided by having enough

materials or toys for children to play with.

In conclusion, I know I am ready to be a teacher, the education I have
received from my professor at Richard Daley College and the field experience has
prepared me to become a professional. I am able to understand the importance of a
young child attending preschool. I will implement the knowledge and skills so that
my teaching is fun and interacting, so that children are able to learn and prepare
them for a good future.