Biggest Challenges Faced By A Kindergarten Teacher At KIPP SoCal
Giselle, a kindergarten teacher at KIPP SoCal, finds the biggest challenge is teaching four-to-five-year-olds, many experiencing their first school setting, "how to be in school," requiring strategies like nonverbal cues for restroom or water breaks to manage interruptions. This highlights the significant role of classroom management in early childhood education.
Classroom Management, Early Childhood Education, Child Development, Behavior Management, Teaching Strategies
Advizer Information
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Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
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Giselle Mendoza
Kindergarten teacher
KIPP SoCal
UCLA
LMU - MA / credential in Special Education
Anthropology, Sociology
Education
Education
Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Managing young children's behavior and establishing classroom routines is a significant challenge.
2. Many kindergarten students lack prior schooling experience, requiring teachers to focus on teaching school-appropriate behavior in addition to academics.
3. The teacher uses visual cues and silent signals as effective classroom management strategies to minimize disruptions during instruction.
Transcript
What is your biggest challenge in your work as a kindergarten teacher?
The biggest challenge is that they are only four to five years old, and most of them have never been to school before. It's really hard to teach them how to be in school and how not to interrupt when we are learning.
But I have systems in place that have been helping me navigate this. Instead of a student saying, "Teacher, I need water" or "Teacher, I need to go to the restroom," if they need water, they just show a silent three.
If they need to go to the restroom, they just do this. They've been really practicing, and it's been going pretty well for the last two weeks. I can only imagine what teaching kids how to be little students actually is like.
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