1. BEING A PRESCHOOL TEACHER By: Ziona’ White

2. Personal Profile for Ziona’ White Personality Funny Crazy Outgoing Lovely Shy Interest Working out Basketball Helping Cooking Teaching Career Possibilities Preschool teacher Chef Middle school teacher Work Values Professionalism Self-confidence, Competence Loyalty Dependability Skills Writing Singing Dancing Cooking Basketball Personal Values Good citizenship Curiosity Learning Positivity Accountability

3. Work you Perform Monitor students' progress, and provide students and teachers with assistance in resolving any problems. Confer with parents and staff to discuss educational activities and policies, and students' behavioral or learning problems. Set educational standards and goals, and help establish policies, procedures, and programs to carry them out. Plan, direct, and monitor instructional methods and content of educational, vocational, or student activity programs. Direct and coordinate activities of teachers or administrators at daycare centers, schools, public agencies, or institutions. Prepare and maintain attendance, activity, planning, accounting, or personnel reports and records for officials and agencies, or direct preparation and maintenance activities. Recruit, hire, train, and evaluate primary and supplemental staff, and recommend personnel actions for programs and services. Teach classes or courses, or provide direct care to children.

4. Wage and Salary You make $25,700 a year for being a preschool teacher. You make $12.35 an hour for being a preschool teacher.

5. Characteristics Active Listening Speaking Talking Monitoring /Assessing Reading Comprehension Coordination Adjusting Social Perceptiveness Critical Thinking Time Management Writing Management of Personnel Resources Service Orientation Judgment and Decision Making Instructing Negotiation Active Learning Learning Strategies Complex Problem Solving

6. Educational background needed Bachelor's Degree Associate's Degree Some College Courses Master's Degree Post-Master's Certificate

7. Where you can get the education needed Argosy University-Washington D.C. College of William and Mary George Mason University Hampton University Liberty University Lynchburg College Marymount University Old Dominion University Radford University Shenandoah University Strayer University-Virginia University of Mary Washington University of Richmond University of Virginia-Main Campus Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

8. Advantages Though you won't get rich, you will receive a solid paycheck with a salary in line with other professions. Benefits such as health insurance and retirement savings, which are often hard to come by in today's job market. Work schedule will often match those of your children, potentially reducing child care costs. Weekends, holidays, and the summer off. Opportunity to share your passion and foster it in others. It's a great job as long as you love working with kids The kids learn and grow so much over the year! Knowing that you're making a difference.

9. Disadvantages Small school budgets can be frustrating. Bureaucracy of red tape, guidelines, and managing the changing and often conflicting directives or principals, school boards, and parent-teacher associations. Homework. Teachers' work includes a great deal of behind-the-scenes activity preparing activities, grading work, and interacting with parents. Typically low pay even with a college degree. Usually very little respect, we get called glorified babysitters and a host of other things. People don't think they we're actually teaching them anything and that we're not important Difficulty meeting the needs of many diverse students Often required to earn a master's degree for greatest job security (this is a perk from my perspective)

10. Career Ladder There are three levels of the Career Ladder: Coordinator Teacher, Lead Teacher, and Master Teacher. As teachers grow in their skills, leadership ability, and knowledge of the Connections Academy program and virtual education, the three levels of the Career Ladder provide an opportunity for professional advancement and a corresponding increase in compensation.

11. Employee outlook Employment of preschool teachers is expected to grow by 25 percent faster than the average for all occupations. Growth is expected due to a continued focus on the importance of early childhood education and the growing population of children ages 3 to 5. Plan, direct, or coordinate the academic and nonacademic activities of preschool and childcare centers or programs. Teach classes or courses, or provide direct care to children. Recruit, hire, train, and evaluate primary and supplemental staff, and recommend personnel actions for programs and services.

12. Related occupations Training and Development Managers Education Administrators, Postsecondary Medical and Health Services Managers Social and Community Service Managers Management Analysts Training and Development Specialists Instructional Coordinators First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers Education Administrators, Elementary and Secondary School Education Administrators, Postsecondary Distance Learning Coordinators Fitness and Wellness Coordinators Regulatory Affairs Specialists Instructional Coordinators

13. Biology http://www.vaview.org/68/careersq/career- search/career/11-9031.00