Many people who want to become preschool teachers do so because they love working with children, but it is a very intense and grueling profession, often involving long hours crafting lesson plans or writing student evaluations. However, it is also an invaluable profession that helps the youngest students become lifelong learners. The following are among the content and skills you’ll be responsible for guiding students through:  Learning to recognize letters and sounds Learning numbers and counting Learning the basics of writing Learning to follow directions, voice their needs, and socialize Preschool teaching is not for everyone, especially given the long hours and relatively low pay. In addition to a passion for working with children, you should have the following characteristics:  Ability to communicate with different kinds of people. Communicating with a four-year-old requires different skills from communicating with her parent or presenting to colleagues and administrators. Creativity and adaptability. Not only must you be able to develop engaging lesson plans, but you must also be able to adapt these lesson plans. Different students will have very different needs. Organization. You will need to make careful notes about your lesson plans (what you did, what worked and what didn’t, what you would change in the future). While preschool teachers generally do not give their students formal grades, you will also need to keep track of your students’ work so that you can write regular progress reports. Patience. A room full of preschoolers can’t help but be frustrating at times, but you cannot become overwhelmed by this inevitability. Can you maintain your calm at all times? Energy. Preschoolers are also physically exhausting. Do you have the stamina to interact with them for seven or eight (or more) hours a day, most of it standing, and then spend several hours writing lesson plans afterwards? While the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that preschool teaching will continue to grow over the next several years, meaning that there will be more jobs, these jobs will continue to pay modestly.  The number of children between three and five is expected to grow over the next several years. Many of them will be enrolled in preschool. You will have a much easier time finding a job if you have some education past high school, especially if you have a bachelor’s degree. However, even those with bachelor’s degrees will likely make less money than people in other closely-related professions.  Preschool teachers had a median salary of $27,130 in 2012.  Kindergarten and elementary school teachers had a median salary of $53,430 in 2012.  Part of this difference can be attributed to the different places in which nursery teachers work, with those employed in schools making more.    Keep these factors in mind when it comes to pursuing different qualifications.

Summary:
Research what preschool teachers do. Consider your own strengths and weaknesses. Consider job prospects and pay.