Can I work with kids?

When a person starts getting a degree in teaching, mostly he learns how to teach kids theoretically. It leads to reflexions: Can I teach kids? How to do it? Can I cope with discipline?

Surely, these issues are serious and before real lessons with students, young teachers may have some doubts. In this article we speculate on the seven questions. Each teacher should answer them before starting the career in teaching kids.

Am I creative?

To keep good discipline, achieve results, create a positive atmosphere at the lessons teachers should use all their imagination and creativity. Try to surprise students, make them smile and laugh, don`t be afraid to mix extraordinary activities. You may use unusual types of lessons like a flipped classroom, a quest or a challenge. It’s also a great idea to conduct your lessons on the playground or in the park. Moreover, you may offer your students to draw new words, their mood and emotions or to try to work with songs in an unusual way.  

However, if you think that being creative isn’t about you — calm down. Then it’s high time to try some creativity developing exercises: to come up with a new usage of a typical object (how else can we use a fork, pillow, glass?), to finish one picture in ten different ways and so on. Moreover, you can offer these activities to your students and you will have fun together.

Am I optimistic?

Share your positive energy, happiness and optimism with kids, and they will return it to you. Kids feel who you really are and it’s absolutely impossible to pretend. So you need to be satisfied with what you do, energetic and eager to develop yourself. If you have some problems with it, like emotional burnout, aggression, panic attacks, bad mood — you have to evaluate your physical and mental condition. Maybe it’s better to take a break and find out something that can fill you with positive energy and make resourceful. This article contains several useful tips.

Am I energetic?

It’s obvious that lessons with kids are active: you play games, use gestures, mime something, sing songs, help your students, etc. Such activities are energy-consuming and there is a possibility that at the end of the day you will be totally exhausted. Moreover, through these actions, you should convey your love and positive energy and it’s impossible to do it if you think only how to have a rest for a minute. So, 15 minutes of sport every day will not only create a great mood but will help to go through the difficult working day positively as well. In this article you can find several awesome sport activities for teachers.  

Am I a good psychologist?

Can you easily calm down a crying boy and cheer up a sad girl? Are you empathetic and caring? Do you know how to make a shy boy speak and how to involve in writing a hyperactive girl? If you answer “yes” you have a great chance to teach kids perfectly. When you have some doubts about how to act just relax and do what your heart says. To understand the emotions better practise several exercises to master your emotional intelligence. Start with modeling emotions using facial expression and body language: it will help you to indicate the kid`s emotions at the lessons. If you want to understand the origin of someone’s emotions you can try the following activity:  try to “put yourself in their shoes” and perhaps discover what is behind their behavior. Besides, you may offer these activities to your students. More information about emotional intelligence you can find in this book.  

Am I ready for professional growth?

No one can be a really wonderful teacher without self-development. So if you want to teach kids it’s essential to explore professional literature, watch webinars, attend conferences or contests and share your experience with other teachers or just read articles about psychology and teaching. Even the busiest teacher can find 15 minutes a day for the self-study. In this case, you will stay up-to-date, so your lessons will be trendy and extraordinary.

Am I a kid at heart?

It’s clear that you cannot be fully involved in games, discussions of superheroes or drawing princesses if you think that it’s silly and you are too old for it. You should be able to look at the world through the eyes of your students, you should see what is incredible for them and use it at the lessons. If you show your sincere interest and involvement, your students will do their best and English will never be a torture for them.

Do I love kids?

The phrase “do what you love, love what you do” is really suitable here. Only love for kids guarantees that you work with them successfully. It helps overcome the time when you are tired, kids are naughty and inattentive and your working day finished an hour ago. Your love for kids will help to pay attention to positive aspects of teaching. So you will notice great energy, satisfaction, visible results of your work, smiles of your students, their positive feedback to your actions.

If you really love kids, but there are some doubts about other aspects — don`t worry. Everything can be improved. Love of teaching kids will help to tackle any problems!