My son attends a parent co-op preschool. Unfortunately, some personal issues have come up for the teacher he had last year, and she’s having to leave in the middle of the school year. I will be taking over for her (I have a Masters in education and two years teaching experience at the second grade level). I am very excited for this opportunity but nervous to be taking over someone else’s classroom in the middle of the year and looking at a lot of unknowns for the future (I may take this position long term.) I will have some curriculum calendars that I can follow if I want, and there is another teacher with the same class level, so we will be working together closely. On that level, I’m not nervous. I am, though, wondering what it is that makes you love your child’s preschool teacher. I was a fairly strict second grade teacher (I taught in a rough neighborhood and Chicago). And was very focused on academics (my classroom was fun but my students were 1-2 years behind grade level, so we had to be pretty focused). This school is play-based. I will be teaching three and four-year-olds.
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I loved my then 3 year olds teachers last year- they seemed to really like her, were helpful with giving me updates as needed without seeming negative about her (she can be a tough kid prone to tantrums...). And their class was always fun and positive but very structured, which was the best fit for my spirited girl.
On the flip side this year I don’t love the teachers quite as much, and it’s partly because the class is just much less structured, which isn’t as good for my girls personality, but partly because i don’t always feel like she is very special to them. One I actually felt like maybe didn’t like her because they had a rough start to the year, though I have since found out that she had a lot of personal stuff going on that would explain it.
Just having the teacher always seem pleased to see your kid in the morning goes a long way.
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I just love that they really seem emotionally involved with my son. They always have time for him, they tell me stories about him, and they seem to understand him. The fact that he learns stuff at daycare is, to me, secondary to the fact that he spends the day with people who care about him and enjoy him for who he is.
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I agree @erinbaderin. One of the things I love about our current teacher is how she clearly knows and understands the little things about my son and makes sure to tell me. I love to hear the details about what he said, what he played with, etc. It makes me feel like they really connect and pay attention.
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Agree 100% with @erinbaderin. My son is only 2, but he's in fulltime daycare and I doubt my opinion will change when he's 3 or 4. His 2 year old teachers are great, and I think the reason why is they are emotionally involved and also physically affectionate with him (and the other children). Picking them up, kids sitting in their lap reading books one-on-one, hugs, just giving them a lot of love and as much attention as possible. The teachers seem very involved and interested in their social and emotional development, which is just so critical at this young age - more so, I think, than academics.
I like getting as much feedback as possible from the teachers, I like to know what he did, what they did at school, was he happy, what did he like, what upset him, etc. Our teacher is always willing to talk to us (I often call at naptime) to answer any questions or update us. They also want to know what's going on at home so they can be aware of anything, help the kids, etc.
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My son has had multiple pre-K teachers (he ended up switching classrooms) and now is in a private, small kindergarten (which i consider kindergarten-lite). The thing that made me love the teachers he’s had/has is their connection to him. The 2 teachers I adored really get him. It’s clear they care deeply and put in the time to know what makes him tick, enjoy what he brings to the classroom, and build a loving relationship. They’re warm with him and friendly with me, but they don’t shy away from addressing reality. They let me know in a kind way when things aren’t going well (and, in equal measure, stories & info of when it is going well).
On a related note, I’ve done what you’re doing. Same education background (although I had taught Pre-K and Kinder) and I went from several years in 2nd grade to a class of 2.5-5year olds. “Curriculum” is the easy part. Re-framing my expectations was more difficult for me. I had to be open to “checking” myself often for the first year. Even 4 years in, I still find myself drifting towards the academic side, when the social & emotional development is really where it’s at. When I eventually go back to public primary grades, I’ll have a whole new perspective. Also, I’ve had some parent troubles. In public school, parents don’t get as involved. In private pre-school, they *want to know everything* and I’ve done a lot more catering to parents needs than I ever had before. I’ve realized that I need to build the same warm, caring relationship with the parents that I’ve built with the kids.
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My kids are together in a class totalling 40 kids (not all at once!) and I just get the feeling that the six teachers really love my kids! They take the time to chat when I do pickups and drop offs and they always stop to talk when we see them outside of preschool. They hug the kids and always seem genuinely pleased to see them.
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We are also at a play based co op and i think beeing involved will already give you a head start based on what you did and didnt like for your own kids. Personally, I think it's important that the teachers really take the time to get to know each child and is not afraid of physically comforting them like hugging and holding them. I love that my kids teachers get down on the floor and play with the kids and let them sit in their laps to read books, etc. My middle son's teacher is my favorite for him because she knows to let him sit with her when he arrives and she talks about what shirt he is wearing (he loves character t shirts and she figured that out). I loved how when my older LO got hurt, his teacher called to see how he was doing that evening. It really did mean a lot.
The things I haven't loved are when teachers are too dismissive, telling he kids that they are fine. When my oldest had just started school he fell and hit his head and the teacher never gave him ice or told me. He had a huge lump and bruise when I picked him up which is how I knew but when I asked she told me he was fine after it happened. I noticed a few other teachers doing similar things (not to the same extent) and it kind of drives me crazy. Generally I find it a bigger issue with the younger kids though.Good luck!
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@Jess1483: congrats on your new job! What I love about my DD and DS preschool teacher (same person) is that she genuinely loves my kids. There have been things that we’ve disagreed on over the years; napping, food, etc. but at the end of the day I know she really loves them. Very warm and caring and interested and invested. Makes all the difference in the world!
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My daughter is only 2.5, but the teachers I've loved the most are the ones that have connected with her and spent time working with her on things that are of interest for her.
Right now, she's the oldest kid in the young toddler class. At first, I was upset when a lot of her friends moved up to the older toddler class, but there wasn't enough space for her to move with them. (Spots go in order by birthday, and they were all a bit ahead of her in age.) My daughter is fairly advanced for her age, and I worried about her being in a room full of younger kids all day. But the teachers she has are fantastic. I can tell they spend a lot of time with her. They've been working with her on learning words that start with different letters of the alphabet, drawing lines and motor skills, and lately addition and subtraction with counting. I'm pretty sure those are things they typically don't teach until the older class, but her teachers are working with her because they know she's ready. I feel like they took a situation that could have concerned me as a parent and turned it into something that I'm actually really pleased with.
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I think meaningful feedback as often as possible(daily preferred) and signs that she really cares for my kids and interacts with them individually.
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@skipra so agree with the physical affection and touch, that's so important to me.
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Like everyone else has already said, having a teacher that notices and understands the *little* details about your kid is very comforting and reassuring.
The other huge factor for me, like joyfulkiwi already touched on, is how well that teacher communicates with parents. I feel that the teacher's style, frequency, and method of communication are an indicator of how invested the teacher is. For example, I loved the teachers who would send regular newsletters outlining what they were learning/had accomplished, would send me note about minor issues just as a "heads up", and were extremely receptive to feedback or meeting requests from me; bonus points for the teachers who used apps and uploaded photos! We've been pretty lucky--the only teacher so far that didn't fit this criteria was very disorganized and never sent any sort of communications... but we later found out that she was dealing with a very serious personal issue (involving her infant) and she wasn't able to take time off.
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Thank you all
Your thoughts and feeling are similar to mine. I love my younger son's preschool teacher because whenever she sees me at the end of the day, she laughs like she's remembering my little guy's day so fondly. I know she adores him. My older son's preschool teacher (he's 5) is so in-tune with him and respectful (he does NOT want to be comforted by physical touch). I will be sure to focus on communication (some of that is easy since we're a co-op and the parents are in the room once a month, but I will be sure to focus on it.)
I want to be very sensitive with the transition for the kids. For most, it is the only time they've ever been in care, and the transition is happening quickly (she's notifying them this week and her last day is the 26th).
@JoyfulKiwi: Thanks for your insight. Between my years teaching and now, I was a behavior specialist working in a school setting, and I learned that lesson quickly
I will probably need to continually check myself as well, but I've become very fascinated with the preschool age as my kiddos go through it, and I will try to keep myself grounded in that. Feel free to pass along any favorite resources -
My LO is 5 (missed the kindergarten cut off) and I've had teachers that I've loved and teachers that I don't. I don't love his current teacher. She's very structured and will not budge from anything. I also don't think she likes teaching. She is always looking for a break from the kids and is a little rude when parents drop off. I should say when mom's drop off. Dads are never a problem which also sort of bugs me. He has a few more months with her and then he's off to kindergarten, so I'm trying to stick with it.
He's had teachers in the past who I have loved though. Mainly because they're warm, made him feel really welcome in the classroom and showed overall that they care about him. I think that's the most important part of any teacher - showing that you genuinely care about your students, even the tougher, harder to handle students. DS1 is my rule follower, but DS2 is my rule breaker. DS1 gets super emotional, and his former teachers helped him to express his feelings in a better way than crying. His current teacher just ignores him when he cries, and that's heartbreaking to me. It's not nearly as frequent, and I know he's overly sensitive, but he needs some help in figuring out a better way to express himself. And I need a teacher to recognize that.
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The head teacher in my daughter’s 4 year old room is so great. I wish she could be the teacher forever! It’s very loosely a preschool—more of a daycare—and there isn’t a curriculum. They do handwriting sometimes and indirect adding and number activities, but also more hands-on activities like making play dough and seeing if pumpkins float or sink. She seems much more geared toward learning through living. She is also very warm, nurturing, and sweet. My number one concern is that my girls feel cared for and safe—not that they learn something. And they get that at their daycare.
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I keep meaning to add that I love that you asked this question, I think it shows that you're going to be fantastic at this. As a parent I would so appreciate knowing my child's teacher was looking for input and actively trying to be better at something before they'd even started. Good luck!
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Yeah, agree with everyone else that the true common thread of the teachers we like/prefer is that they seem to truly get to know, care about, and appreciate each kid for their own quirks. And a big part of that is making time for both the child & their parents for whatever they need (exploring interests and teaching individually with the children; communicating both academically and personally with the parents).
The good news is that we have had all sorts of personalities within the teachers we have loved: the sunniest, happiest kind; the quieter stricter kind; the super extroverted loves-to-sing kind; the less talkative, nerdy knows-the-scientific-name-for-everything kind...and it really is totally separate from that.
Your thoughts and feeling are similar to mine. I love my younger son's preschool teacher because whenever she sees me at the end of the day, she laughs like she's remembering my little guy's day so fondly. I know she adores him. My older son's preschool teacher (he's 5) is so in-tune with him and respectful (he does NOT want to be comforted by physical touch). 
I will probably need to continually check myself as well, but I've become very fascinated with the preschool age as my kiddos go through it, and I will try to keep myself grounded in that. Feel free to pass along any favorite resources 
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