The lowdown
A nursery teacher’s job is to focus on the overall personality development of a child. This involves developing work schemes and lesson plans to motivate children, and imaginatively using resources to help them learn. He/she is also responsible for developing the social and communication skills of children and providing a safe and secure environment in which they can learn. Basically, a nursery teacher’s responsibility is to create a home away from home for her students. The major part of the job includes the development of five important aspects of a child’s personality — cognitive development, speech and language development, physical development, social development and emotional development. Besides this, they also build and maintain relationships with parents/guardians to further support pupils as well as operate within multi-agency networks to ensure that the correct support is available. Hence, in the early years of a child, teachers play a crucial role in preparation for a successful transition to primary school education
ClockworkWhile there are days of special activities which are planned in the beginning of every month, a typical day of a nursery teacher looks something like this:9am: Reach school. Go through the day’s plan9.10am: Receive the children9.10am to 9.30am: Go through the routine of saying prayers and singing the national anthem, followed by warm up exercises and recitation of rhymes9.30am to 12pm: Conduct play activities with kids12 to 1.30 pm: Plan for the next day, review the day’s activities
The payoffThe salary of a school teacher varies from state to state and school to school. Remuneration is great in terms of job satisfaction. However it may not be commensurate with the labour involved, as a nursery school is not part of the organised sector
Skills/TRAITS* Love for young children* A great deal of energy is required* Pleasing and engaging personality with the knack and patience to connect with a child and ensure his/her progress* Resourcefulness, creativity and flexiblility combined with time management skills* Ability to understand a child’s psychology and frame of mind
{{/usCountry}}Skills/TRAITS* Love for young children* A great deal of energy is required* Pleasing and engaging personality with the knack and patience to connect with a child and ensure his/her progress* Resourcefulness, creativity and flexiblility combined with time management skills* Ability to understand a child’s psychology and frame of mind
{{/usCountry}}Getting thereThe starting point would be the nursery teacher training (NTT) offered as a vocational course at many recognised institutes. Other options would be Early Childhood and Care Education (ECCE) offered as a distance learning programme at IGNOU
Institutes and URLs* National Academy of Teacher’s Training, New Delhiwww.natt.in* Ramakrishna Teacher Training Institute, New Delhiwww.rktti.edu.in* Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhiwww.ignou.ac.in/ignou/aboutignou/school/soce/programmes/detail/238/2* University of Delhihttp://fyup.du.ac.in/disciplinecourses/HomeScienceDCII-HDCS/DC%20II%20%20HDCS.pdf
Pros and cons* Fixed working hours but no overtime* Less financially lucrative as compared to other jobs* Offers good social status* Immense job satisfaction* You enjoy various holidays* It’s great working with children* You can devote ample time to your family, as the job offers a good work-life balance
The biggest challenge for a nursery teacher is to win a child’s heart. The abiding desire to bring a difference in a child’s life and give him/her wings, is what keeps a nursery teacher ticking ----Meera Budhiraja, principal, Nestlings Playschool, New Delhi