Bachelor of Early Childhood Education

Childhood Education

It is a great joy when one learns a new thing. But it is an even greater joy to teach someone something new. This is why elementary education is popular even though it might not pay as well as the other professions and disciplines. Every elementary school teacher will tell you how good it feels when a child learns to write the first letter, then the alphabet, the letters, its name and finally complete words. The transformation is painstakingly gradual but the rewards are eternal and every child will probably remember their elementary school teacher by name due to the special part they played in their lives.

The meaning of elementary education may vary from country to country. In some, it includes pre-school or nursery education while in some it refers to the post nursery or primary education such as in the US. This type of education is actually compulsory in most countries though parents might be allowed to give home education to their children. Typically though, it is provided in schools by a single teacher while the pupil advances in classes. The teacher may from time to time be assisted by a specialist teacher though it may be for issues such as health and nutrition.

The reason why it is usually advisable to have a single teacher, is so that the teacher may provide a close relationship with the class and the pupils which enables him or her to single out the individual needs of each and every student. Elementary school teachers therefore are trained to identify the different characters of the students in a manner that enables him or her to find out those that are having difficulty in learning or socialising for them to receive specialized attention. This is why sometimes the education degree is supplemented by a degree in child psychology to equip the teachers with such cognitive skills.

To be an elementary or primary school teacher, one needs a Bachelor of Education degree. Though it has a masters option, it is often enough for one to qualify to teach in a primary school. Traditionally, elementary education incorporated corporal education to instil discipline in students though this has been abolished in several countries particularly in the west. In the US grade school, as primary school is called, elementary

school teachers use what is known as the looping system where the teacher teaches the same set of students for two years.

The concept of elementary school system of education is gradually changing due to many issues as regards policy. These changes are influenced by the ever increasing number of students and also the need to keep the quality of education. This is why there have been suggestions to change the system to allow more grade teachers to specialize in specific subjects such that the students have a rotating set of teachers per subject. Whichever, the changes, teaching elementary school is fun and it is self gratifying. Also, it does not seem to have the work related stress that other careers seem to have.