Introduction
Human resources (HR) managers are the professionals who oversee the hiring of employees in an organization. The ability of an organization to attract people with relevant skills is dependent on the strategies that are used by the HR manager. In the education sector, teachers are vital because without them the learning process would not take place.
When it comes to the hiring of teachers for kindergarten level, the HR manager should be careful in selecting the potential candidates. Early childhood is important because it is at this level that the foundation of learning is established. The teachers who educate young learners have more demanding roles than their counterparts who teach learners in higher grades because the former can hardly communicate efficiently.
This is because apart from being the children’s teacher, he/she assumes the role of a parent. Therefore, not every teacher can teach at kindergarten level because the children view him/her as their guardian, and a lot of commitment is required.
Recruitment Procedures and Qualifications
To begin with, the HR should analyze the papers of the applicants to shortlist the ones who qualify for this job. In the US, the minimum entry point for kindergarten teachers is a diploma in early childhood education, but most public schools prefer the teachers who hold a degree of the same course (Hatch, 2005).
The requirements vary from one school to another, but the determining factor is whether the school is a private entity or publicly owned. Private schools tend to be less strict in recruitments because what they are mainly interested in is someone who can work within their budget. Hence they do not emphasize on degrees.
Gera and Crowley (2010) reckon that the process of recruiting in kindergarten should be treated with a lot of urgencies, especially if the vacuum has been created by a teacher who has left. It is therefore important to advertise the vacant position as soon as the resignation letters are received so that the vacancy can be filled immediately.
In this regard, carrying recruitment slowly could interfere with the school curriculum because the kids may not have enough time to cover the entire syllabus. Therefore, the Internet is among the best platforms that handle applications because it is very fast compared to handling hardcopy applications.
Nowadays, things have changed because unlike before when kindergarten lessons ended in the early afternoon, today’s kindergartens remain in progress until five in the evening. This suggests that the kindergarten teacher of these days works extra hours than usual. Thus, HR should consider discussing the working hours with potential candidates before hiring them so that they are aware of what to expect.
Personality Traits
HR should hire teachers who have what it takes to be a kindergarten teacher. First, the potential candidate should be patient because kids are at times stubborn. Also, children come from different backgrounds, and it is the teacher’s role to help them co-exist peacefully with one another. On top of that, kindergarten children have different abilities because some are drawn from preschool centers while others have never entered a classroom before.
It is therefore upon the teacher who is being hired to be very patient with them. Teachers with experience, of saying one year, are best suited for this position, but lack of experience should not be used as a stumbling block because this level capitalizes most on personality traits. Patience also includes remaining composed when things are not working as they should.
According to Koplow (2002), a kindergarten teacher should be knowledgeable in first aid skills because sometimes children become ill, perhaps due to injuries, they get while playing or any other reason and one expects the teacher to take immediate action in case of such incidences. The teacher should be someone flexible such that when she is teaching, she can monitor what the kids are doing; especially when they are playing because this is when most accidents occur.
Additionally, a kindergarten teacher should be someone gentle to the kids – this is crucial because if the teacher is too harsh towards the kids, it will be difficult for him/her to establish a friendship with them. Similarly, a teacher should be an active person who can participate in children’s plays because playing is an essential tool in learning.
Working with children can be a challenge for someone who has no love for children because it is not always easy to understand them due to their different upbringing (Hatch, 2005). A kindergarten teacher should be positive minded, by having a strong belief that things can improve with more efforts. Moreover, being positive towards the learners of this level is important because they need to be regularly encouraged.
This is essential in an inclusive classroom because the teacher plays the role of a motivator. By being positive minded he/she will be able to help the learners perform better even after they have failed so many times. Usually, children are not good listeners because their mind can be easily carried away by the events that are going on around them.
It is therefore recommended that a teacher should know how to integrate jokes and stories in teaching (Gera & Crowley, 2010). The stories make the children’s attention to be drawn back to the classroom. Also, sharing laughter with the kids will establish strong bondage between the teacher and the children.
Creativity is also recommended because it is used to solve problems when they arise, and it is also applied to do things differently to achieve the same results. Sometimes, old strategies do not work, and it is necessary to identify new methodologies to achieve the desired results.
For instance, when the learners are not getting the concept inside the classroom, the teacher should integrate learning with the games kids play. Generally, a kindergarten worker should be someone who is respectable and appreciates the moral values of society. A candidate with a strong religious background is best suited for this position which is an advantage to the employer because the same individual can be called on to teach children about religion.
This can be verified by requesting for testimonials from religious leaders, and also a certificate that is issued by the authorities after one has been vetted and found not guilty of any criminal offense. Finally, a kindergarten teacher should be someone who can communicate efficiently with the kids in a simple language.
By having strong verbal and written communication skills, the teacher will be the first to know when a child is being exposed to any kind of oppression especially from home. In essence, the potential candidate should be someone who can give the children a chance to express their views (Koplow, 2002).
Observing Work Progress
Once a teacher who possesses the skills and personality that match with the HR requirements has been identified, he/she should be brought on board with immediate effect. The school administration should provide favorable conditions for the teacher so that he/she can work for that particular employer for a long time.
However, if the teacher is not satisfied by the incentives and conditions set by the employer, he/she will look for work elsewhere, and this will hurt the performance of the kids because of the time that will be spent in getting acquainted with the kids.
There are some things that the HR department needs to look for within the first few weeks hiring. One area of concern is the organization of the teacher in the way he/she does things, such as arriving in school on time. These are some of the indicators that could send signals about the commitment of the teacher to his/her work.
Also, it is important to monitor closely how the teacher interacts with other teachers. The teaching fraternity requires a lot of collaboration among the teachers; hence if the new teacher spends most of his/her time alone, there is no guarantee for success.
This is because if he/she is anti-social, the trait might be extended to his/her class. It is assumed that a good teacher shares his/her concerns about his/her learners with the other teachers so that they can work on them collectively (Gera & Crowley, 2010).
Conclusion
Teaching is like a calling because the teacher is the one who molds children to become responsible citizens. It is therefore salient to consider the teacher’s personality because in the long run it will be reflected the learners. The effectiveness of learning in higher grades is influenced by the foundation that was laid down by the kindergarten teacher.
Additionally, school administrators should reward the teachers and subordinate workers who deliver commendable results because these are some of the things that motivate them to work harder. The employment opportunities for teachers are still many, and indeed, most schools need more teachers, but what is holding them from conducting recruitments is lack of adequate funds.
Teachers should advance their careers because it is the only way of broadening their employment opportunities. The ones who are not employed should use their skills by volunteering so that they can be updated on the industry standards that are changing every other day.
References
Hatch, A. J. (2005).Teaching in the New Kindergarten. New York: Thomson Delmar Learning.
Gera, J. & Crowley, K. (2010). Reaching Standards and Beyond in Kindergarten. California: Sage Company.
Koplow, L. (2002). Creating Schools that Heal: Real Life Solutions. New York: Teachers College Press.