A Typical Day as a Head Start Teacher

Teaching at Head Start is a career that requires you to love young children, because no one would do this job for the pay alone. A typical day begins early, as school starts around 7:30 am. The children for the most part ride buses to school so they trickle in to the classroom in the morning as buses arrive. I greet each child and direct them to an activity until all the children have arrived.

We begin our day like any preschool, sitting in a circle going over the calendar, having each child tell me something about our current topic. Then we line up to wash our hands before breakfast. Because these are low income kids we make sure they get two good, nutritious meals before they go home each day. I've even seen kids put food in their pockets to bring home to a baby sister or brother.

Often we are social workers as well as teachers. If we have a concern we might do a home visit, along with a member of the social service staff. We act as nurses to the kids as well, watching for outbreaks of the never-ending lice, or checking on suspicious bruises. If we see anything that points to abuse, we must by law report it. However most of these kids come from loving homes, even if it's just with one struggling parent.

 The school day goes quickly with a schedule adapted for preschoolers. We go outside for recess when weather permits, even take field trips when we can, often something as simple as a trip to the public library is a treat for these kids. We have story time at least once a day, usually before the afternoon nap in order to quiet the kids down.

Sometimes the teachers get a break when we watch a cartoon with the kids. Meeting with parents is often the most challenging part of the day, because many of these families have economic woes, unemployment, domestic problems, substance abuse, or other difficulties they may be ashamed to communicate to us about. We have monthly parent meetings; just like PTA only we always have a translator for our many Spanish-speaking parents. That's a challenge too in the classroom, but the children in Spanish only homes quickly learn the English they need to get what they want.

This is a job you definitely take home with you, from making the next day's lesson plan, to worrying about a shy youngster who won't tell you what's bothering him. Even after another bunch of kids has graduated, you find yourself thinking of them. Often you lose kids in the middle of the year because these families make many moves; then you must get acquainted with a new student. But I wouldn't choose another career, even to make more money teaching in public school, because this is a job of the heart, and it's a job that makes you a better person for doing it.