kaela
what are some difficulties working with children
is there anything i need to know about the difficulties working with kids #teaching #child-care
4 answers
Meghan Thrasher
Meghan’s Answer
A fight will occur from two kids that were best friends yesterday, someone will burst into tears over the color of a cookie, someone who hated playing basketball yesterday is hurt that no one asked her to play today. There are a lot of reasons kids change their behavior so rapidly. The real difficulty is figuring out why and then helping the situation. The problem with that is that the issues are so unpredictable! By the time you start trying to figure out why someone behaved a certain way, two more issues arise.
I absolutely loved working with kids and I even loved the unpredictable side of working with children. However, not knowing what to expect from each kid on any give day was probably the most difficult thing.
You have to do a lot of digging to find out if their outburst was really about what happened in class or if it was because they’re tired, hungry, mom and dad aren’t doing well, or there’s a new baby on the way etc.
There are so many reasons in a child’s life that an outburst may occur. They seem unpredictable but digging until you find out why is important. If you can do that then you can start to associate their behaviors with needs. Like, “Okay Kevin is crying because he didn’t get the orange cookie just like he cried about the green toy the other day. I bet he didn’t get enough sleep last night like last time.” Then you adjust by making sure he has a longer nap or whatever works in the moment.
In the end, working with kids is awesome but their unpredictable behavior can be a bit tricky.
I hope this helps!
Ambrosia Vernagallo
Ambrosia’s Answer
Jenny Ing
Jenny’s Answer
I have spent a few years teaching music to 2-5 year olds, and I have found the more prepared you can be, the better. Having multiple assignments on hand to keep up with their short attention spans is a must.
It is an extremely rewarding venture, if you have the patience for it. I have so many fond memories of certain students making incredible progress in a very short amount of time.
Take care!
Jenny
Daniela Silva
Daniela’s Answer
Hi Kaela,
Children can be fun and stressful all at the same time.
Working with children can be pretty hectic at times, but it can also be a great learning experience. Kids know how to create something out of nothing and they know how to have fun with little going on! Everyone was once a child and remembers how it felt to be free without the adulthood stress. Here are a few pros and cons I deal with while working with children.
Cons:
Parents can be a bit paranoid.
Children can be unpredictable and unsafe, so you never know what they will do next. Numerous things can happen with children in your presence. Situations beyond your control might anger parents. This can put people on edge.
Children who aren't forced to listen at home won't listen to you
There are always those parents who let their children talk to them as if they were the actual kid. If the parents can't force their own child to listen most likely you won't be able to get them to cooperate at work.
More likely to get sick.
Children are germy, especially the younger ones. I know since I have worked with children I have gotten sick more times than usual.
Discipline is limited due to school or program rules.
I'm not saying that physical discipline is always the best way to go, but sometimes there are kids who need a good, old-fashioned butt-whooping. Just know their parents will flip if they found out you hit their child without their permission. Plus you'd most likely get fired.
In: https://www.theodysseyonline.com/pros-and-cons-working-with-children
Best!