How to Make a Lasting Impact as an Early Childhood Educator

Posted On October 18,2024

If you are considering a career as an early childhood educator, you likely already have an interest and passion about making a difference and seeing your students succeed. Once you are actually in the classroom however, it is easy to get bogged down and overwhelmed by the day-to-day work and wonder if you are making a lasting impact at all. It’s not always easy to step back and see the difference you are making, but by keeping a few things in the back of your mind, you can make a lasting impact as an early childhood educator.

Personalize Your Teaching

There are certainly some constants that hold true when you are preparing to teach young children, and when you have a full classroom, defaulting to a “one size fits all” or “teach to how most students learn” feels like the most practical way to structure your day. However, the best early childhood educators take the time to get to know every child and treat each student as the unique individual that they are. In order to get the best out of children, you need to be able to make a connection, and that means understanding how each child learns best, their strengths, their weaknesses, and their interests. Make sure you meet all children where they are and personalize your approach so they can feel as though they matter.

In addition, a teaching style that worked for your mentor or instructor may not feel like a fit for you. There are early childhood educators that are bubbly and energetic, early childhood educators that are calm and laid back, and early childhood educators that are firm but loving. To make a lasting impact, it’s important to find out what your teaching personality is and build upon that strength. You will have far more of an impact if you are authentic instead of feeling like you have to fit into a certain box.

Create a Nurturing and Inspiring Environment

Children learn best when they are in an environment where they feel safe and comfortable. As an early childhood educator, you create that environment for your students. There are two factors that go into how you build your space. The first is the practical. Your room should be inviting and child-friendly, with materials they need placed at a height they can easily reach. Many teachers build early literacy skills by labeling their classroom with both the words and a picture so students can make connections authentically. 

Having a designated area for each different activity – a cozy corner for reading, a set of easels for art, a place for each child to store their things – helps the students navigate their day without feeling unsettled or overwhelmed. Good teachers are mindful about finding a balance in their décor – not too much that can overstimulate students, but enough to make the room a fun place to be.

However, there is a second, and perhaps more important way to create a positive classroom environment, and that is the atmosphere in your classroom. Have you created a space where children feel safe? Are students comfortable moving around your room? It is possible for teachers to focus so much on maintaining an Instagram worthy classroom that they forget that it needs to be used by actual children. Your students should always feel that your classroom is a place where they belong.

Model Positive Behavior

While there is plenty of explicit instruction in an early childhood classroom, one of the best ways a teacher can make an impact on young students is by modeling positive behavior they want to ingrain in their students. The best teachers model how to interact with other students, how to interact with adults, how to respond to challenging situations, and overall, how to navigate the world with appropriate behavior. Many students will want to imitate their teachers, and when a teacher is demonstrating the positive behaviors they want to see, children will pick up on those cues in an authentic way. This works for both simple tasks, like using good manners and treating others kindly, and more complex behaviors. When they see their teacher demonstrating resilience in the face of a challenge, they are less likely to give in when faced with their own.

Demonstrate a Love of Learning

The most impactful early childhood educators are those that are enthusiastic about learning every day. Great early childhood educators are interested in the world around them and bring that curiosity into the classroom. When the teacher is engaged with learning and discovering, the students will be inspired to explore their own curiosity. Teaching isn’t just about providing the knowledge, but guiding the students in how to find answers and solutions. By engaging in active learning yourself, you can inspire your students. 

As an early childhood educator, you get the students for only a few years at the very beginning of their educational journey, but these years can be the most impactful. How a child begins in a school environment can set the tone for the rest of their years in the classroom. Most teachers have chosen this career because they want to make a difference in the lives of their students. Even if your students don’t remember all the little things that went on in your class, they will look back and remember feeling safe and happy. When you focus on the things that truly make a difference instead of the day-to-day grind, you can make a real impact. If you’ve always thought you’d had fun being a teacher, now is a great time to explore an early childhood education degree program. Contact Athena Career Academy for details on how to enroll!