As a teacher, what is the hardest part about working with kids?

Hi Edgar - One of the most challenging parts of working with children is becoming familiar with the different temperaments and behaviors that can come your way. You have to learn how to handle situations on a daily basis. Taking the kids seriously and acknowledging that they are experts within (and outside of) the process is always a must for projects that have anything to do with them. If you give kids more responsibility and tell them out loud that you expect certain things from them—such as accountability for their own actions and achieving a goal as a group—they will do their utmost to not fail the group, yourself or themselves. It's inspiring to be a part of their development, and it's awesome to see the results they produce

The awesome thing about kids is that they have this amazing ability to come up with cool and crazy ideas when you give them the possibility. You get to see completely new sides of them when you work with them through co-creative design processes. Their way of solving problems, the curiosity to try out things they've never tried in school, new methods of learning, working in teams, helping out their peers, and doing things that—at the beginning of the day—they thought they would never be able to do.

source: design.edu

Hi Edgar,

Being a teacher is one of the most rewarding professions because you have the opportunity to make it a fun and create a learning environment for children. You have the ability to make an impact on the future generation; however, teaching can be challenging and draining at times. I am not a teacher; however, I do have experience working with young children as a social worker. I can tell you that the hardest part of working with children is that some children deal with a lot of stressful events outside of school and this causes them to display challenging behaviors at school. There are children that don't have a healthy outlet at home where he/she can express their emotional feelings. As a teacher, you want to try to help each child with their personal issues but you can't make their situations at home disappear. While the children are in school, you can build a healthy relationship by getting to know each child's personalities; identify their strengths and let them know that you care. Providing support, setting boundaries and developing resouces for children is a great start. In addition, parental involvement is critical for the well being of the each child. Most parents want what is best for their children, but they may not know how to deal with their child's feelings; build healthy communication and be involved in their child's education. This is another obstacle that teachers must hurdle. Teachers must take an active role in giving parents the opportunity to be involved in all aspects of their child's well being and education. It is important to be direct with parents and engage them in discussions about the role parents play in their child's emotional, physical and educational well being. I hope this response helps you to have an understanding.

Hi Edgar,

- Increase students’ productivity

- Have the ability to anticipate problems

- Inspire and motivate students

In my view, these three things are the most difficult and important.

Hi Edgar, I am not a teacher by profession but there are times that I volunteer as a substitute teacher at my church. I will say that teaching kids is rewarding yet can be very challenging. Its a great feeling when my students can repeat something that I have taught them especially when I think they are not paying attention but they are actually listening. The hardest part about teaching for me is keeping the kids attention so I am always looking for activities that are fun and creative. I hope this helps.