Christin Warren has been working as a preschool teacher in Seattle, Washington for 14 years, but despite all of the time that’s elapsed since she first started out, she still remembers what she wished she knew back then.

For Cosmopolitan Magazine, Warren details 12 things she wish she had known when she was first starting out in the profession.

For one, she says she wished she knew that “[t]here are tons of contradictory opinions about early education, so you need to find a school that fits your own approach.”

Warren discusses the very different approaches and beliefs that exist when it comes to at what age a young child should begin learning.

"I worked at two very prominent preschools and each had totally different opinions about early education. One started at 3 months old, which goes to this theory that infants should be eligible for "preschool." We planned curriculum for the infant room, which was very much about their development. The other school started at 3 years old, which they believed to be the crucial time for kids to learn,” she said.

Going beyond the age that young children learn best at, Warren also points out that many are divided on how young children should best learn.

" There are also debates about whether preschools should be "play-based" or "academic," and whether teachers should focus on giving kids hands-on learning experiences or let the kids self-direct their own learning. There is no right or wrong answer, but I think it's very important to make sure your teaching philosophy matches up with the school you choose to work in.”

Warren acknowledges that she wished she got paid more- "you really have to love this job because you're not going to be doing it for the money,” she said, and that teamwork is crucial to doing a good job.

"There are also more roles than just teaching within a preschool: In my career, I've worked on the teaching side, as the director of a school's toddler department, and as a manager to the other teachers,” she said.

Read her full post here.

Article by Nicole Gorman, Education World Contributor

3/15/2016