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Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

To become a great prekindergarten teacher, you need “patience, lots of patience,” laughs Jacinth Gurdon, at Poinciana Elementary in Kissimmee, Florida. Plus, a knack for creating structure and a good singing voice won’t hurt either.

"You have to be that nurturing person who does all the singing— everything is a song!"

But once you’ve accomplished that—and fear not, 3-year-olds rank enthusiasm much more highly than tone—you’ll be very popular.

As many school systems respond to testing pressure by pushing more demanding curricula into younger grades (kindergarten is the new first grade, you may have heard), and as public policy-makers realize that early education is an effective way of preventing later problems, prekindergarten programs are growing across the country.

This summer, Florida’s 4-year-olds will be enrolling in vast numbers to meet that state’s new universal prekindergarten initiative. Nationally, between 2002 and 2003, the number of children in state-funded preschool grew by 6 percent.

So you’ll have a job, and what’s more, a very rewarding one. “It just doesn’t compare,” says Gurdon, who previously taught fourth and fifth grades, but was urged to accept her new position by district officials. “It was the best decision I made—the growth that I’ve seen!”

Say What?

Diana Ogawa is retiring next year, after 36 years as a speech-language pathologist in California’s public schools. Who’s going to take her place?

Probably not any young pup with a nose for money. Choosing public schools over private practice doesn’t make much financial sense. “When you think ‘speech and language,’ most people probably think public schools—but it’s wide open,” Ogawa says. “You could go to a hospital, nursing home, private practice….”

And often, they do. Last year, 62 percent of speech-language pathologists reported that job openings in their school district were more numerous than job seekers, according to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. In California, where Ogawa splits her time between three San Mateo County high schools, the shortage is particularly acute.

Toss in a few budget cuts over the years and Ogawa has a caseload of about 88 kids this year, far more than ideal. “There are some days when it starts the minute you walk in and just doesn’t let up until you leave,” she laughs. Still, with great training, she makes it work.

And it’s a fantastic job, she promises. Every student offers a different challenge, and the pathology behind each problem is exciting—think CSI! Plus, when it comes down to it, Ogawa says, “it’s all about people.”

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