Young children can be unpredictable. Preschool teachers may have to deal with students who can't do simple things like tying shoes or putting on a jacket. Children also aren't always aware of social norms, such as sharing or being nice to others. A good early childhood development teacher can take all of these things in stride, gently guiding the students without overreacting.
Though it may seem that any adult could teach a child colors and counting, early childhood development education is a serious discipline. Schools have strict standards for preschool teachers. They should have knowledge about classroom management as well as the stages of child development and how young children learn. Look for teaching certificates with a specialty in early childhood development.
Anything can happen in the preschool classroom, and a teacher needs to be flexible enough to handle any situation that comes her way. While it's best to start the day with a lesson plan, that may need to change based on student interests, abilities or moods.
It can help if a teacher can understand what a child is going through. Things that don't seem very important in an adult's eye can be a big challenge to a small child. Preschool teachers should understand that students will want to do things by themselves, for example, but can get frustrated quickly if things don't go quite right.
Teachers need to maintain order in the classroom, but must also work well with other teachers and have positive interactions with parents. For example, it's inappropriate for a teacher to discuss the personal details of one student with another student's parent.