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Student teacher vs kindergarten teacher

The differences between student teachers and kindergarten teachers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a student teacher has an average salary of $59,035, which is higher than the $48,029 average annual salary of a kindergarten teacher.

The top three skills for a student teacher include classroom management, math and language arts. The most important skills for a kindergarten teacher are classroom management, math, and professional development.

Student teacher vs kindergarten teacher overview

Student TeacherKindergarten Teacher
Yearly salary$59,035$48,029
Hourly rate$28.38$23.09
Growth rate4%4%
Number of jobs79,07165,972
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age4240
Years of experience--

What does a student teacher do?

A student-teacher is responsible for assisting their supervising instructors in maintaining the class orderliness during lectures and class activities. Student teachers' duties include helping with lesson plans, organizing learning activities, managing student behaviors, observing classroom procedures, preparing visual materials and other educational equipment, providing feedback for students, and keeping students' records for evaluation. A student-teacher must maintain excellent communication and decision-making skills to set goals and make consistent progress to the class while keeping students engaged.

What does a kindergarten teacher do?

Kindergarten teachers teach young children social and emotional skills, reading skills, music, and personal hygiene. They prepare these children for elementary school and certain life aspects. It is also their responsibility to teach children good classroom behavior, plan the curriculum daily and the whole school year, and conduct parent-teach meetings. Kindergarten teachers should encourage children to be observant of activities and give them the chance to ask questions and find the answers. They should also work with parents in putting an action plan to help children with emotional or developmental problems.

Student teacher vs kindergarten teacher salary

Student teachers and kindergarten teachers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Student TeacherKindergarten Teacher
Average salary$59,035$48,029
Salary rangeBetween $46,000 And $74,000Between $37,000 And $62,000
Highest paying CityBoston, MAPalo Alto, CA
Highest paying stateMarylandHawaii
Best paying companyGreat Hearts AcademiesBrooklyn Waldorf School
Best paying industryEducationFinance

Differences between student teacher and kindergarten teacher education

There are a few differences between a student teacher and a kindergarten teacher in terms of educational background:

Student TeacherKindergarten Teacher
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common majorElementary EducationElementary Education
Most common collegeNorthwestern UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Student teacher vs kindergarten teacher demographics

Here are the differences between student teachers' and kindergarten teachers' demographics:

Student TeacherKindergarten Teacher
Average age4240
Gender ratioMale, 26.4% Female, 73.6%Male, 8.2% Female, 91.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 3.7% White, 69.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 6.1% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage9%5%

Differences between student teacher and kindergarten teacher duties and responsibilities

Student teacher example responsibilities.

  • Manage RTI reading groups using both basal materials and literature-base novel units.
  • Lead debates with advance students on topics including globalization, economics, and political history.
  • Develop lessons that integrate technology into mathematics and language arts for various grade-levels.
  • Enhance student engagement for learning math and science through maintaining collaborative learning classroom environment.
  • Used responsive classroom strategies for Pre-K and first grade.
  • Attend workshops on how to access and create IEPS and bill for services.
  • Show more

Kindergarten teacher example responsibilities.

  • Utilize PLC time to meet the needs of struggling and achieving students
  • Target at risk and high achieving students using levele readers and DRA strategies.
  • Present history and math PowerPoint lessons.
  • Serve on data teams to coordinate with ELA, math and RTI specialists to ensure student growth and success.
  • Develop daily literacy and math base learning centers to promote cooperative learning and independent practice.
  • Plan and teach an 1st and 2nd grade ELA unit.
  • Show more

Student teacher vs kindergarten teacher skills

Common student teacher skills
  • Classroom Management, 20%
  • Math, 13%
  • Language Arts, 8%
  • Social Studies, 6%
  • Kindergarten, 5%
  • IEP, 4%
Common kindergarten teacher skills
  • Classroom Management, 27%
  • Math, 14%
  • Professional Development, 7%
  • Language Arts, 5%
  • Social Studies, 4%
  • Classroom Environment, 4%

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