| The Education Act of the United Kingdom, for instance, | | | | such children, providing group discipline and activity |
| makes it a law that all children must start full time | | | | while at the same time satisfying the individual needs |
| education at the age of five. However, although there's | | | | of the children who make up the group. A potential |
| no law that children of younger age should attend | | | | nursery teacher, then needs to be a person with an |
| school, it's felt by many educationists and parents that | | | | adventurous spirit, an open mind, and an acceptable |
| time spent in a nursery school is of great value to the | | | | disposition. |
| younger child. | | | | She needs to be able to organize the work she does |
| It's for this reason that there is nursery school - that is | | | | for the group of children she teaches in such a way |
| school for children of up to the age of five. | | | | that she can give a great deal of this all important |
| Some of these nursery schools are maintained by the | | | | individual attention to each child. |
| local authority, and are either day or residential. Others | | | | It will be seen that, because this work is so demanding |
| are part of a large school, particularly private schools, | | | | of the person who does it, it is also very satisfying, |
| that is, there are may be a nursery department for | | | | both intellectually and emotionally, and of course it |
| children of three to five, from which pupils enter the | | | | covers a wide and varied area or field of interest. The |
| school proper. In some cases, a residential home for | | | | nursery school teacher is an educationist of a very |
| children has a nursery school within its walls for the | | | | specialized kind and should have a very secure and |
| residents who are not yet old enough for primary | | | | balanced personality. There is an increasing demand |
| school. | | | | for trained teachers - especially trained to work with |
| These are not schools in the sense that the children | | | | very young children, that is - both for the nursery |
| receive formal lessons. What they gain from | | | | schools already described and also for the reception |
| attendance is the opportunity to "socialize". It is | | | | classes in infant schools. |
| recognized that small children need to spend time in | | | | The training courses offered do train a girl, or a young |
| the company of their peers in age; to learn how to be | | | | man, to teach children up to age of seven. It will thus |
| one of as group; to take part in active group play, | | | | be seen that there's a wide scope for the trained |
| singing, acting, painting, sand and water play, | | | | nursery teacher, for he or she can work in the infants |
| story-telling, and so on; to share available adult | | | | department of primary school with children aged from |
| attention, and to learn to accept the discipline of a | | | | five to seven. |
| group. However, very small children are still very much | | | | Although this work generally does attract girls more |
| individuals - although they can be members of a group | | | | than boys there's no reason why a boy should not do |
| and gain value from such membership they still need | | | | this work very successfully. The work offers |
| the opportunity to behave in a highly individual way. | | | | considerable financial security, because there is a |
| Older children, too, need this opportunity to behave | | | | continuing demand for teachers (and it is hoped by |
| individually, of course, but it is especially vital for the | | | | many educationists that in the future all children across |
| under-fives. They are unable to behave "unselfishly", to | | | | the globe will be able to enjoy all the benefits of |
| accept rules that go against their inclinations, as easily | | | | nursery schooling; to this end, efforts are being made |
| as the older child can. | | | | to provide more nursery schools, for which of course, |
| A good nursery teacher is able to care for a group of | | | | teachers will be needed). |