Three-Quarters Of Adults Credit Their Early Education Teachers For Shaping Them Into Who They Are Today

75% of adults say that their early childhood teachers had a major impact on their lives, shaping them into who they are today.

By Jessica Marie Baumgartner | Published

Related:
National Teacher Unions Have Lost 200,000 Members

About three-quarters of adults admit that they learned more about life and socializing in their early school years than at any other time. The Kiddie Academy Educational Child Care system utilized OnePoll to conduct a survey measuring early childhood education teachers’ impact on students later in life. Not only did the results confirm the importance of childhood influences, but how they continue to impact children as they age and shape them into who they will become. 

68% of parents admitted to having a favorite teacher, and 62% of them can name every teacher they had when they were kids. This information was compiled from 2,000 parents who are raising children 18 and under. Of this group, a whopping 76% stated that their early childhood education experiences made them who they are today. 

Most parents remember their young education days for all of the new subjects they were taught, the friends they made, and learned to be creative. Just over half of respondents also remembered that their teacher was their role model who impacted their hobbies and interests. 59% of those questioned also noted that they have kept in touch with their former elementary school teachers. 

This information displays the responsibility that teachers have to students and their families. As concerns over curriculum content and identity politics entering early education have continued to grow, this survey proves just how influential educators are to young children. Teaching age-appropriate content that is based on proven fact is essential to the long-term well-being of students. 

In the post-COVID era, public schools have become so desperate for educators that pathways to earning education licenses are being relaxed. How this will affect student success rates is uncertain, but teachers who take on these roles are being encouraged to provide support and guidance from the very start. Learning loss and a youth mental health crisis has plagued the nation’s children. 

This has been linked to excessive lockdown measures and distancing protocols that harmed children’s health and ability to connect with others. Parents who hold happy memories of early education experience are eager to ensure that in-person learning continues. Teachers who remain in the profession and wish to improve educational practices can utilize the survey’s information to remember their commitment to the communities they serve. 

The children’s abilities were also another main focus of this poll. Nearly half of parents believe that children nowadays are more creative than they were, and four out of five families encourage children to be creative. 54% of parents believe that creativity has a significant impact on how children learn and grow and so teachers are encouraged to get creative in the classroom. 

Parents prefer to help their children explore their creative sides through various methods and activities. From playing games and taking field trips to engaging in arts and crafts and enrolling children in extracurricular activities, families are dedicated to being teachers in their own right. The number one creative activity that parents listed as utilizing to encourage their child’s creativity was watching educational shows/videos together. 

teachers

Although the nation’s trust in public schools has reached its second all-time low, 73% of parents involved in this survey believed that their children were receiving a good education, and 80% of those questioned noted that teachers do not get enough credit for their work. Four out of five parents also stated that they encourage their children to appreciate their teachers. 

This poll has revealed many positive experiences in the early childhood education system. While most parents remember their teachers, they also admit that these educators shaped them into who they are today. That is a highly impactful result.