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The Importance of Teacher Training

By on December 1, 2017

Early Childhood educators are unique. They choose a profession that is little understood by others, that demands hard work and effort, ranks low on the career scale and pays terribly. Yet they are responsible for creating a child’s mindset about learning, socializing and what kind of people they are and will become. Early Childhood educators play a vital role in supporting parents to create the very best environment for children to grow in. Most teachers do this with between 2 ~ 4 years of teacher training. There is a wide range of certificates, licenses and degrees and for many, the true learning happens once they step foot in the classroom. With experience, modeling and mentoring teachers hone their skills and grow as professional educators.

Like most professions, teachers benefit greatly by having opportunities to further their understandings through professional development opportunities. Professional gatherings, sharing, dialogues all contribute to connecting teachers in a larger, supportive community. There is nothing quite like facing a challenging situation (ie: defiant children) in your classroom and then attending a workshop on that topic, finding not only that other colleagues also are struggling with the same thing, but coming away with new information, ideas and techniques to try out when you get back to your school.

The difficulty is often in finding opportunities of professional development that you have the time and the funding to participate in. Being an expat teacher in Japan opportunities in English for professional growth are limited, and even when there are events often it is only offered to select groups, or they are not published well enough for the general population to tap in to.

TAIP has been a source of professional development opportunities for international school teachers for the past 12 years. For over a decade, we have offered a wide range of professional development opportunities on a rich pallet of topics, including developmentally appropriate practice, supporting early literacy and developing 21st century skills.

Our annual conference is not only a chance to attend workshops specifically catered to early childhood educators, but also an opportunity to connect and share experiences with other teachers around Tokyo. In addition to our annual conference, we also hold director’s meetings, school tours, short workshops and social gatherings for TAIP members. Our community is growing every year, and TAIP continues to be the main source of professional development for preschool teachers in Tokyo.


Tokyo Association of International Preschools                                                                

Find out if your school is in TAIP! www.tokyopreschools.org

About TAIP

The Tokyo Association of International Preschools is a non-profit association in the greater Tokyo area. Its mission's focus is to create opportunities for members to network within the education community; disseminate publicity for the ultimate benefit of the preschoolers; and organize and implement professional development for teachers, staff and administrators and promote parent education in regard to preschool education within the community. http://tokyopreschools.org