One grows constantly throughout one’s life, personally as well as professionally. For a kindergarten teacher, as a role model for many young generations, their personal development is of utmost importance. They spend time with children during their most delicate period when children develop psycho-physically and personally. Thereby we must not neglect the important role professional development has on the teacher’s performance in kindergarten. My diploma thesis deals with professional and personal development of kindergarten teachers. Besides looking into each of the aforementioned view points of development I also emphasize their interaction, as well as the interaction of professional and private life.
In the empiric part of my diploma thesis I researched what influences the teacher’s performance in kindergarten, how the kindergarten teachers attend to their personal and professional growth and how they intertwine the two. My research is based on the quantitative research method. The data was acquired by analyzing six interviews with kindergarten teachers of different ages, lengths of work experience, different education and genders. Based on that I established that the kindergarten teachers tend to their personal, as well as professional growth, in different ways and that they all find it extremely important to intertwine the two. Most interviewees believe that professional growth is not possible without personal growth. In their care for their personal development the majority prefers sports activity, being in touch with nature and talking about professional dilemmas with their family members or in the company of others. Most interviewees develop professionally by attending different seminars, lectures and reading professional literature. The majority of interviewees also believe that their personal life affects their work in kindergarten and vice versa.
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