Teachers: elementary or high school, how to choose?

[Amy]

I have always wanted to be a teacher...as far back as I can remember. In elementary school, I was the geek who cried at the BEGINNING of Christmas/spring/summer vacations, and nothing made me happier than going back to school. I always wanted to play 'school', and was always the teacher. Even now, I thrill to 'back to school' sales and think that each new year begins in late August. (yeah, so I'm a dork)

I am FINALLY taking the plunge to start the process to become a teacher. I have a BA degree in Communications, and thought I wanted to be a high school English teacher. Everyone in my family, DH included, calls me a 'comma cop' and we all thought it would be a good fit. I've been doing some research, and found a Transition to Teaching (T2T) program at IU (where I received my BA) that is geared to adults with a degree who wish to pursue a second career as a teacher. The first step is submitting a transcript evaluation form declaring elementary or secondary as the program desired. I also have checked into the Praxis I & II tests, since I have to take both of those prior to entering the program but after I'm accepted.

I also have been doing a lot of thinking about what all is involved in teaching high school English, and realized that a lot of it is stuff I totally HATED in high school and college!! Breaking down poems, analyzing classic literature....ICK.

Last Thursday I subbed for a 4th grade class, and LOVED it. Teaching basic grammar and punctuation skills, spelling, beginning writing, and how to interpret what is read are all things that I think I am much better suited to doing.

So for you teachers out there...how did you decide what you wanted to teach? If someone forced me to make a decision right this minute, I'd have to pick elementary, but I want to make darned sure!!

[Shel]

Come over here. I'll let you teach Kaleb one day (middle school), and Jake the next (elementary). The lesson plans are all done, so all you have to do is review and teach it :)

[~Andrea~]

I think subbing in all grade levels will help you get a feel for where you fit in. For me, high school was never an option. I always wanted to work with younger kids. Besides, I couldn't stand teenagers when I was one :blush1:

As for which grade level I wanted, that took experience. I did my junior prefessional experience in 1st grade. My concentration was in early childhood ed as oppssed to elementary ed. The difference being while we got the same certification (pre-K through 8th) ECED focused on the younger grades and had to do a preschool experience, the ELEM had to do a 6th and K study.

When I got my student teaching assignment (3rd grade) I was so upset. I did NOT want to teach that high. Guess what? I LOVED it!! When I do go back to work, I'm not sure where I want to teach. I think I will still prefer upper elementary (2nd-6th), but I can adapt to anything lower. I taught preschool for 4 years and loved it, but my calling is the older kids.

Sorry the post is so confussing. My point is that I think you really need to experience all the levels you are considering to fit what FEELS right to you. No offence to Shell, but while it may giv eyou a feel for the curriculum, it WON'T give you a feel for what it's like to be in the classroom. You just can't base a certain age-level on one child. You can't even base it on one classroom. Subbing in different classes in each level will be the best way for you to find you place!

[Amy]

Shel, sounds like a plan to me...there wasn't much of a lesson plan when I taught last week because there'd been a sub the afternoon before as well. Nothing like flying by the seat of your pants with 23 fourth graders!!

Andrea, I am hoping to get a chance to teach some high school classes in Sept. My next available days to teach are the Tue/Wed/Thur after Labor Day, as those are D's next days off. I printed some practice questions for the Praxis I test, which are basic English, writing and math...those were great. I also printed out some practice questions for Praxis II in English, and it was awful!! I think that's when I really started second guessing my desire to teach high school English...I hated reading the Odyssey, the poetry, and all the 'classic' literature in AP Lit and college.

Maybe I'll hold off a bit on sending in my transcript request to see if I get any HS jobs, before I make my final decision.

[SarahK]

For me it was an obvious choice to choose early childhood education (preK-grade 3.) I'm fascinated by the development of small children and doubled majored in developmental psychology and early childhood education.

I know that probably isn't much help...but for me it was just a clear choice. :dunno:

[AmyJ]

When I went to college I was a pre-law major and in my freshman year needed one more elective class. I chose intro to elem. ed. That's all it took!! I never really ever considered teaching high school. I switched my major and have been teaching since 1992. I have taught pre-school, k,1,2,3 and 6. Although, you can see the last page of my journal for the heartbreak/frustration of teaching.

For me, I knew I wanted to be with younger kids, in more hands on situations. If you are torn, I would definitely suggest subbing in both levels, remembering though that subbing isn't exactly like the "real" thing, but it will give you a feel. Pracitcums in college also give you a feel as well.

Let me know if you any other questions.....

I think you'll love being a teacher :nod: I certainly do :)

[TxTeacher]

From the time I was a teen-ager, I knew that I would enjoy working in a classroom setting; I could see myself as a teacher because no other profession affected or interested me as much. Deciding what to major in college was easy, and choosing what grade levels to focus my studies on was also a clear decision. My major was Early Childhood Education; I'm certified to teach pre-K-4th grades.

I also find the very development of infants and young children interesting, since so many of the basic functions and skills that they'll use for the rest of their lives develop in the first 5-10 years of life (generally speaking). However, beyond finding the mental and physical development at this stage in life more interesting, I simply prefer being around younger children: I enjoy their personalities, abilities, curiosity, and innocence. I like that they still respect adults and are more willing to show cooperation and compassion because they can appreciate the concept of "treat others how you want to be treated". Younger kids (I'm referring to ages 3-10, which are the ages I've had the most experience with and have seen these characteristics in) are usually eager to learn because they still see new things--even the simplest events or natural processes--as fascinating and worth exploring. They're seeing and experiencing things for the first time and are just naturally curious as they expand their knowledge base. I like knowing that I'm helping to establish these basic, meaningful, real-life skills that children will carry with them for the rest of their lives. The basics of reading, math, science, etc. are skills that they can not only utilize immediately in real life situations, but also expand upon in higher grade levels.

Also, to be quite frank, I don't care for the attitudes and selfishness of many older kids. I know young kids can be selfish, too--but in my experience, it's more about not wanting to share toys, or wanting more attention from an adult. With older kids, they just seem so unconcerned with others' feelings, even though they are capable of understanding how their actions affect others. They seem more concerned with popularity, appearances, and "fitting in", and from what I've experienced, this egocentrism really affects their willingness to be cooperative and focus on their academics. I realize a lot of this egocentrism is a natural part of puberty, but this stage in child development is simply not a period that I want to be a part of as a teacher.

JMO, based on my own experiences. I'm not trying to make blanket statements about anyone's children.

[Amy]

Thank you all so much for the responses!! After a lot of soul searching and reflecting on my dreams of being a teacher, I realized that every time I pictured myself in front of a classroom, it was an elementary class! With that in mind, I checked the IUPUI (Indiana U/Purdue U in Indianapolis, where I'll go to school) website to see if the transcript evaluation forms were up yet, and they were. I have NONE of the pre-req's for either elementary or high school, but to teach high school English I need 36 credit hours of pre-reqs!! :eek: Even if I could take 3 classes a semester (with two little ones, that would be hard right now) I'd be looking at 2 years/4 semesters.

However, for elementary, I only need 12 hours/4 classes. Also, the elementary program doesn't have to start in the fall (the high school one does), and is 3 semesters. This way I can apply now, take my pre-reqs next summer and fall 2005, hopefully start the program spring semester 2006, and have it completed spring 2007. That puts us right on target to be relocated by summer 2008.

So I'm sending in my preliminary paperwork tomorrow!! Wish me luck!!

[~Andrea~]

sounds good Amy!!

[SarahK]

Good luck, Amy...and happy birthday! :balloons:

[AmyJ]

Amy~

That sounds wonderful!! I'm glad your soul searching and schooling are working out so nicely. I also find that as a working mother, teaching is an ideal profession. :nod:

Happy Birthday!

[sunnyflower]

Best of luck! Like you I love the back to school thing and it has been hard this year not getting involved in it (1 year maternity leave). I had always wanted to teach elementary, but have fallen in love with middle school. THey are that kind of in between age that often gets lost in the shuffle. They love the little kid projects, but are ready for the big kid discussions!

~Kerrie

[Joan]

Amy, I also have a BA in Communication and decided to be a teacher at 33!! I wanted to teach HS Social Studies or English, but didn't have all the classes. So i went into elementary education. So far I have been teaching 5 years. As a new teacher, i have gotten bumped every year! I taught 7th and 8th grade English, 7/8 science, 5th grade, 1st grade and now 4th grade. Good luck, you will love it!!!