Elementary School Teacher question.. please answer?
if i wanted to be an elementary school teacher.. would i be able to choose the subject i teach or does the schoool choose for me?? and in highschool what subjects should i take?? and should i double up in anything??
What should I teach, Elementary or High School?
Well, I'm in a program right now that allows me to "student teach" in a fifth grade setting. I really enjoy that grade level, but I'm starting to look into High School now. In the beginning I didn't want to do High School because I didn't want to teach the same subject all day long. But I have a teacher that teaches College English, Senior English, Psychology, and Sociology, and I would love a teaching job like that. I was wondering what the pro's and con's are of teaching elementary vs. high school. I'm also wondering how someone can become licensed to teach two different subjects. I'm going to GVSU to get my teaching degree, and I plan to major in English, if that helps!
What are the school levels/grades in America?
It's kind of confusing when I read about the American school system because I hear all kinds of terms, like elementary, primary, intermediate, middle school, high school etc. Do some of them just mean the same thing or are there actually that many different levels? What ages are you in all the different levels/grades, and when do you actually start having different classes and teachers instead of just being in one classroom. Where I'm from you are just in primary school (with mostly one teacher) and then secondary school (different classes/teachers) but I don't know if it's that simple in America.
Do substitute teachers get to pick which grade levels they sub at?
In IL you can choose where you sub. At my school you can even be as specific as to which classrooms you will sub for. I will tell you though that I am a 1st grade teacher and that it is WAY easier to sub for high school. Teachers who are absent in high school usually give the students a prior assignment or if they are ill tell the students to have a study hall. You just have to be in the room and make sure no one leaves. When I subbed in the elementary building it was a lot harder because you have to try to be just like their teacher. You hear a million times a day, "that's not how Mrs. _____ does it!" I'm telling you that even though all my experience was in elem. its soooo much easier to sub in the high school! I started taking a book to read because I was so bored during the day! Hope this helps! Oh and trust me you can tell them to stop talking or you will get the principal and they WILL BE QUIET!!! Good luck! I hope you find a job fast!
Which grade level do you prefer to teach (middle school, high school, etc.)? Why?
I personally prefer to teach high school for several reasons. One, I do not have the patience to be with little kids all day. Don’t get me wrong, they are adorable and most of them love learning, but repeating myself over and over again about simple little things drives me insane. Elementary teachers also have to deal with the brunt of kids getting diagnosed with learning disorders, so they have a lot of students who need special help or medicine who aren’t getting it yet. I think middle school would be kind of fun, but not a lot of the subject matter really interests me. I love teaching high school. I love watching the students start as scared/excited little freshmen and then slowly turn into lovely young men and women. I love getting to be there as they really start to question how and why society is the way it is. I love watching them start to figure out who they are and what they want to do with their lives. I love the fact that I can have interesting and educated conversations with them. People tell me all the time that they could never teach high school because the kids are smart-mouthed and they fight authority, but I love the fact that they are funny and have senses of humor. I used to think I wanted to teach elementary but that is not where I fit at. I truly love the job I do.
How do teachers choose whether they teach high school or middle school?
Many of us are looking for any job that comes along, as Ayla Angel notes. But most of us have a preference, based on two types of things:Content level: How we want to balance specialization with generalization in our instruction and teaching. See, middle school teaching is more general, more broad; high school teaching is more specialized. Each is equally rigorous in its own way, but many of us prefer to be able to go deeper, and speak in more specific terms, about a subject; others like the introduction of and exploration of basic concepts that is more common to middle school.Developmental connections: How we get along with, and connect with, the different age groups. Middle school kids are vastly different from high school kids - and in groups, these differences manifest in very specific ways. Middle school kids are changing faster, less able to manage their bodies, more in need of tenderness, and more connected with their parents. High school kids are more independent and often defiant, as they practice becoming independent selves; they are more likely to be able to troubleshoot their own social issues, unlike middle school kids, who need more specific rules and more scaffolding from outside to be able to function in groups and in the classroom.I often say that I left middle school for high school because the kids didn’t get my jokes. But in reality, I preferred to work with more independent learners, on more rarified stuff.
Do I Have a Good Chance of Being Selected for Teach For America?
Your chances: I hear two different things about Teach for America. The firs t is that since its a program to staff inner city schools with quality teachers, it is very selective. The other thing I hear is that because many teachers do not want to work with kids in the at-risk population, TFA is more concerned with your emotional intelligence, people skills, and desire to work with the kids in TFA schools. I'm sure that having both a good academic record in addition to having good recommendations and a stellar interview is the real winning combination for TFA. With all respect to you, it would be to your advantage to take some summer courses that interest you and that you will do well in to see if you can get your GPA up to a 3.0; however, you still have a chance if you can score yourself awesome recommendations. Where will you end up: My understanding is that they generally try to place you at a school within a region and grade level/subject that you choose. They want you to be successful. Need for K-2 teachers: Unfortunately, the biggest areas of need in TFA schools are for the middle school and high school grades. You also have an advantage if you teach a subject in a shortage area like math, science, or ESL. I do not believe you can choose what grade you teach, but you can choose whether or not you accept the position they offer you. I'm sure you are asked about your preferences as part of the interview and application process. Good luck to you and congratulations on your decision to TFA! :-)
Middle school or high school students harder to teach?
I have taught both middle school and high school students. Each age group has its own unique challenges and benefits. Middle school students are at an awkward age; they are very hormonal. They are at the point where they begin to think of themselves as "too old" for a lot of things but young enough to act goofy. They can have terrible attitudes and be very disrespectful. But middle school students are also very sweet and funny. They are very goofy and you will never have a day of boredom. They also have a greater need for teachers who can support them and guide them through a very troubling time. They have massive self-esteem issues and need someone with a calm head and patience to be there for them. This is an age where teachers are the most needed and yet most teachers don't want to teach this age group. High school students are very interesting to teach. If you are lucky enough to have a group of kids who participate in class, they are at an age where they can have really interesting discussions and can have a lot of curiousity. It is a mistake to believe that there are more drugs, sex and violence in high school. Trust me, there are plenty of those things in middle school as well. But you will not get the same sense of satisfaction and joy out of teaching high school that you will from teaching middle school. You will ultimately have to decide what is best for you, but take the opportunity to student teach in both grade levels or substitute in both grade levels. I never wanted to teach in middle school until I started subbing. Then the little buggers won me over. You need to have some classroom experience under your belt to decide which is right for you.