Thread: How did you choose which level to teach?

I highly recommend either taking a substitute postion and working your way through all the various grade levels you are considering, or just requesting permission to observe a few classes in the various levels to see what a typical day is like.

I teach high school and feel that this is by far the best placement for me. The subject that I teach at any level lower than high school would bore me to tears. If I do ever decide to change levels, it will be post secondary.

The decision comes from within. The best way to be informed it to get your feet wet.

I am a former veterinarian, so my area of expertise was and is biology. So there were no doubts that I should have applied to high school. But when two schools - high and junior high- offered me a position, I've chosen junior high. I still teach bio - honor classes. In high school I would never be given this opportunity as a first year teacher...

Psycology seems too broad for a school... What exectly do you want to teach?

I've always enjoyed the higher end of literature, and the more in depth levels of the canon, so it was no huge decision for me to decide to focus on high school. Right now, however, I'm interning in the 8th grade. It's....different. Deffinitly takes a massive amount of energy, though.

As far as psychology goes, a lot of schools only do one class of it, or at least that's how it is in Maine. If you decide to work in the middle levels, sometimes districts are open to bringing in a new topic to the curriculum, such as psychology.

I do agree with what was previous said, though: try what you want first. Subbing will give you a good idea of where you want to be.

I thought I wanted the little ones. For the first 15 years I taught everything from PK - 4 with most of them in first. When we moved I found a position as a K teacher but when a sixth grade position opened they literally begged me to take it. I have been there and departmentalizing in 5-8 for the past 20 years. I loved every grade. Each was perfect for the time of life I was in at the time. I doubt that I would go back to the little ones again at this point, however.

Thank you all so much for your replies. I actually didn't think about the fact that not too many high schools teach psychology. Mine only had 2 courses and our psych teacher also taught sociology and economics.

I'm just trying to think about the differences in terms of teaching...it seems to me that elementary is more about managing the children, rules, discipline, etc...and high school is more actual teaching subject matter. (True?) However I am very high energy and fun...I love all the themes, games and creativity that come with younger children. So there is my dilemma!

Thanks again for listening!

Originally Posted by britac11

I'm just trying to think about the differences in terms of teaching...it seems to me that elementary is more about managing the children, rules, discipline, etc...and high school is more actual teaching subject matter. (True?)

That's not necessarily true. You'll have to remember that when teaching elementary school, you'll have to build that foundational knowledge that they'll use throughout their school careers. That's in addition to managing them.

In the upper grades, you'll be teaching the subject matter, but you'll still have to tackle management issues . . . and that's especially true if you're in certain schools/levels/subjects.

Originally Posted by Ima Teacher

In the upper grades, you'll be teaching the subject matter, but you'll still have to tackle management issues . . . and that's especially true if you're in certain schools/levels/subjects.

As we all know, that applies drastically to the middle levels! Everything mushes into one pile of crud that teachers have to deal with from both ends of the spectrum: they're no longer small enough to fear you, but they're not mature enough to know that they know better.