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From my experience either you are an elementary, middle school or high school teacher and there really isn't any cross over. The teaching is so different at each level. In elementary you really need to be good and giving step by step directions--open your desk, take out a piece of paper, take out your pencil, write your name on your paper, put your pencil down and listen to directions--for everything. By high school they know this (usually) but then you deal with the attitudes and really have to know what you are talking about for the various subject matters.
I would suggest observing in classrooms for each grade level and see what you like the most. I will also suggest that if you are planning on teaching English to get a second major or have some unique extracurriculars to back up your English degree or finding a job will be nearly impossible.
From my experience either you are an elementary, middle school or high school teacher and there really isn't any cross over. The teaching is so different at each level. In elementary you really need to be good and giving step by step directions--open your desk, take out a piece of paper, take out your pencil, write your name on your paper, put your pencil down and listen to directions--for everything. By high school they know this (usually) but then you deal with the attitudes and really have to know what you are talking about for the various subject matters.
I would suggest observing in classrooms for each grade level and see what you like the most. I will also suggest that if you are planning on teaching English to get a second major or have some unique extracurriculars to back up your English degree or finding a job will be nearly impossible.
Very well said. I agree with you 100% about elementary school teaching. Over the years, and depending on the group, you just develop a knack for it. I love it when I get a really high group of kids and it just takes me about a week to teach them long division, instead of a few weeks. You just need to have a lot of patience with younger kids, and take what they tell you very seriously.
When an 8 year old comes up to you and tells on Johnny because Johnny called him stupid or looked at him, that's a very very serious offense, and you can't just brush it off and tell the child to get over it. He or she will go home and tell mom and dad, and that's all she wrote after that. Elementary teachers have to deal with things like that all day.
There are challenges and rewards at each grade level. You would be best off deciding where your heart is, and then you won't mind the challenges so much. I will say that I am a first grade teacher at a K-8 school, and the K-2 teachers spend more hours at school (including Sunday mornings). There just tends to be a lot more to prep for this age group. However, we don't have long papers to grade. Like I said challenges and rewards. I can't imagine teaching another grade because I love the rewards.
in some states, you can substitute teach while going to college. College breaks are often longer than school breaks, so there are days in december and january and in may that you may be off of college, but schools are in session. During this time, you could substitute at the schools at various grade levels and maybe you would find which you like better. Most school districts throughout the country need substitute teachers.
Wow, a substitute teacher that hasn't even graduated from College? Not that they probably couldn't do the work, but all subs in our district have to have at least a Bachelors degree and complete quite a bit of paperwork. Actually, many of our subs are retired teachers or new ed graduates hoping for a full time job.
To me, the greatest mistake in getting an education degree is the lack of hands on classroom experience early in the sequence. I know several people that didn't do any student teaching until senior year and THEN decided that teaching wasn't for them. Observing in a classroom is nowhere near the same as having to come up with lesson plans and being responsible for everything for more then a few days. My daughters college required three student teaching experiences starting sophomore year. That really helped to cement her determination to teach and help her decide what grade levels she would most like to work with.
Wow, a substitute teacher that hasn't even graduated from College? Not that they probably couldn't do the work, but all subs in our district have to have at least a Bachelors degree and complete quite a bit of paperwork. Actually, many of our subs are retired teachers or new ed graduates hoping for a full time job.
To me, the greatest mistake in getting an education degree is the lack of hands on classroom experience early in the sequence. I know several people that didn't do any student teaching until senior year and THEN decided that teaching wasn't for them. Observing in a classroom is nowhere near the same as having to come up with lesson plans and being responsible for everything for more then a few days. My daughters college required three student teaching experiences starting sophomore year. That really helped to cement her determination to teach and help her decide what grade levels she would most like to work with.
I subbed in a private school while I was in college. In my state, I'm not sure if you can sub before getting a Bachelor's degree.
I agree about the lack of early experiences. I know two people with degrees in education that never made it into the classroom. One friend of mine was only able to teach 1 year after spending more than $100,000 on her degree. In all cases, they did not know what they were getting into. I also object to putting student-teachers in upscale private schools and exclusive public schools. Most new teachers do not end up in schools like this. I'm glad that I picked one of my placements in a regular public school. Also, I attended school in my city's public school system as a child. It helped me know what I was getting into (somewhat).
OP, please try and get experiences in all of the grades you think you may be interested in. I have known for a long time that I can only work in an elementary or preschool. I prefer to work in early childhood. I would be miserable in a Middle or High School. Honestly, I would not work in a middle school even if I were offered an extra $25,000 a year.
I student taught in both primary and secondary school. Even though I enjoyed student teaching in the high school, I knew it was not for me.
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