8 answers
isabella
Student
Rock Hill, South Carolina
1
Question
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interested in teaching but not sure witch grade?
if you were to go back to teaching what grade would you teach again or what grade do you think is the best grade to teach ?
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8 answers
Alexandra Grashkina-Hristov
International Tax Professional
155
Answers
Boston, Massachusetts
Updated
Alexandra’s Answer
I teach/tutor at the college level but have also worked with high school students. I think the best way to find what works for you is to speak with other educators and also try to do some volunteering or internship work to see which grade appeals to you most. They all have many rewarding aspects.
Aisha Taylor
Mortgage Closing Specialist
464
Answers
Detroit, Michigan
Updated
Aisha’s Answer
Early childhood development would also be a personal favorite, Pre-K-2nd grade.
Maxine Bennett
Executive Assistant
8
Answers
Washington, Washington
Updated
Maxine’s Answer
Isabelle, the grade isn't the most important thing if you understand the work. However, you need to think about the age group that suits your personality. Each age group requires a unique approach. You'll excel in whatever you choose. Remember, what suits me might not be the best for you!
Laurie Pritchard, Ed. S., M.A.T.
Executive Trainer, Rocket Mortgage
72
Answers
Wilmington, North Carolina
Updated
Laurie’s Answer
I always knew I was destined to be an elementary teacher. I taught grades 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6. I also was a principal of an elementary school. When I was going through my teaching program in college, I had the opportunity to do my pre-student teaching experiences in a variety of grade levels. That was very helpful for me to see which elementary grades I preferred. Before I got my full time teaching position, I worked as a substitute teacher and tried out middle school too. These experiences helped me figure out my comfort zone. I will caution you, though. Sometimes when you get hired as a teacher, the principal will place you in the grade level where they have an opening. You may not have a choice. And based on allocations year to year, you may be moved to different grade levels. So you will discover your comfort zone through your experiences, but may be called to step out of your comfort zone based on the need of the building.
Brittany Williams
Teacher
11
Answers
Arlington, Texas
Updated
Brittany’s Answer
Hi Isabella!
What you think is the best grade is completely determined by your level of comfort and who you relate to the most. I personally love teaching third grade! I love the topics and the students. They still get excited about learning and they make teaching so fun! I had a lot of experience with kids in other grade levels before coming to that decision so I would suggest finding a way to work with kids if you can. Maybe you can babysit, tutor, or volunteer somewhere to get more experience. That will kind of help you decide what grade level you like most and would like to teach. One of the good things about teaching is you can move around. If you have a supportive school and principal you can go to them about switching grades if you decided you don’t like the grade you’re in so keep that in mind as well. I hope this help!
Sincerely,
Brittany W.
What you think is the best grade is completely determined by your level of comfort and who you relate to the most. I personally love teaching third grade! I love the topics and the students. They still get excited about learning and they make teaching so fun! I had a lot of experience with kids in other grade levels before coming to that decision so I would suggest finding a way to work with kids if you can. Maybe you can babysit, tutor, or volunteer somewhere to get more experience. That will kind of help you decide what grade level you like most and would like to teach. One of the good things about teaching is you can move around. If you have a supportive school and principal you can go to them about switching grades if you decided you don’t like the grade you’re in so keep that in mind as well. I hope this help!
Sincerely,
Brittany W.
Jerry Tingstad
Professor/middle school teacher/48 years
93
Answers
New York, New York
Updated
Jerry’s Answer
This will be a long answer. It's complex.
I was a professor of American government and politics for thirty-eight years. I then finished off teaching international students modern European history (beginning with the French Revolution) and competitive essay writing (by invitation only).
I found teaching international students the most challenging and the most fun. It fit my personality and my approach to teaching: lecture, note taking, essays. It also fit my attitude regarding teacher-student relationships. I did not care if they liked me or not. To make any academic progress, they had to respect me. And once I proved to them that I knew what I was talking about (academic points enlivened by endless stories; easy in European history as it is filled with blood and gore and "interesting" interpersonal relationships), they wanted me to respect them. And there was only one way to do that. Work. Hard. Take notes. All homework and exams essay. They couldn't watch a video or take a field trip without writing and writing. (After all, English was their second language.) Then there's the discipline. Though they'd never admit it, students like rules. Predictability. Set routines (and how fun to get off routines sometimes). And everyone is treated the same. No bending the rules for anyone.
I suspect the same approach would work for me in high school. The approach to rules and discipline may work in grade school, but I'm not sure.
I was a successful teacher both in college and in middle school because it was a personality fit for me. I was comfortable. So were the students. And most of them performed admirably. And I made sure that they took credit for the tremendous amount of work they did. Countless students said that they never knew how good they really were or how hard they could work until they took European history. And that, of course, spilled over into other classes and on into high school and beyond.
Now it's your turn. What educational situations are you comfortable in? Are there any subjects that you are particularly interest in? If so, it's middle school and beyond if you wish to teach those. Student development? If that's your thing, maybe grade school. you have to ask yourself just exactly why you want to get involved in education to begin with. Do you have a need to be liked? Take a good hard look. That attitude doesn't work well for students in the academic world, I don't think.
I wrote that this would be long. But the longer first part has a purpose beyond the chance to write about myself. I had a successful career because I "fit".
You have time to explore more deeply regarding who you are and what you wish to take away from a career in education. Early university/college classes should help you with that.
I was a professor of American government and politics for thirty-eight years. I then finished off teaching international students modern European history (beginning with the French Revolution) and competitive essay writing (by invitation only).
I found teaching international students the most challenging and the most fun. It fit my personality and my approach to teaching: lecture, note taking, essays. It also fit my attitude regarding teacher-student relationships. I did not care if they liked me or not. To make any academic progress, they had to respect me. And once I proved to them that I knew what I was talking about (academic points enlivened by endless stories; easy in European history as it is filled with blood and gore and "interesting" interpersonal relationships), they wanted me to respect them. And there was only one way to do that. Work. Hard. Take notes. All homework and exams essay. They couldn't watch a video or take a field trip without writing and writing. (After all, English was their second language.) Then there's the discipline. Though they'd never admit it, students like rules. Predictability. Set routines (and how fun to get off routines sometimes). And everyone is treated the same. No bending the rules for anyone.
I suspect the same approach would work for me in high school. The approach to rules and discipline may work in grade school, but I'm not sure.
I was a successful teacher both in college and in middle school because it was a personality fit for me. I was comfortable. So were the students. And most of them performed admirably. And I made sure that they took credit for the tremendous amount of work they did. Countless students said that they never knew how good they really were or how hard they could work until they took European history. And that, of course, spilled over into other classes and on into high school and beyond.
Now it's your turn. What educational situations are you comfortable in? Are there any subjects that you are particularly interest in? If so, it's middle school and beyond if you wish to teach those. Student development? If that's your thing, maybe grade school. you have to ask yourself just exactly why you want to get involved in education to begin with. Do you have a need to be liked? Take a good hard look. That attitude doesn't work well for students in the academic world, I don't think.
I wrote that this would be long. But the longer first part has a purpose beyond the chance to write about myself. I had a successful career because I "fit".
You have time to explore more deeply regarding who you are and what you wish to take away from a career in education. Early university/college classes should help you with that.
David Iannone
Executive
2
Answers
Phoenix, Arizona
Updated
David’s Answer
There may not be a more rewarding field than teaching. In saying that, I believe your answer lies within yourself. What would give you the greatest sense of accomplishment? From teaching the basics, to forming interest, to guidance on career choices, all of the "grades" and or teaching venues offer significant rewards and sense of accomplishment. There is no signal answer here, so rely on yourself and leverage your own experience to answer this question.
Praveenaa G
DevOps Engineer
8
Answers
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Updated
Praveenaa’s Answer
Hi Isabella,
Hope you are doing good.
In my point of view, teaching is one of the noblest profession and the teacher is always the role-model for all the students in their life journey.
My suggestion is, first check your comfort zone with the level of students. If you like patience and lovable then you can really opt for primary because it requires more patience.
If your comfort zone is mixed then you can opt for secondary or higher secondary, those students will be lil bit matured to handle and you can educate them.
Hope you are doing good.
In my point of view, teaching is one of the noblest profession and the teacher is always the role-model for all the students in their life journey.
My suggestion is, first check your comfort zone with the level of students. If you like patience and lovable then you can really opt for primary because it requires more patience.
If your comfort zone is mixed then you can opt for secondary or higher secondary, those students will be lil bit matured to handle and you can educate them.