What will the coming summer and school year bring?

I honestly do not know.

I am certain I have a position as a teacher, but more than that, I am not sure how the year will start out (depends on infection rates…). I am hoping to return to third grade – a near-perfect blend of acquired skills and perpetual curiosity – they want to learn and can do a lot of work independently!!!

I actually love teaching any age (and have mentioned this before). Each age has its own challenges. Each age has it own gifts. Every age – every child – is special and wonderful.

Sounds pretty sappy, right? Examples:

Kindergartners scare me… they are still so young and inexperienced and can move really fast! They rapidly can get into situations during unstructured time that spiral out of control. On the other hand, they have amazing powers of observation and once they know their teacher will work so hard to master any new skill. They grow a huge amount in just a single month. The joy of this past year has been being a small part of some kindergartner’s lives, watching them change from very young children with babyish faces and interests into more thoughtful social beings.

First and second graders might be my favorite grades (if my body would cooperate). Kids at this age have generally acquired the “learning bug” and want to dive into new challenges immediately. They aren’t yet discouraged by years of testing cycles that suck the joy and momentum out of new knowledge, and yet they are able to honestly identify areas of academic strength and weakness. Many second graders have strong reading and writing skills, and willingly work independently – which can make small group instruction or group projects more productive. Teaching these grades requires an ability to both teach at the most beginning points in many areas (not all students entering first grade have encountered classroom instruction before!). It also requires the ability to support parents who may be new to the expectations and current teaching goals in elementary schools, and who may have several children under the age of 10… good juggling skills are useful.

Third and fourth graders are thought of by many as being the “sweet spot” of elementary education. This is an age when most of the students can read and write independently; when they still enjoy working with each other; when they are willing to share and be authentic; and when they accept redirection for their actions and their work. In general, this is true. Having subbed and taught in several locations, I have found that in some districts the students “grow up fast” and by third grade have the social skills (and hangups) that developmentally are more common in fifth or sixth graders. In those classrooms, a significant amount of energy is taken up with the drama of belonging – who’s in, who’s out, and who’s angling for recognition. The challenge is to recognize that despite the outer appearance and interactions, these are still very young children with tender hearts, and without the more mature powers of observation and abstraction, or knowledge of consequences, of older students. In these classrooms, we are teaching social skills and coping strategies just as much as the “3 Rs” — and truthfully sometimes those skills and strategies are more important. I really enjoy the challenge of teaching students in this age band!

Fifth grade is usually the highest grade in U.S. elementary schools, although some districts include sixth grade in the elementary school model. Depending on the local population, it can be very helpful for sixth graders to continue to be in the more coordinated model that often sees one teacher overseeing most instruction, thus enhancing the related nature of various topics and skills. Many districts, however, now start to move fifth graders (and 6th) into a model of instruction that has students changing teachers several times a day and tracking students into ability groups for each subject, more like a traditional middle-school. These students are always looking forward – they watch older students, often siblings or neighbors, and emulate them. It can be difficult to remember that these, too, are still young people who need a safe, welcoming space and an awareness that changing bodies are only the tip of the iceberg. As these children move from fifth to sixth and into seventh grades, their brains begin to mature in significant ways; most importantly, they begin to truly understand perspective taking and abstract thinking. This both opens up the world to them and can be terrifying: personally and intellectually the world can seem to be shifting and changing around them (in reality they are the ones who are changing!). As can be imagined, a lot of their energy and attention will be focused on non-academic topics. It is a fine teacher indeed who understands and chooses to see this as an opportunity to build long-term critical thinking, problem solving, and social skills while supporting academic goals.

Middle school? I LOVED teaching middle schoolers! They are prickly, awkward, and completely amazing. They can resist and be obnoxious, definitely, but they also are intellectually curious, energetic in pursuing just causes, and growing SO fast that from the beginning to the end of the year they can be nearly unrecognizable. Smart, snarky, silly, sophisticated, superb. Teachers still need to appear to be “in charge” because the students need to know there are limits and that they are safe; but more autonomy can often be provided in choices for how and what to study.

High school? I only had the pleasure of teaching a few high school classes when I substitute taught nearly a decade ago. In general, I enjoyed it. They are so close to adulthood, and they are motivated to prove they will be ready for it. Students who struggle have either decided to simply “put in their time” (which I admit as a teacher is frustrating) or they are taking the bull by the horns, determined to graduate. Either way, by high school most students have a pretty clear sense of self, and that allows them to approach learning on their own terms. A teacher’s job at that level is to present opportunities, set limits and deadlines, and help the students learn; it’s not less planning, and it’s not less grading, but it can be a much more cooperative endeavor than in younger grades. A sort of conversation between teacher and student.

Older students? I have had a few, and the older the student, the more self-directed, and the more satisfaction they have in seeing progress. It is always a joy to work with someone who has their own goals and can help design their learning.

SO… one more week of being this group’s teacher. A couple days past that to finish report cards (grading is already underway).

And then some learning of my own, and hopefully a lot of time working in the garden and sewing…

And then we’ll jump into full-on teaching again!


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