Go with your gut

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Go with your gut
By Jamie

Hi Kay.
I, too, just graduated in May and took a 4th grade position. I am overwhelmed by all of the new requirements and things, and I also feel like I get little accomplished. Before this, I worked with kids 5 and under
while finishing school, and I thought the transition to older kids would be really hard. In terms of teaching though- I love my 4th graders! I am able to go in depth with them, joke with them, include them in decision making, and discuss rules and consequences with them. My younger kids were loving and wonderful and I do miss them, but they are also dependant and needy in a way that

took so much more out of me. I have found that in a school setting, 4th grade is a dream age even though it requires so much work (in our first years, though, we will put in the hours no matter what grade we teach). I think in your case, you just have to go with your gut. Is your heart more into teaching young children? Do you enjoy the curriculum more? Do you have a hard time relating to older children? These are all questions you must ask yourself before you make your decision. Just remember that you are teaching CHILDREN no matter what grade you teach, and that all of them come to you hoping to find someone they can trust, someone who will care for them and allow them to grow and make mistakes, someone who will not hurt or humiliate them but make them feel safe to explore.
The way teaching is today, I highly doubt any of us is glued to the position we take our first year. MOst teachers move grade levels every few years anyway, and schools are beginning to use "looping" as an option for teachers, so don't let the fear of losing an opportunity cloud your judgment.