When I was younger, I always thought I wanted to teach strictly kindergarten or 1st grade. I always loved being around little kids, so helping them learn key concepts and setting them up for the future and more intense years of schooling always seemed to interest me. It wasn’t until my second year of college where I decided to take a leap of faith and go into the middle school where I used to attend. Crazy right? Here I am, feeling like it was just yesterday and I’m going back into that scary middle school? What I didn’t know was that this was going to be a place where I could grow and learn once again, but this time on the other side of things.
5th grade. 5th grade is where I started out and have continued to work with. Everything about this age interests me. I see children who are confident, strong, opinionated, respectful yet still playful and loving. This age has opened my eyes to how students grow and where these key ages really are. My 5th grade, unlike some others that are in elementary schools, is located in a middle school. These students don’t interact with the 8th graders often, but I believe being in the same school with them tends to push them to grow a little more and be “little adults” as I like to call it. As much as I don’t want to see them grow up.. I know they’ll do great things one day.
My heart was once set on such a young age, and soon I’ll have the chance to witness and compare my 5th graders, who rotate through three core classes and three teachers for an hour and a half each a day, to the life of the littler students. My heart will always be with those 5th graders, but what if I LOVE the 4th grade, the 3rd grade, any other grade? What if I’m not taking a chance and I would have loved the 7th or 8th grade?
What grades do others love?
What have you learned about certain ages?
How did you make the decision to go with a certain grade?
Its all so fascinating, and as I go to make my decision one day my hope is that it will be an easy one, but I feel that it may not! We shall see, but for now, you can catch me with my loving, spunky, creative 75 5th graders!
Alyssa's Blog 
I so appreciate your love for Kindergarteners and 1st grade! I’ve spent the last 7+ years working with K-4. I absolutely adore this age! In fact, I was lackluster about doing my clinical hours for middle and high school this summer. Fortunately, and much to my delighted surprise, I quite enjoyed the time spent with older kids. I found each group to be fascinating in their own way. I love the way middle schoolers are trying on different personalities and finding their way. I’m impressed by how independent the high schoolers were. Still, I am happy to be back at the elementary school. We are so lucky that everyone has different “favorite” grades, so students can benefit from having teachers who enjoy being with them at each special age.
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What an interesting and challenging question:
“What grades do others love?” and “How did you make the decision to go with a certain grade?”
It is a question that I choose to never settle on. I feel that there are so many adventures to still be had and I would never want to limit myself to one path or grade. I don’t make judgements until I have walked in those shoes. I love new adventures, challenges and reinventing myself. I say: “try them all”. The next best thing may be just around the corner.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/why-throwing-yourself-into-the-unknown-can-be-the-best-thing-you-can-do-to-yourself_b_8538238
Cheers to new experiences!
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Hi Alyssa,
Choosing what grade you want to work with is such a difficult choice to make! Over the past three years, I’ve been asking myself the same questions you’re asking in your post. When I began thinking about teaching, I thought I wanted to teach fourth and fifth graders, but in the last few years as a paraprofessional, I’ve been asked to teach kindergarten, first, and third grades as well and have loved the challenges and experiences I’ve had in those grades as well. I think that’s one of the best aspects of teaching though: you fall in love with the grade you work with most, but throughout your career you may switch grades and be able to appreciate and love the new grade as well.
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Hi, Alyssa! I can really relate with your post. I went from thinking I wanted to teach college level, to teaching preschoolers, to teaching toddlers, and now elementary school students. Honestly I find middle schoolers a little intimidating right now – but I love the way their brains work! They are capable of pretty amazing higher-order thinking, while still being playful like children. You described them perfectly. I am also amazed by their capacity for empathy – they are often so encouraging of my student. They can understand that her needs are different and appreciate who she is.
I have to say, though, I am loving working with third graders. I love the way that they are both entrenched in childhood and able to perform some amazing thinking.
Thank you for sharing!
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Hi Alyssa, I think the best advice given to me was that you are not a teacher to teach grades, you are a teacher to teach students. So often I am asked what grade I want to teach. It’s not about the grade, it’s about the students, and hopefully you’ll have the opportunity to teach all kinds of different students of different ages. Don’t fret about making a decision, because every grade I have observed and taught in, I have loved so far. I don’t think you will ever miss out wherever you are.
Kerry
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