How do I choose what grade level to teach?
Deciding on an age group forces you to choose between focusing on a specific academic subject or the developmental stage of the students. This uncertainty makes it difficult to commit to an education program or figure out where you will actually find job satisfaction.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Doing classroom observations at different grade levelsDid this help you?
- 2Narrowing down specific subjects of interestDid this help you?
- 3Picking grade bands like 4-8 to avoid managing specific age groups like high schoolersDid this help you?
- 4Choosing based on personal confidence in classroom managementDid this help you?
- 5checking with a program advisor regarding state certification coverageDid this help you?
- 6subbing or shadowing for a day to experience different grade levelsDid this help you?
- 7teaching 9th grade as a middle-to-high school bridgeDid this help you?
- 8taking a gap year to sub and job searchDid this help you?
- 9staying in current elementary position despite the mental tollDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“As much as I want to do this job I just feel like it is eating away at my mental health.”source ↗
“I’m only certified to teach till 6th so of course would need to work on certification but I don’t know.”source ↗
“Should I pick a grade based on what grade I would like to teach or what subject I would like?”source ↗
“Which influences your job satisfaction more: the educational content itself or the grade that you teach? And which should I do?”source ↗
“Right now, I am in the process of deciding whether I want to teach middle or high school.”source ↗
“What if I end up disliking middle school? My next best bet would be teaching high school. How difficult is it to become a high school teacher coming from middle school? Are there any certifications you need that middle doesn’t require?”source ↗
“I’m applying for a credentials/masters program this week but I need to decide if I want to teach grades 3-5, 6-8 or 9-12.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 16How do I choose a school for my young child?
- 3What does my child actually need to know before starting school?
- 3How to transition from teaching older students to elementary school
- 4Teaching grade level standards when students are extremely behind
- 2How do you teach a combined grade elective without losing control?
- 8How to keep gifted children challenged when school is too slow