Teaching Tips & Tricks, Uncategorized | Jun 11, 2010
Switching grades: teacher needs vs. school needs
By Angela Watson
Founder and Writer
Switching grades: teacher needs vs. school needs
By Angela Watson
8 little words can invoke panic in the heart of almost any teacher: “You’re moving to a different grade next year.”
Changing grade levels is a big topic of conversation in June. In some schools, nothing’s been decided yet, so the rumors are flying and everyone’s unsettled. Other principals have already dropped the bomb: I’ve heard of one school in which a kindergarten teacher is being moved to 7th grade, which means the 7th grade teacher is being moved to 4th, so that teacher’s moving to 2nd, and the 2nd grade teacher’s going down to kindergarten.
Why the huge shuffle? Because one teacher is the weakest link, and the principal’s playing a game to make sure he inflicts the least amount of damage on students.
Situations like that infuriate me. It’s one thing when a drastic move is necessitated by budgetary reasons; for example, when a position must be cut due to decreased enrollment or funding. I can also understand moving a teacher into his of her field of expertise or preference. However, causing a chain reaction of switches for no reason other than to shuffle an incompetent teacher is a tragedy.
I’m amazed at how often this happens. Sometimes the principal is trying to run the teacher off or force early retirement (and it often works). But many times it’s a matter of placing ineffective educators in non-standardized-testing grades, as if children who don’t get scored by the state one particular year are of any less value or don’t deserve a top-quality education.
Another grade-switch reasoning that bothers me: This teacher’s been in the same grade for too long. He’s getting stale and stuck in a rut. I’ll move him up two grade levels and he’ll have no choice but to change with the times!
Wrong, wrong, wrong. He DOES have a choice: to get really angry, shut down, and try even less. He has the choice to take his frustration out on the kids and everyone around him. And chances are, if he’s the kind of teacher who refused to try new things in his former position, he’s not going to be too excited about learning to work a SmartBoard now that he has a whole new curriculum to figure out.
I’m not excusing the laziness and incompetence of certain teachers. I’m ascertaining that moving ineffective teachers to another grade level doesn’t fix the problem by itself, and it can make things worse for everyone else affected.
Most teachers have an increasingly limited amount of autonomy in their jobs, and I believe that choosing the age level or subject area they’d like to devote their career to teaching is a reasonable expectation. An unhappy teacher is never going to be as effective as a happy one, so shouldn’t a principal honor a teacher’s wishes whenever possible?
Not everyone agrees with me on this, I know. Whether you do depends on your feelings about a few fundamental questions:
- What is a legitimate reason for forcing a teacher to switch grade levels?
- Are administrators obligated to make any switch that will benefit the maximum number of students? If so, how can those potential benefits truly be gauged in advance?
- Is it worth making a few teachers unhappy if it’s advantageous to the school as a whole? And when we refer to the benefit of the ‘school’, do we really mean the faculty, the students, or the test scores?
We can all agree that the purpose of school should be to meet the needs of children, but teaching is a professional career choice. I don’t think anyone should be stuck teaching something they’re not passionate about.
So what’s more important in your perspective, the good of the ‘school’ or the good of the teacher?
Angela Watson
Founder and Writer
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I agree that what benefits the students is what is best. I also feel that a teacher becomes an expert in his or her grade and best serve students in an area where they are strongest. However, to be succcessful, I strongly believe that teachers should be part of the decision making process, and that they need to know how such a change will benefit students as oppossed to just being told that “they make a good fit”.
I agree with you! The more buy-in from teachers, the more smoothly the transition will go. Thanks for commenting.
Hello Angela,
I would love your take on my situation. In my school, there are many teachers that have not moved at all for 7 years. I have been at this school for 5 years. Here is my path:
2nd
3rd
2nd
2nd (I made a request to stay in 2nd because I wanted to master the grade level. My principal’s response was that I mastered the grade and she didn’t understand why I wanted to stay).
I am now being moved to first grade. The principal said she originally wanted to move me to fourth grade but she couldn’t because I am only certified birth-3rd grade. She is encouraging me to get my k-6 certification as well as gifted. I am the only teacher leaving my grade level. Two other teachers are from different grade levels are going into second grade. I spoke to the principal with these words:
“I am excited about going inot the new grade level, however, I am questioning my confidence about being moved again because I see others consistently staying at the same grade level. I just want to make sure that I am not lacking in a certain area.”
Her response was very generic. She said she would’ve let me know by now if I was doing anything wrong or needed help in an area. I will be able to help first grade because I know what the expectations are for second grade. This past year, my students made great gains with me, I had a terrific rapor with ALL of the parents, and I was commended left and right for having a natural ability to teach. I just want your perspective about why you think I moved and yet, ALL of the other teachers stayed. I cannot even tell you how low my confidence is right now. I pour my heart, soul, and pocket book into each grade level change. I feel EXHAUSTED! I’m nervous to get the k-6 certification. Who knows where she will have me next year!I would not mind this if other teachers moved as much as I did. I try to stay positive, but my light gets dimmer with every change. I cannot tell if moving so much is a compliment or an underlying message that I am an ineffective teacher. Any thoughts are much appreciated.
Hi, Lisa! It sounds to me like your principal sees you as an agent for change in your school. If she had her way, she’d move you to every grade level in the school in order to spread your teaching methods and ideology among the entire staff. She probably sees certain teams getting stale and wants to inject new life into them, and sees you as the way to do that.
While this is a compliment to you and your teaching ability, you have every right to tell your principal how you feel. Let her know that you find moving grade levels very stressful, and ask that she let you stay in each grade for at least two years at a time so you can breathe a little bit.
I would not advise you to get a K-6 certification in order to please a principal who wants to move you to grade levels you have never taught and are not comfortable teaching. If you don’t want to teach upper grades, tell her so! Say that you think your skills and talents will be of better use with younger students. That’s perfectly fine.
Though all this movement is not easy on you, I think you’re doing a great service for your school. The first grade team will be very fortunate to have you next year. My advice is to enjoy the challenges of learning a new grade level and keep a positive attitude about it. You’re going to do a great job. 🙂
I was just switched and school starts in a week. My room was already set up.. I have been teaching in this district 17 years. They closed a section of kindergarten so I got moved to first. I am still baffled how the choice was made. I am heart broken. Maybe if I had the summer I would still be upset but with a week to adjust.. I dont know where to begin. Great article.
I found this interesting as in Ireland, it’s very common to change grade level every year. We teach eleven subjects and are trained and expected to teach them all. Some teachers prefer older or younger, and some tend to stay in the same age range, but it sounds like in America there is a much more rigid set up as regards grades. I am also shocked at the emphasis put on test scores in your schools. To me it seems as if everything is based on results, and the fact that every group of children has a different range of abilities and that there could be a lot of teaching for the test and training children to just do well in tests regardless of actual competence and ability in real life seems strange to me. I found this interesting as our system is very different. In a way its a good idea to have some sort of time span for each level you teach, but theres nothing wrong with changing grades every few years in my opinion, as it would improve your range and ability.
Hi, Yvonne! I’m glad you added your perspective to this conversation. Your inferences about American schools are pretty accurate–unfortunately! There are many, many exceptions, of course, but you’ve identified some major trends.
Your point about Irish teachers changing grades every year is very interesting. I agree there are definitely advantages to that! The problem (as I see it) arises when changing grades every year is NOT the norm in a school, and so being asked to switch grades is an unexpected request that teachers are not prepared to handle. I do know of schools in which all teachers are moved around regularly, and the teachers there are not nearly as unhappy about it. They know the expectation when they’re hired and tend to do a lot of collaborating because they know they’ll need to understand what’s happening at other grade levels. Many of them really enjoy it!
This is a great topic for discussion. It definitely pulls at the heart strings. I am one of those K-6 certified teachers. I am a very realistic and reflective person. I know my strengths and my weaknesses. Teaching preschool let me know I should probably not teach below 2nd grade. (I did it well, but no passion) Coaching middle school soccer taught me I should probably not teach above 4th grade. (coaching was fine, but teaching? No thanks!) With that said, I knew grades 2-4 was my comfort zone. Yes, I could teach others. But my personality and style best suited those ages. So when my principal badly needed help with 5th grade behavior and showed up at my door step I knew it would be less than pleasant for me. Although it is quite the compliment in regards to my behavior management systems, I knew where I could be best utilized. It certainly wasn’t in 5th. I was defeated and crushed. I knew It was not the place for me, but without trying it would I truly “know?” I should have listened to my gut. Boy was it a challenge and a sore in my educational inspiration and drive! I spent so much time dealing with drama and potential recess “hook-ups” that I lost my luster. My principal saw the change in my happiness. All I could muster was, “I just want to teach.” The insurmountable distractions of troubled unmotivated pre-teens consumed my time and energy. These kids needed someone who brought out the best in them and enjoyed the pre-teen daily issues. It was not for me. Thank goodness I was able to return to my comfort zone of 2nd/3rd with much happiness. Plus, I appreciated my kids that much more. No year has been the same. I soak up all moments (in fear of returning to my “hell”).
So, I have to go with putting teachers where they are strongest and allow their happiness to drive the success of students. In terms of ineffective teachers…ugh, what to do with them? I guess if they must remain at the school shuffling is an option. It sure does create a domino effect that could be deadly. Finding a mentor for these teachers is a must.
How great that your principal allowed you to return to your comfort zone…or more accurately, your area of expertise. There’s no point in forcing someone to work outside of their gifting/calling if they don’t have to.
I am now in my new position, in 3rd grade. I previously taught 4th grade for 12 years. Although I never received any rational reasoning for the major swith at our school, I will say that I do love my students. I greatly appreciate that I have a job, and understand that I must do what I am told to do regardless of whether or not I like it. I worked with a wonderful group of teachers who always put students first. Both as a team, and as individuals, we were very effective as teachers. For me, a change of this “magnitude” was very difficult. For teachers change is constant. It’s accepted. However, switching the majority of teachers in our elementary school didn’t make sense to me. I tried to seek help in understanding how this change was going to benefit our students. I respectfully asked questions—I didn’t get answers. Basically, I was made to feel that if I didn’t like this change, then I could just leave. Many teachers felt the same way that I did. However, few felt that they could voice their concerns—I understand this, but for me I needed some sort of a rational explanation for this change. I could accept that this change was going to happen, but I could not accept not speaking out, especially when I felt that it was not going to benefit students. I had to do a lot of reflecting on this issue. After several weeks of serious thought, I came to the conclusion that I would simply have to accept this change without understanding it (I would have to form my own conclusions as to the why). I pondered all of the positive outcomes verses the negative. The positives far outweighed the negatives. As I mentioned before, I felt blessed in that I had a job. I also firmly believed that I could be just as effective in 3rd grade as I was in 4th grade. Most importantly, I would still be teaching. I devoted half my summer to getting ready for this change. Just like the other teachers who were switched, I had to put in many extra days to prepare both mentally and physically. However, I began to look forward to the new year (one of the benefits of being a teacher). I was getting very excited. I discovered that I liked the curriculum better. I began to realize that I was going to do just fine. However, I find myself worrying whether or not there will be another switch next year. I am also concerned that if we do switch again, that we will be put throught the same process—Not being involved—Not having a voice— Not being able to express our concerns—and Not brainstorming together to solve “a problem”. I firmly believe for a school to be successful there must be Team Work—Everyone should be involved. I will do my best to make my student’s learning experience as rewarding as possible.
Wow, 12 years in one grade level and then an involuntary switch…that must be have really been an ordeal for you! I can relate to everything you said and commend you for handling the situation so well. I would have spoken out on behalf of the students, as well. It’s disappointing that you didn’t get answers.
You mentioned your fear of “Not being involved—Not having a voice— Not being able to express our concerns—and Not brainstorming together to solve “a problem”. I guess another good lesson you (and all of us) can take away from your situation is that feeling powerless is awful, and it’s something that we want to make sure we don’t ever do to our students. We can’t control whether a principal makes us feel that way, but we can use those bad experiences to inspire us to give our students a voice and let them express themselves when it would be easier to say “Just do it because I said so.” I will remember your story when I am tempted to behave in ways that make others feel like they have no control.