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 am so glad I came upon this blog. I have over 20 year experience teaching preschool, 9 in my current district. I was told by phone by the HR director that I was moving buildings and positions. Both my current and new principals were on vacation. I went through the stages of grief. I also moved years of personally purchased materials into my garage and basement because in my new position I would not have a classroom. After speaking to several administrators in the beginning of the school year, I never got a clear picture as to why I was moved. It has broken me. I question whether I want to teach at all now. I also question whether or not I will use my administrative certification, because I would not want to treat staff like I was treated. The funny thing is I am considered an “effective” teacher with our new teacher evaluation requirements. I always consider d myself a mentor and highly effective in my old position. It’s difficult when the choice is not your own. There was no discussion or heads up, only please label your stuff so we can have it moved to your new building. So now, a year later I consider moving to a new district, new position, or leave it behind and try something new. So much for a teacher considered a leader in her field.
I’m so sorry, Patty. What a tough situation. I am sure you will continue to make a difference for kids in your new role. I wish you all the best.
During my summative evaluation, my principal asked me what was the lowest grade I had taught. I told him 1st grade and begged him not to move me from 5th grade ELA to 1st grade as I was very young when I taught it (I was in my early 20s), and it was not a pleasant experience. He asked what I felt most comfortable teaching, and I told him 6th grade science. I knew that I would be switching grade level because he had commented that “5th grade was going to to broke up because you are too big for your britches.” I was flabbergasted on the last day of school when he told me that I would be teaching Kindergarten! Since I would be moving classrooms, I packed up all of my personal teaching materials and brought them home for the summer. The school’s grapevine was abuzz with news that he was moving most of the teachers in the school to new positions to punish us for our test scores. I requested a transfer to a school closer to my home and was offered and accepted a 3rd position. I cannot wait to embark on my new teaching adventure! I wish my former principal well and hope his vision and plan works for the best.
It’s amazing that this was written and I’d still happening. Teachers voices aren’t being heard.
I am now in my second year of teaching. When I applied to the school they had positions open in almost all levels, and they asked what I preferred. I was comfortable with third and requested third grade, to which they seemed to approve of. I was offered a position, and turned down other offers from other schools to teach there.
They then told me weeks later I would be teaching first. I was disappointed, but after a few weeks of teaching I fell in love with first.
As the year came to an end they asked where I wanted to be. I requested to stay in first. The principal called me in and said due to my high test scores I would be moved to third grade.
While I want to do everything I can to help my third graders succeed and pass the test, I can’t help but realize if my students do well I will be stuck in third grade the rest of my time at the school.
Is this what the administration really wants from the teachers? Happy teachers means happy and successful students.
Ugghhh…. Just got the notice that I’m changing grade levels again. 5 grade level changes in 5 years. Why me? I’m told it’s because I’m flexible and well rounded. I’m going to go crazy. I’m at a small school. Some teachers never change. They’re the ones perceived as being great teachers. I think. I’m a great teacher but have not had any consistency to prove it. I get moved because others are unable to do their job. It’s hardly fair!
A grade change should be agreed upon. That is to say, no teacher should be moved without his or her consent. If a teacher is moved because of alleged incompetence, the move will not create competence: an incompetent teacher must be retrained or released.
The alternative to consent is anathema to the concept of a team. Every principal hopes to be part of a team, but moving a person whose professional opinion of placement differs — without, at least, begrudged acceptance, is the most effective way of destroying the team. It’s at its worst in a school where the principal has a few sycophantic followers who get placed where they want, while those who maintain more professional distance get placed in whatever grades then become available. Imagine taking a 3rd grade teacher who is known for using instructional technology to increase student achievement; imagine this teacher being moved to kindergarten. As you may have guessed, this is what is happening in my school. We are all so demoralized, and in a small rural school such as ours, there is no alternative but to just hope our administration retires before we do.