I’m Switching to Fifth Grade: How I’m Changing Schools AND Grade Levels
Teaching Fifth Grade at a New School
If you’re thinking about changing schools then you’re in the right place! Last week, I shared my top 5 tips for teachers who want to change schools. Click here to read that blog post.
Changing schools can be scary but it doesn’t have to be. This coming school year, I’m not only changing schools but I’m moving from first grade to fifth grade! When I switched schools back in 2019, I stayed in a grade I was comfortable with: kindergarten. I was moving from a lottery school to a Title One school, and I wasn’t ready to switch grade levels and move schools at the same time. I’ve made a few mistakes in teaching and some of them are related to switching schools. You can watch that video here.
Switching schools was a huge catalyst in starting my own online tutoring business and helping me overcome teacher burnout. If you’re to the point of wanting to get out of teacher burnout, you’ll love my video on the topic.
I knew I needed a big change in my teaching career
I knew I needed a big change and staying in the same school and grade was going to lead to teacher burnout
I’ve been down the path of teacher burnout before and I knew I didn’t want to fall back into it. I love my job as a teacher and I also love change. I’ve taught either kindergarten or first grade for the last 8 years and so now is as good of time as any to try something new. I kept in contact with the principal of the school I wanted to move to. By December, I applied for the first job opening there at that school. In early January, the principal asked me to come to an interview. She offered me first or fifth grade so I chose 5th grade because I knew a big change was necessary. I learned early on in my student teaching that saying you want a specific grade level will pigeon hole you into a grade level and potentially make it difficult to get a job.
I stopped letting 5th grade content scare me away from teaching that grade
5th grade used to scare me but I told myself I can’t let it scare me anymore
It was very tempting to stay in my comfort zone and choose first grade. The funny thing is, when I was in college, my education professors all told me they saw me as a fourth or fifth grade teacher because of my sense of humor. They were even surprised when I accepted a job teaching a kindergarten/first grade split class. My behavior management style is loving but firm, so I was able to primary grades easily. I’ve learned that nervousness and excitement have the same physiological response in our brains, so I choose excitement over nervousness. I never thought I’d teach fifth grade, but last year I tutored a fifth grader in enrichment and it proved to me that fifth grade math isn’t so scary and I can do anything I set my mind on!
Don’t let other people’s opinions sway you from the change you want
Don’t let other people’s opinions sway you from the change you want
If you’ve wanted to change grade levels but you’re nervous, tell yourself that you can do it. Don’t have imposter syndrome and you shouldn’t let what other people think deter you. I’ve had a few crummy responses from other teachers in my building about switching to such a higher grade. I knew based on their reaction that they really don’t have my best interest in mind and they actually fear change. You get to determine your own path.
Teacher burnout doesn’t have to make you quit something you once loved
Sometimes teacher burnout is cured by switching schools or grade levels
You have to know yourself well enough to make the decision on switching schools. Will it absolutely cure your teacher burnout? I can’t say for sure. For me, it has helped in the past and allowed me to be the best teacher I could be in a supportive environment. Change is a good thing and those who fear change will always try to keep you stuck.
If you’re struggling with teacher burnout but know you want to stay in teaching, start here with my friend Amber’s FREE quiz to hacking teacher burnout.
Being nervous is the same feeling as excitement. You get to choose your own path
I would love to know in the comments below if you’ve switched schools or grades and what your best advice would be!
The first 10 steps to transform your literacy block