Most of the time in life, you think you understand what you are getting yourself into. This wasn’t exactly one of those decisions.
When I decided to leave middle school and move back to elementary school, I thought I had an idea of what I was walking into. I knew I was going back to the school where it all started…way back in 2003.
I also knew I was leaving 6th grade science and social studies. I knew I would be teaching 3rd grade ELA. And with that would be a new curriculum, new routines, new expectations for a new building, and a whole new group of students.
But what I didn’t know was just how much I didn’t know. And I think that has been the biggest surprise of this entire transition.
Why I Left Middle School
Leaving 6th grade wasn’t necessarily an easy decision.
I had spent more than ten years there. I had taught, coached, chaired PBSIS, built relationships, and made a lot of memories. But I had to admit that it wasn’t feeling like the right place for me anymore. The middle school in my district is large. With it being so large, it tends to have frequent administrative changes. I’ve had probably 10, if not more, admin (principal and vice principal) changes in my time there.
I also really started to realize that if I wanted to eventually move into administration, I wasn’t sure that staying there was going to give me the path I was looking for.
So I made a pretty big decision. I left.
And I went back to where it all started.
Back to Elementary
Coming back to this particular elementary school has been a little surreal.
I started my career in education here way back in 2003.
Twenty three years later, I walked back through those doors with a whole lot more experience, a whole lot more confidence, and a whole lot more gray hair.
I knew the building. I knew the people behind the murals in the hallways. I knew the feeling of the place. But it’s been so long since I’ve worked extensively with elementary students.
When I first walked into my new classroom, my immediate thought was, “Oh my God. This is a completely blank room.”
And when I say blank, I mean blank. There was a small teacher desk. A super janky half-moon table. Some student desks. Mismatched student chairs. And…
That’s about it.
Which sounds lovely if you’re someone who is aiming for a minimalist aesthetic.
But I am not. I love color. I need things up on my walls. I knew what I wanted my classroom to look like, but didn’t have any of the necessary things to get it there.
So I started buying things. And then I bought more things. And then I made an Amazon list, because a teacher coming off of summer break can’t really afford to get a completed room all on her own. (A very big THANK YOU!!!! to everyone who purchased some of the things from my list.)
My favorite purchase so far?
A toy jail.
Yes, a toy jail.
Because when you tell a third grader, “Please put that fidget/toy in your bookbag,” it does not actually mean the fidget/toy will stay in the bookbag for the rest of the day. Somehow, the toy reappears later.
Every. Single. Time.
So now I have a toy jail. It gets a lot of use. The kids were super excited when I jumped on Amazon and ordered it. They might be equally excited to discreetly, sometimes not so discreetly, point out friends who have toys that need to visit toy jail.
I Didn’t Know What I Didn’t Know
Then came the curriculum. I’ve been teaching for a long time…I’ve worked in education since 2003. I know how to teach. I know how to manage a classroom. I know how to build relationships. I know how to explain something 17 completely different ways when the first 16 didn’t work.
So, of course, I walked into third grade feeling confident.
And then I realized I had no idea what I didn’t know. Third grade ELA is no joke.
There are basically three different programs that need to be happening within a schedule that feels like it isn’t long enough. Then there is small group instruction. Check-ins. Documentation. Data. Conferencing.
Thankfully, I had two professional development days. I went from not knowing what I didn’t know to knowing what I didn’t know. But slowly, things are clicking, and I’m getting it.
The Biggest Surprise?
Third grade is basically mini sixth graders!
I think this has been the biggest surprise of the entire transition back to elementary. Third graders and sixth graders are not that different.
I mean, developmentally, very different. But socially? They are both in the cusp of not being little kids but not entirely big kids. They are figuring out how to navigate friendships, how to handle conflict, how to advocate for themselves and their friends. They are both trying to figure out who they are right now as little people.
The biggest difference between the two? My sixth graders got my jokes and understood my music references. My third graders absolutely do not.
Things I Was Not Prepared For in Third Grade
1. The Bathroom Situation
These kids need to go to the bathroom more than a sixth grade girl who has a scheduled meet up with friends to do TikTok dances.
2. My Jokes Are Terrible
None of my jokes work. Not a single one. I set it up and deliver what used to be a perfectly timed and hilarious one liner and get nothing but blank faces.
I reference a song…. nothing. Movies, nada.
I am old.
What I Didn’t Expect to Love
I think the thing I 100% love most about third grade is their eagerness to learn. They are excited to learn things. They want to know. They want to show you.
Their excitement about school is still so very genuine and pure. They aren’t doing it because they have to or because their so and so told them that they would earn $100 if they brought home A’s and B’s on their report card. They are just excited to come to school and learn.
Walking into the cafeteria every day, where not only my students but other 3rd grade students are waving to me and calling my name, makes me feel good about this choice. Having my homeroom students and my partner teacher for maths students come up to me in recess and tell me that they can’t wait to go to ELA helps me to feel like I made the right decision, especially when I’m doubting myself with this new curriculum. The first time that happened, that was the moment. That was when I thought, “ok, I made it”.
I Still Miss My Middle Schoolers
As much as I am enjoying third grade, I would be totally lying if I said I don’t miss middle school.
I miss their wit. I miss their sarcasm. I miss being able to roast them and have them roast me right back. I miss coaching cheer and coordinating PBSIS events. I miss past students making their way down to 6th grade land to check in. I miss seeing their little faces in the beginning of the year and knowing that they will be so much more mature in just 10 short months.
And Then My Husband Made It Official
I think I officially felt like an elementary school teacher again when my handsome hubby asked if he could come visit my class. He bought a crayon mold and wants to drop off Halloween gifts to my class. Be involved with the kids and my new school. Apparently, handsome hubby has decided he’s buying into the elementary life too.
All in All
I knew I needed a change.
I wasn’t sure that I was ready to leave middle school, but I knew I needed to explore something different.
I didn’t know how many supplies I would buy. I didn’t know how much I would miss my middle schoolers. And I didn’t know how quickly I would love these third graders. But that’s the great thing about starting over.
You don’t have to know everything before you begin. Sometimes you just have to be willing to admit that you don’t know what you don’t know. And then just keep showing up and putting 100% into it anyway.
I’m also remembering why I started teaching in the first place.
Even if I still haven’t figured out why these kids need to use the bathroom every fourteen seconds. There is something incredibly enjoyable about watching this new chapter of my life become something my family gets to be part of, too.
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