should I change?

[Reita13]

I have a chance of changing from the high school of our district to the middle school (depending on if the position becomes available) but the change would include not only the change from high school students to middle school students but also changing from teaching Spanish to teaching reading. I am certified to teach both but have only taught Spanish for 4 1/2 years.

So, a couple of questions: has anyone here done something like this, and how did it work out? And what (in general) is taught in middle school reading?! I know I can get the detailed stuff but just want an idea of what I'd be facing.

TIA.

[Oak Tree]

Reading is the most tedious and boring subject to teach and the kids hate it. I would much rather teach Spanish in high school.

[Ms.Champion]

I teach reading in 6th grade. I have to agree with Oak Tree, reading can be very boring for the kids. Kids now-a-days just don't care to read, write or do anything that involves those two. What I mainly teach is the different types of genres of reading, grammar, spelling, comprehension of what you have read, reading skills like: scanning, skimming, key words, etc..., vocabulary, writing and so on. I have never taught spanish, but I would think more about the age of the kids. Do you really want to teach middle school kids or would you rather stick with the high schoolers? Middle school kids can be very whiny, annoying, immature and so on. But, I think you can get that from HS students too. I don't know...I hope I helped you out some how. :-D

[MsCoffeeLover]

I am not so crazy about the way the previous teachers described reading. I have taught reading before, and there are some challenges to it. They are right in the sense that many kids don't want to read for extended periods of time. It also takes a special person to be a middle school teacher. That isn't to say you aren't that special person, but most teachers find their niche in a particular grade and wouldn't have it any other way.

Middle school is a different ball of wax entirely. I love it, but you have to really enjoy that age and the quirkiness of the personalities and the reasonings behind them.

Think about what you enjoy. People think that all folks do in a reading class is read, but there is so much more to it than that. So much more. Reading can be more fun if you make it fun. If kids find stuff they enjoy reading. If the teacher enjoys teaching reading.

Even though I currently teach 7th grade science, we still do a lot of reading, strategies, and comprehension exercises. It doesn't really matter what subject you teach, we are all reading teachers. You just have to be really crafty and creative. What is your heart telling you to do? The cool thing about teaching though is that you can move to a different subject or grade level if you wanted.

In my experience, teaching a separate reading class is much easier than a separate writing class.

[Boxcar]

I like the point you make about all of us being reading teachers. Reading is a big part of education, and most subjects areas teach reading.

I'm sure that you teach reading when you teach your students Spanish. You probably have some fun ways to do this. Perhaps these could carry over into teaching reading in English? That is, if you choose to move.

I also agree that reading can be made fun for the students and you. Finding the ways to do this will require creativity, but you might enjoy the challenge.

Finding the right age group is another good point. I would not want to teach middle school. I like my age group. However, that does not mean that teaching middle schoolers would not work for you. Ask yourself what sorts of traits - in general - you'd like your students to have. How much maturity, meta- and higher level congnition, independance, attitude, ect.?

[Oak Tree]

Most reading jobs are low level extensive double blocks and I don't care what anyone says they're murder.

[MsCoffeeLover]

Oak tree, that isn't entirely the case, and you know it. There are jobs as you described out there. There is no denying that, but there is more to it than.

There are reading programs for lower level readers and pop up all the time. States and counties are different. Some schools no longer have that Language Arts block. Language Arts as a class title is being used less and less. Many schools have it separated into two classes of reading and writing.

Your statement pretty much describes a small sample size, and that is only one small part of the population as a whole and shouldn't be seen as a means to represent the entire population.

[Oak Tree]

It's true that I don't know much about what's going on outside my district but most any teacher will tell you, in general, a foreign language gig beats reading hands down. I'm sure that reading is considerably worse in the hated double blocks that reign supreme in my neck of the woods.

[dsmms]

I teach sixth grade reading and I LOVE IT!! It is true, by the time I get them in my class, their love for reading has been squelched. I try to make it interesting for them. I use the text book as little as possible and teach objectives using books that spark their interest! I use literature circles to get the kids talking about what they are reading and have them keep response journals so they can think and interact with the text. Do all kids love it? No, of course not, it is work and they don't like to do that! But do I see them get excited about reading a really good novel. Absolutely!

The down side for teaching reading is, well, all the reading I have to do when I grade. I read all of their journal responses and I interact with what they have written - like an exchange of ideas on paper. It just takes a long time to grade. I have to figure out how to lessen that load. I am pretty new at this gig, so I am still tweaking the way I do things. This is my 2nd year teaching reading. I taught third grade before this {shudder}.

dsmms

[Oak Tree]

I think you should probably cut back on all that stuff. The best way to make reading gains is to do everything you can to increase the time they actually spend focused on reading.

1) Read passages
2) Ask comprehension questions
3) Make them identify what from the text led them to that conclusion

Repeat

[Clix]

Find out if you'll be allowed to just let them read FOR FUN. I created my own fun-reading program this term (I call it SSR for Self-Selected Reading) and it's fantastic. I'm hoping to expand the amount of time the students spend reading independently next semester.

Two parts are vital: One, they MUST be reading something they can enjoy (this means it needs to be at their level or juuust above it, whatever that level is, as well as being a topic/style they're interested in). Two, they have to summarize what's going on in the story and converse with me about it. Twice a week, they write a synopsis of what's happened since the last time they wrote. I read these and write back briefly with questions about what they've written. Then the next time, they respond to my questions as well as giving me an update.

It also gives ME plenty of excuses for doing more reading: I'm modeling good reading habits! I'm sharing the experience with my students! I'm doing RESEARCH to find more books I can recommend! Heh heh heh... ;)

Honestly, reading courses differ from district to district. I'd contact the current teacher about what he/she does.

[Reita13]

Wow! What a range of responses. I would like to add just a couple more comments: first of all, I never wanted to teach a) Spanish or b) anybody "taller" than me! I originally intended to teach 2nd or 3rd grade. But I didn't find a job right after certification (Dec.) so I took what I could find--high school Spanish. And my first 4 years I taught a class of 7th graders and a class of 8th graders--this is the first year that I haven't had any middle school students at all. My middle school students were better students (behaviour, attitude, and production) than my high school students by far. And no, very little reading is taught in first year Spanish--it's mostly vocabulary and basic grammar.

Thanks for all of your comments.

[MissTeach]

I taught at the high school level before I moved to the middle school. I loved teaching high school, but was ready for a change. Now I love teaching middle school. There are some advantages to both levels. You have to like the younger teens to survive at middle school. You also have to be very firm and consistent with them. I know that is true at high school also, but at middle school it is extremely important.