u/BigCompetitive5876

I need a new job regardless because the one I have is NOT it. But I’m currently finishing my first year teaching and I am teaching 6-8 band a choir and as I’m searching for another position I’m thinking maybe teaching elementary school aligns with my life goals much better than teaching secondary.

I’m 23 and have a lot of goals outside of my career. I participate in a sport in which I am trying to be competitive in. I LOVE playing my flute and really want to get back into that. I love conducting and making music with an ensemble but as a job I’m wondering if I’m more fit for elementary school. I’m thinking I’ll have a better work/life balance and I’ll be happier teaching that age group.

The only thing is I have NO experience with teaching elementary school. My college didn’t make me take elementary methods so I don’t even have the basic knowledge from that class. How can I tailor my resume and interviews to an elementary school? My resume highly caters to secondary, with the exception that I have worked with 5-11 year olds at summer camps and when coaching.

Also tell me why you love teaching elementary! Convince me that’s where I should be.

I want a cool asf rashguard to wear to no-gi as well as under my gi and I’ve been scouring the internet for something that I love and I just can’t find anything that I love! I want it to be unique, but not too much (because I don’t have that big of a personality and I don’t feel like standing out too much) and I want to love it. I just can’t find anything I love and I don’t want to spend $60-$80 on something I’m not excited about. I know a lot of people ask for rashguard and gear recommendations on this subreddit but please share your personal favorite rashguard because I’m getting bored of looking but I really do need new things.

Im just so pissed off and need to vent. Im purposely going to leave information vague so people can’t trace this to me because im embarrassed. I’m new to this job (mid year) and of course students are super protective over the program and I knew that going in. I also knew that my job and the position I put in was tough. I’ve went months without letting these behaviors and the disrespect and treatment get to me but it’s just to a point where I’m pissed off and don’t know what to do.

I feel like I have no authority, they just sit there and don’t get out their supplies and sit on their phones. I’ve asked for help and I’ve gotten it but it’s also to the point where I feel like I can’t just put the hammer down and I’ve partly created my own pool to swim in. So idk part of my stress comes from my lack of experience and my lack of setting strict boundaries for the classroom but it also comes from the students feeling hurt and taking it out on me. Before you say that they should fail, they are. Most of them are failing. We did recently have a performance that went well… but now that it’s over there is no motivation to be nice or treat me with respect. Everything I try to do they HATE. And it really doesn’t matter, I give them choices and even let them come up with things to do and when I execute it they hate it. I’ve accepted that they don’t like me and probably never will and that they will not be happy with any activity I plan but that doesn’t make it less difficult to get through the day.

I teach MS, this is just 8th grade who does this thankfully they’re leaving soon. My other classes are great and I have great classroom management with them and we get along. It just is draining to feel like I’m failing these kids, because they are both failing my class AND I’m failing them as their teacher because I can’t teach them.

I just don’t know how to cope with feeling like a shitty teacher and with the disrespect for 29 more school days. It’s seriously pissing me off and effecting my mood.