Elementary vs. Secondary–”let’s get it on!”

As many of you know, I have made the jump from secondary to elementary education in the role of an administrator.  Now, although I am no longer teaching, I have often found myself in the midst of extreme differences between the two worlds.  In other worlds, I have made my fair share of mistakes since I am new to this world called elementary education.  Let me site some examples for your entertainment:

• Elementary kids cannot open milk cartons.
• Kindergartners and 1st graders cannot be trusted to go to the bathroom by themselves
• 5 and 6 year olds (sometimes older than that as well) will bite and run from you when they feel threatened.  I suppose it is our animalistic instinct at work
• Kindergartners love to wave at people.  When they see me in the hallway, they wave.  It’s just what they do.
• Elementary kids will tell you about their lost teeth and yes, you have to listen.
• They will also tell you about birthday parties whether it is their own or one that they attended.  Yes, you have to listen.
• 2nd graders will pee on each other in the bathroom.  It is usually an accident. (I am not making this up, it happened to me this week)
• Elementary teachers run A LOT of copies.  They will sometimes stay late to do it.
• The permanent record is an important document. Although there is very little in it, if it is lost, God help us all.
• Kindergartners are short.
• It doesn’t take much to make an elementary kid cry when they are in trouble.

Seriously, elementary is aptly named. I take for granted what my elementary teachers do each day. They take a personal interest in the education of a child, not because it is their job, but because it is their passion. My teachers stay in regular contact with parents, work much longer hours than they really should, and work very hard to keep their classroom decorated and the kids interested. I had teachers on my campus 3 weeks prior to the start of school to decorate and prepare for students. It’s amazing.

Plus, and this is my message to all secondary teachers who ask the question “what are they teaching these kids in elementary school?”, the answer is—-reading, writing, and math. Elementary teachers teach kids how to read, how to do basic math, and how to write. Imagine doing that task year in and year out every single day.

Secondary teachers take this for granted.  I know, because I did.  Secondary teachers get wrapped up in their own little world of science, history, or math and think they are gods in their own domain. We become “experts” at our craft which is our subject matter and we leave the teaching of everything else to everyone else.  This is not the case in elementary.  Everyone teaches on their grade level the exact same thing and their teaching serves to impact their students for the rest of their lives.

Look, I love history and I hope it stays with me all of my life. But if it was not for my elementary teachers, I would not be able to write this blog nor would you be able to read it…enough said.