A group of students in a teaching social studies class at the University of Maine introduced themselves to me. Each one of them stated their name, their major and concentration, and what grade(s) they wanted to teach. I was in their class to talk about teaching students with autistic spectrum disorders in the regular education classroom.

Because of time constraints I didn’t ask each one how they decided what grades they wanted to teach and why they made that choice. I was struck by the fact that at the very beginning of their career as an educator, they had locked themselves into a specific grade range. It reminded me of myself a long time ago; I did the same thing at the beginning of my teaching career. Even though I’m certified to teach K-8, I would shudder when anyone mentioned teaching middle school or high school.

Why did I shudder? Because middle and high school students are, for the most part, taller than me, speak slang, are emotionally volatile, and are way cooler than I could ever hope to be. This was a major stumbling block for me. I used to think that teaching “big kids” required different skills, knowledge and temperament.

My comfort zone for specific grade level teaching was expanded because of a variety of circumstances in both my professional and personal life. Refereeing fifth grade four-square games during morning bus duty when I wasn’t sure of the rules, talking with former students on the playground, advising Student Council, and reflecting on the idea that effective teaching methods are not limited by grade level helped expand my comfort zone.

Raising my own children and visiting with friends’ children also helped. I’ve come to the conclusion that if an administrator exercised her prerogative and assigned me to a different grade level, not only would I cope, I would thrive. I have come to this conclusion because I’ve recognized that I haven’t gotten taller, and my knowledge of cutting-edge slang is still less than it could be, and I have accepted that I’m never going to be truly cool. I have learned that humans are all emotionally volatile but by using coping strategies such as patience, kindness, humor and an occasional chocolate or stern scolding even the most volatile of us can be part of a learning community.

There is great value in expertise. We choose other professionals based on their specialties – lawyers, doctors, engineers, writers, computer geeks. But if we can’t find a pediatric orthopedic doctor as skilled and caring as EMMC’s Dr. Erik Greene, we would still be comfortable and get excellent care for our child from an adult orthopedic doctor. The adult orthopedic doctor may find it necessary to do some extra reading, consulting, or thinking while treating a pediatric patient. When all was said and done, the patient’s broken arm would heal well and the doctor would have a broader and deeper understanding of treating patients.

It’s the same thing in teaching. As we develop expertise in a grade-age range, we become teacher specialists. We are knowledgeable about the academic, cognitive and social-emotional development and capabilities of the specific level of students we teach. That expertise is applied to effective teaching practices, creating a specialized teacher. It also makes it hard for us to understand and appreciate teaching at another level.

Each year at least one student in our student council suggests a “teacher switch day.” This would involve teachers switching classrooms for the day. It could be done by school or even within a whole school system. Maybe it could be used as a team building exercise after consolidation. Principals as education technicians, superintendents as lunch ladies and lads, high school AP calculus teachers in a first-grade classroom – the possibilities are fabulous.

Even though I suspect that there would be significant resistance to this idea, I think it would provide an amazing opportunity for teachers to appreciate one another and to try a new grade-age level. What would it be like to teach fifth grade? Do they really work independently? What would a discussion sound like? What is the balance between direct instruction and constructivist learning for this level? The discussion and reflection after such an activity would be the most profound part of the exercise. Would we learn that effective teaching practices are universal? Or would we learn that doing something different is just too hard?

My comfort zone in teaching is being expanded. During the past month, I’ve been a guest lecturer in three UM classes speaking about having students with autism in the classroom. One was a seminar for student teachers organized by Pam Kimball, one was for a communication disorders class taught by Susan Lambrecht-Smith, and the third was a teaching social studies class taught by Maryellen Mahoney O’Neil. Despite my fears, the sessions went reasonably well because of the attentiveness, curiosity and willingness of the students to be challenged.

So I’m going out on a limb and am going to teach a class this summer at the University of Maine. Hopefully, my theory that effective teaching practices are effective no matter the grade-age level of the students will prove to be true.

If you are looking to take a class this summer, think about taking this one. Watch me expand my teaching comfort zone.

The course is EDT 598 Technology Integration K-12 Curriculum, and will run July 7-25. It will explore a variety of techniques and online resources that will enable participants to create technology-rich lessons for their students while improving their own overall skills and confidence level.

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