Shaking Things Up

I have big decisions to make over the next month or so. In my teaching job I work with a team of teachers. The main part of our team includes three core teachers. I teach Math and Science and the other teachers teach Literature, Language Arts, Social Studies and one class of Science. I love my team, but one of the teachers on my team will need to move up to 7th grade Social Studies next year as the teacher now teaching 7th grade is retiring this year. The nice part is that my co-teacher will have job security as she will be highly qualified in her new position. She has been teaching 6th grade Social Studies for 15 years, but is not considered highly qualified. The other teacher on my team is a long term sub that has been at the job since the end of the first quarter. She did some long term subbing on my team last year as well. At this point I am not sure whether she will be back next year, but she is applying for the position full time.

So here is my dilemma. Do I continue teaching Math and Science? I love them both but they are not easy to teach as in Math there are tons of assignments to grade each week. Science is something kids enjoy, but the state of Kansas keeps changing the curriculum. I have had to change what I teach each year in science. A couple of times changes were made in the course of a year. Very aggravating. This year I am required to focus on Physical Science for most of the year. I miss teaching life science and Earth and space science, as I did when I taught general science. So do I keep teaching what I am teaching now, or do I take the opportunity to move over and teach Social Studies and Language Arts? Or Literature? All subjects I really love and kids usually enjoy learning about. I am highly qualified to teach them all.

Well, I need to decide soon as my principal will want to advertise for a teacher for next year soon. I want to stay in my school, but there are also open positions at the elementary level teaching. The elementary classes will be moving into a brand new school sometime next year (probably in January).

Whatever I do, or don't do, things are going to be different next year. Next year at the Middle School I will be the senior member of my team and will miss my friend and team leader whom next year I will only see in passing since she will be on another floor in my building with different plan times, etc. What to do? I wish I knew.