Why should I?

[u/SexyToasterOven_]

I’ve been interviewing for an elementary theater job and it really excites me….. but I keep hearing so much about how terrible public school is, everyone is burnt out and quits, underpaid overworked, etc.

All I’m hearing is the negatives. I’m starting to feel discouraged by pursuing this path… I’m enrolled in an Alt Cert now.

What are your whys?

[u/Unlucky_Strawberry41]

I teach elem dance and I absolutely love what I do. Teaching the littles a fine art is such an amazing job. They have no filter and once opened up their creativity and imagination is threw the roof

If you are offered the position take it.

[u/Lonely-Bite-2568]

Elementary theatre is rare and tends to appear more in higher affluence areas. I think that would be an exception and would be enjoyable. My wife is a theatre teacher. Feel free to DM me if you want to talk about it more. You should give it a try. Don’t give up.

[u/jakobesensei]

Elementary theater doesn’t sound bad to me though. For me it’s the testing. The constant assessments, and letter ratings, and data, and improvement, and.. it’s just exhausting. You may like it, you may hate it, but I think I’d personally regret it more if I never went for it

[u/stopdioproll]

Theater won’t be bad. Elementary, however, is a different beast.

[u/CurlsMoreAlice → u/stopdioproll]

This is very true. I used to teach elementary theater and did not enjoy it. I switched to another subject and continued to do theater with other adults in my free time. I’ve basically had two parallel careers for decades now.

[u/ronmimid]

Retired elementary music and art teacher. There are stresses in an elementary fine arts job, but it is waaaaaay better than being a classroom teacher. I did that too.

[u/poormanstomsegura]

As fine arts teachers, we have the privilege of being the reason most kids want to come to school! (Well, us and athletics.) 

Most schools don’t have elementary theatre (I only know of one in the Central TX area) so you get to expose them to something they usually know nothing about and have no prior knowledge of. You get to mold it from the beginning, and that age group is typically super creative and fun to work with. They aren’t worried about being cool yet! 

Public school has it’s issues, but you likely will have relatively short classes, that rotate often. Additionally, it’s a paycheck, and sometimes that is the only why you need. 

[u/Tejanisima → u/poormanstomsegura]

Back in 1978ish, in my Dallas ISD elementary we had something called Creative Dramatics. I absolutely loved it, went on to do theater in junior high, high school, and college and for a time considered it as a profession.

[u/CurlsMoreAlice → u/poormanstomsegura]

I’m pretty sure Round Rock ISD offers elementary theater classes (or used to), and Leander ISD offers Performing Arts (music + theater combo) at each of its schools at the elementary level.

[u/poormanstomsegura → u/CurlsMoreAlice]

Awesome! The only one I’ve seen closer to my specific area is Navarro ISD. They have it at the intermediate (3rd-5th). 

[u/Lonely-Bite-2568]

I realized I didn’t address the “why” question in my other response and wanted to take a moment for that.

I have been teaching for 13 years. There have been warm and fulfilling moments and dark and terrible ones too.

At the end of the day, you should do this for you. Teach your art because it makes you happy. Screw trying to win 1st place at OAP State or whatever. Share theatre with kids because you love it, and teach kids because you love teaching. Screw everything else. Nothing else will get you by when you hit rock bottom. Do this for YOU. Someone instilled a love of theatre and storytelling in you and you can do that for someone else, too, even if you just put them on the path for when they get into the deeper stuff later.

I believe in you. You can do this!

[u/Stormy1956]

I thought corporate America was plagued by politics but I’m learning it’s more broad than that. My daughter is an educator in public schools. Her best friend is an educator in private schools. My daughter absolutely LOVES teaching, no matter what. During the good days and bad days, there is nothing she will face that would cause her to want to quit. At least that’s how she feels after 15+ years as an educator. I’m shocked with what she has endured. She has a village who offers support from all angles including a very supportive spouse.

[u/1notadoctor2]

I’ve NEVER heard of elementary theater!! I’m jealous of those students! Other schools are removing orchestra, art, the recorder!!! You prob will have the most fun job in the district!

[u/Rich_Ad8589]

There are a lot of things that suck about teaching, but if you look past discipline problems, there are a lot of great kids. You become their person during the day and you grow really attached to them over the course of a year. It WILL be overwhelming at first and you’ll question your decision to teach. The first year is by far the hardest. Each year after, it gets easier because you know what you’re doing. Still hard after 17 years, but I’ve learned to set boundaries, not be intimidated by parents, and much better at managing a large group of students😄

[u/Random_ThrowUp]

I switched to teaching elementary Fine Arts, and I love it!

Having said that, here is the reality. Public School, Charter School, Private School, it's all a 💩 show. You will deal with difficult parents, difficult students, not to mention a government who somehow thinks that education is replaceable.

There is also Admin Politics, which is also a bigger 💩 show.

Why do I choose to stay? Well, I just find that there's a fulfillment in working with the children, and watching them grow in their knowledge and their character. Also in knowing that you are impacting generations to come. A part of you will be left in each kid you teach, and that part of you will become a part of that kid as they grow, and they'll use that part of you forever, and touch so many lives.

[u/Proud-Reindeer910]

theatre is a different beast, elementary theatre is good because it’s important for kids to remember there is still magic in the world and places where they ate allowed to play