Elementary vs. Secondary Education: Choosing a Career Path

Introduction

In general, my undergraduate education has confirmed my original choice of a future career as an educator. More particularly, the completion of my undergraduate studies requires a decision on my part with respect to pursuing a career track in elementary or secondary education. Each has its distinct attractions, making the decision only that much more difficult. Ultimately, the choice boils down to (1) identifying the avenue that provides the greatest opportunity to influence young students positively, and (2) identifying my greatest relative strengths.

The Elementary Education Career Track

The elementary education career track offers a tremendous opportunity to contribute positively to the development of young minds. At this stage of education, the instructor has a window of opportunity in which to help shape the student's general attitude toward the entire concept of education (Russell, 1992). While substantive learning at the elementary school level is also crucial as the foundation for basic reading and writing skills essential to later education, many educators believe that shaping the student's attitude toward learning in general is equally important (Russell, 1992).

When students first enter primary school, many do so with trepidation; thereafter, many others fear embarrassment in front of their peers. Their susceptibility to establishing either positive or distinctly negative early experiences is very high at this point. Instructors have a clear opportunity to respond to students individually — challenging naturally high performers and gently encouraging slower learners. For this reason, a career in elementary school education emphasizes the ability to read overt behaviors as well as more subtle signals from grade school-age children.

Some of the latest research in educational theory (Smith, 2002) suggests that many students fail to reach their educational potential in traditional programs because standard approaches focus narrowly on a relatively small set of specific academic aptitudes. Gardner (2000), especially, has demonstrated the degree to which educators can motivate positive attitudes toward education in general, and more particularly, help students whose greatest aptitudes lie outside those narrow skill sets. By directing non-traditional areas of academic interest and aptitude into appropriate academic outlets, the primary school teacher has the unique opportunity to support gifted students who might otherwise fall through the gaps in standard programs because their relative strengths lie in the five non-traditional areas among the seven first identified and detailed by Gardner (1991).

Conclusion

At the secondary school level, substantive learning is a much more necessary focus. This emphasizes the need for educators to be capable teachers in the literal sense, and often requires a degree of specialization centered on the specific academic strengths of the instructor, such as the sciences or languages. Naturally, a career in secondary education also emphasizes the ability to form a natural rapport with high school-age students, despite the fact that by this stage, students are significantly less dependent on instructors than they were at the elementary level. On the other hand, the secondary school environment affords gifted instructors and subject-matter experts a much greater opportunity to challenge students, particularly those who express a specific academic interest in their fields.

Another consideration relevant to the decision between a career in primary or secondary education is that the latter also requires a greater natural ability to function as a counselor and advisor. In the secondary school environment, those skills come into play both in response to direct requests for advice from students and in the context of unsolicited counseling initiated by the educator out of perceived need.

The opportunity to specialize in the academic areas of my own greatest interest provides a strong intellectual attraction to secondary education. I can anticipate the reward of working with motivated students who have already expressed a specific interest in areas aligned with my own strengths. It is conceivable that secondary school instructors may also be less susceptible to professional burnout by virtue of the subject matter level of instruction. However, it is somewhat unrealistic to focus exclusively on the most challenging instructional opportunities inherent in secondary school teaching when that is only one component of the position. Generally, even instructors who specialize in specific academic areas — including those afforded the chance to teach at the honors level — must still devote significant effort to general studies and to the needs of the average student.

More importantly, in my experience, by the time students reach secondary school age, it is far more difficult to help them develop a positive attitude toward the educational process if they have not already done so. Such an attitude is much easier to instill at the primary school level. Similarly, by the secondary stage, students whose greatest academic aptitude lies in non-traditional areas — and who are therefore at risk of falling through the gaps of traditional educational programs — have often already done so by the time they leave elementary school. Since salvaging their potential for academic success is one of my primary vocational motivations, this alone is a compelling reason to lean toward an elementary school position.

The fact that secondary school education also places greater emphasis on the counselor role rather than on direct instruction and childcare likewise argues against the secondary track in my particular case. My ability to establish close rapport with secondary school students is somewhat limited to those who have already expressed a commitment to academic success; by comparison, it is admittedly more difficult for me to reach out to less motivated students.

Conversely, I consider myself considerably more capable of establishing close rapport with primary school-age students irrespective of their natural academic aptitude or degree of interest in the educational process. That capacity, combined with the more realistic opportunity to help salvage the future academic success of non-traditionally gifted students at the elementary level, suggests to me that my ability to make a meaningful difference is considerably greater in primary school education.

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