Thinking of Making a Change? Here are 5 Reasons Teaching at a Small School Could Be Right for You

Change can be uncomfortable but so can staying in an environment that isn't quite the right fit for you. Every teacher has to find the right place for themselves, and there is a right place for everyone. If you are working at a large school and loving it, I love that for you! This post, however, is for the teachers at a large school wondering if someplace smaller might be a better fit for them. Here are 5 reasons teaching at a small school could be the right fit for you - from someone who loves working at a small school.

Reason #1 The Team Mentality

All of our students grades pre-k - 12 are on the same campus. There are separate buildings for elementary, middle, and high school, but everyone is within walking distance of each other. This means that all students see each other regularly and, as a result, our school functions as one big team, and it's a beautiful, heartwarming thing!

Here are some examples of our small school's team mentality in action:

• Our high school students, particularly the seniors, will often spend an hour a day assisting in the offices around campus, helping with students in the cafeteria, or serving as a teacher's assistant. They grew up seeing older students volunteering and, in turn, want to volunteer themselves.

  
  

• When our athletes are headed to state, we have hallway and parking lot sendoffs. The athletes visit every building to high-five all of the students as they are cheered on, and the whole school goes to the parking lot and cheers for the team as they leave on the bus!

  
  

• Our high school student organizations have a Friday car drop-off line rotation. So, one Friday our high school band students are opening doors for the elementary kids in the car line and helping them into the building with their bags. The next week, it's the basketball team. The next, 4H club, etc. There are big smiles on everyone's face and the music is blasting! It means so much to our younger students, and the smiles on their faces honestly make me a little teary-eyed. It's an amazing way to start the day and end the week for everyone!

Reason #2 Student Friendships/Bonds

Students in small schools have grown up together and are very close. Like, insanely close. (Sometimes they're even related. It's not uncommon to have cousins in the same class at a small school.) You'll hear a seventh grader reminisce over something that happened in third grade, and all of the other students are able to join in because they were all in second grade together.

Since they've grown up together and are close, they know each other like the back of their hand. So, the identical twins I'm having trouble telling apart? Yeah, the students don't struggle with that at all. They know exactly which one is which based on the way one laughed or the way the other sat in his chair. It's so fun to see how unique and special their friendships are. A little side note - as a result of their long-time friendships and tight bonds, theft is extremely rare. It's so rare that, to me, it feels pretty nonexistent. Very few students keep locks on their lockers, and accidentally leaving a backpack in the hall isn't a big deal. It will still be there when the student returns. The fact of the matter is the students have no desire to steal from the ones they've grown up with, the ones they play ball with, their friends since kindergarten, and even their cousins. Theft happens, but from my experience, it's rare at small schools.

Reason #3 Support and Accountability

Holding students accountable is always tough, but it feels easier overall when you have supportive admin, know nearly every student, and can build a relationship with each student.

Let's start with support. My administrators are very supportive, present, and available to us. I recognize that this isn't exclusive to small schools, but I do think admin overseeing a smaller number of teachers versus a huge number makes a difference just as class sizes make a difference for students. It's never easy, but numbers matter and smaller numbers make a difference.

As far as accountability is concerned, the expectation is that everyone is held accountable because everyone understands that what one student does affects everyone as well as the school culture overall because it's so small. It's not like one student can do something and the others won't hear about it. Everyone is going to hear about it! Something that helps from the teacher and admin perspective is that we can often build better relationships because we often have the same students in class for more than one year due to the school's size and schedule. Having a student in your sixth grade ELA class and then again next year in your journalism class is pretty great.

Reason #4 - Everyone is Invested

Small schools are part of small towns, and if the school is right in your backyard - literally for some it is - you're going to be invested in its success. This means that small schools are also all about being part of a legacy and leaving a legacy for the next generation. I have had many third, fourth, and even fifth-generation students in class. These students can easily go into the library and find a photo of their grandparents in the yearbooks - they actually really love doing that. Their small school isn't just a school to them, it's part of their family's history. It's where Grandpa met Grandma. It's where Dad learned that he loved to weld in shop class. It's where Mom won the championship game her senior year. It's where family friends that last today got started. All schools are part of a community, but in small towns, the school is often the center of the community - the heart, which leads me to the last reason small schools could be right for you.

Reason #5 - They Are Often The Heart of Beautiful Communities

This final reason is the one that matters most to me - our small school is the heart of a beautiful community! Three years ago, it became clear that my sons, who attended the same school I taught at, would no longer be able to receive the services they needed where we were. (My children both have autism and were the inspiration for these posts: Creating An Inclusive Classroom & Thoughtful IEP Meeting Advice for Gen Ed Teachers. They are my favorite humans in the world and the reason I approach teaching the way that I do!) As a result, we needed to find a new school.

Coming off of that heartbreak and straight into an amazing new school community left me feeling uncertain. I was worried that the rug was going to be pulled out from under us again. So, while we had found a beautiful new school community, I didn't let myself invest emotionally at first because it felt too good to be true.

I was wrong, and I'm so glad I was! However, it took me a long time to wrap my head around all of the good that we had found, and we have found a LOT of good in another small school. My coworkers are wonderful, and my children have all of the love and support they could ever need. No work environment is perfect. There will always be tough days and situations and things can quickly change, but my experience with small schools has been fantastic overall. I hope that if you're looking for a change, you will consider teaching at a small school. It may just be the best thing you've ever done!

If you want to know more about what teaching at a small school is like, check out my post 4 Misconceptions That Make Teachers Overlook Small Schools!

Until next time,

Lauren