Teaching in a small town definitely has it benefits: perhaps the most notable being the small class sizes! In my six years of teaching, the largest class I have ever taught had 22 students, and the smallest class was just this previous year at 4 students. I would say that the average class size I have taught is around 8 to 12 students.

The flip side of this coin is that as a teacher, I have few or no repeating “preps” throughout the day.

A “prep” is shorthand for the different courses that you as an instructor teach throughout the day, semester, or year.

In a larger school district, you may be hired as a “biology teacher” in which you teach five sections of Bio 1, and two sections of Advanced Bio. You would be considered to have two “preps” but will probably also have 25-30 students in each section. Of course, every section is different because it is full of different people with different learning needs, styles, and backgrounds, but your basics can be the same. This is a great way to really hone your craft and learn the best way to teach your students this subject.

I have only ever taught in districts with fewer than 100 students in the high school (and in one district with around 100 total K-12!), and because of this, I have taught many different subjects:

• Biology 1
• Anatomy & Physiology
• Physical Science
• Integrated Science
• Intro to Health Science
• Algebra I
• Algebra II
• Trigonometry
• 6th Grade Math
• 8th Grade Math
• Spanish I
• Spanish II
• Seminar/Career Exploration/Social Emotional Learning (SEL)
• Reading Interventions

Wow. When you list it out, it seems a bit crazy. I currently hold certifications in Secondary Education, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and English as a Second Language. Sometimes in a small school, you are called upon to fill a niche, and other times, you fill a need. Is it always ideal? Maybe not. But I, and my colleagues are enthusiastic about teaching our small town students and though a course might not necessarily be in our area of expertise, we are not forced to teach a particular course so much as we volunteer. It can be a challenge, but it never gets boring either!

As a teacher in a small school district, you end up wearing many hats. Check out my next blog post to learn about all of the other activities you can become involved in, even in a small school and community!

Empowerment for STEM teachers, one day, one community at a time.