GT/AAP vs.Gen. Ed vs. Team-Taught

I don't know about you, but every February/March my school sends out an intention form. The premise of which is to find out who will be returning/leaving/wanting to change positions for the next school year. I have struggled with this for the past five years (typically because I am unhappy in my position) however this year was different. I am in love with my new school (yes...I am at my 3rd school...) and my new team (I now teach math full time in a middle school and I LOVE IT!). The struggle was what type of kids do I ask for? This was the first time that I received a question like this. Typically I get what I get, and that's it. Each "type" of students has its pros and cons. Now, I am generalizing here and I recognize that each group is unique in the challenges that they bring. But come on, lets not kid ourselves here teachers. When walking into a brand new classroom with no prior knowledge to what type of students are in there or what type of class it is, we can typically tell within 10 minutes.

So what do I want to teach?
With the exception of my first year, I have always taught the inclusion classroom. I like this group because I get to really see the most growth. I am able to establish really great relationships because the classroom is smaller, there are two teachers (whether or not I like who I work with is an entirely different post) so one of us can handle behavior while the other teaches, there are more ideas and more energy and you don't feel as alone. Moreover, while data should not be the end all be all, test scores are not that bad. They typically are not stellar, don't get me wrong I still cry in a corner after data dialogue days...but they aren't dismal. There are ALOT MORE behaviors in these classes than Gen. Ed classes. Let's face it, these students act out because they are bored, it is too hard, they are filled with adolescent and pubescent craziness...whatever you want to name it, I spend the majority of my time either teaching with 1 teacher out of the room or myself addressing the behavior while the other teaches.

But what about the GT kids? I taught 1 section of them last year and hold an after school math club which normally has these types of students in it. This group is pretty cool because you are able to have higher-level conversations. Not to mention to are able to do a lot of projects and in-depth research because the students typically make connections in content quicker. However, major drawback: the parents. Do you hear that? Oh yeah, here comes the helicopter or tiger moms or whatever the cliche term is nowadays. I do not like dealing with that. I am sorry, I became an educator because I wanted to work with students...not adults. When I taught that 1 section, I spent the majority of my time, answering parent questions and justifying why their child received a B on the last assignment (thank god for rubrics!) I also occasionally get the GT kid that thinks they know the answer to everything. I don't know why this bothers me so much. Maybe it is my own insecurities coming out to play, but when a kid challenges me on anything (history, science, math, etc.) my feathers automatically get ruffled (can you tell I am on a cliche kick today...or maybe year...). Now hear me out, I am not the type of person that cannot admit when they are wrong. I have proven wrong by many a student/parent/coworker. I just...can't handle the challenge of authority that I hear in those students voices. To me, there is a polite way to confront or to challenge...and I typically do not hear this from those students.

I don't know what I will get next year, I wrote it doesn't matter to me. That I am up for a challenge! But I have coworkers that demand one or the other. I know people put "I don't want to team teach," "I only want AAP students," "I really want to coteach with so and so..." on their intent forms. Does that make me weird? That I don't care what I teach as long as I am teaching math and that I have my own room (I hate sharing my room with traveling teachers).