Leaving PYP for a contract. Bad?

[WonderingWhat]

I've been teaching PYP for about 7 years but I'm thinking of taking a teaching contract for 2 years that is not PYP. Will that hurt me if I try to get into a PYP school after only 2 or possibly 3 years not teaching it?

[sid]

It shouldn't be that bad, you'd still be ahead of people without any PYP experience.
But it does raise the question, if you really believe in PYP, why would you leave it? You should be prepared to answer that if and when you decide to return to a PYP school. There are acceptable answers, so don't think I'm judging you, but it's a question I'd expect, having seen enough teachers who 'taught in PYP schools' rather than 'were PYP teachers'.
Good luck, whatever you decide.

[WonderingWhat]

Sid. My reason would be because I wanted to be in that city in that country and that was the only school that gave me the opportunity. I guess some militant PYPers would not accept that answer. We'll see what happens.

[whynot]

If it's what you want to do, and you're happy with your choice, I say go for it. I have about the same years of PYP, absolutely believe in it, but have also considered taking a jump sideways (just happened to always end up in PYP schools). Basing a life choice on a recruiter's possible response 2 or 3 years down the track is no better.

[wntriscoming]

I think you could always say that inquiry can be part of many schools' philosophies. But if you're a PYP teacher and move to a non inquiry-based school, prepare to have a little piece of your teaching soul die...

[newchapter]

I'm new to international teaching circuit and have no PYP experience. I've googled it to try and gain some understanding. What is it, really? I currently teach in a private school and have a lot of freedom and autonomy in my classroom. I am trusted and respected and allowed to present the curriculum and teach in the way I see fit. Every year I have to tweak and change because my kids are always different. I'm always trying new ideas but in all honesty kids need to learn to read and write and 'do sums.' They won't be able to think critically if they can't do these basic things. Without a strong foundation the house will fall down and you won't be able to put up the wallpaper or do any fancy decoration. Isn't good teaching good teaching? I just don't understand what would be different were I in a PYP classroom.

[sid]

Newchapter, you make some good points, and some things definitely have to happen in a classroom, inquiry-based or not, but as I see it, reading, writing and sums are not the basis for critical thought. Critical thought is the basis for critical thought. Students can be taught to read, write and add without ever applying any critical thought at all (I'm sure that's not what you do in your classroom, just trying to explain part of PYP here). Critical thought is taught by giving students something to think critically about, which can and should start before they are ready to grasp a thick pencil and carve out a 'p'. Even the littlest ones can tackle tough questions like 'What is a family' or 'Why won't this tower stand up'. Their answers, like their thinking abilities, will grow as they grow, but only if they practice, and this is separate from reading, writing, sums. Definitely those things can aid in the development of thinking skills, but strictly speaking they are not necessary.
So PYP is inquiry based, which means in part that we allow students' natural curiosity to drive some of the things that happen in the classroom. If students are interested in that family question, or the tower one, we support those inquiries, provide provocations to spur further thinking, introduce related questions to expand the scope of the inquiry/thinking, throw in some related readings to hit two birds with one stone, etc etc.
PYP does not mean we allow the students free range to decide whether or not to learn, or make all the decisions about what to learn. It means we leverage a natural and good part of childhood to spur deeper and high quality learning.