Around a year ago today, I completed my student teaching program and obtained my degree in English for Secondary Education. No, this is not a degree for teaching people how to speak English (that’s English as a second language), but rather a degree for teaching 6th-12th grade English. To complete this program, I had to complete a quarter of student teaching. Luckily, I was able to find a spot at a local middle school to complete this program.
I feel like middle school gets a bad rap from teachers, students, and parents. I had many different people questioning why I would even want to teach in a middle school. From their point of view, I was getting the worst of both worlds. I was going to have young teenagers that were full of energy like elementary students, while also developing their own personalities and attitudes. Of course I disagree with this entirely. Mainly because I have a different perspective.
Yes, these students have TONS of energy and are really just beginning to experience “big feelings.” However, I think this made the job a lot of fun. Definitely not easy, but fun, nonetheless. Middle school students, In the nicest way possible, are chaotic messes. They have not yet developed their social filters and will let you know exactly what they are thinking at any time. They also haven’t fully developed impulse control and will do random things that will make you stare in awe. This is the part of the job that keeps you on your toes on a daily basis. You really never know what to expect day to day.
I remember one time in the class I was doing my usual rounds around my morning class. The students were given the rest of the class period to work on their upcoming assignments as I was walking, I approached two girls in the class that always worked with each other. This morning, I noticed them quietly giggling and whispering to each other. One of them noticed that I was near by.
She immediately looked up and without a second thought loudly asked me “Is your wife a Baddie Diva Queen?”
At this point, I probably looked like a deer in the headlights. She might as well have spoke a foreign language to me, as I had absolutely no idea what she was asking. This was also the moment I realized that I am now an old guy. Both of the girls mentioned that the term was a positive term, so I of course agreed with them which got another chuckle. My mentor teacher saw the entire interaction and was doing her best to not burst out laughing.
Another time in the class, I had to get a little stern with some students who decided to not control their impulses in the classroom and were beginning to push each other in the back of the class. Of course, as a 30-year-old man I have a pretty loud and authoritative voice when I need it. I barked out for the two students to stop and sit down now. The whole class went silent, as that was the first time I really had to get strict with anybody in the entire school.
From the silence, I quietly heard a student say, “woah, dad voice!”
I immediately broke from my seriousness and laughed hard, which melted the tension in the classroom.
This random chaotic lifestyle wasn’t always odd negative interactions with students. One time I had a student walk up to the front of the class during a work time to speak to me.
This student looked me dead in the eye and asked, “are you a good teacher?”
Now me being me, I didn’t want to boldly say that I was. I decided the best approach was to say, “maybe, I’m pretty new to teaching so I’ve got a way to go.”
The student looked at me and said, “no, you are a great teacher!” He then turned around and walked back to his desk without a second thought.
Let me tell you, that was an amazing ego boost regarding my effectiveness as a teacher.
Overall I can agree that middle school is a tough teaching job, but I honestly love it. The random conversations definitely help make the days more fun and keep you guessing about what is going to happen throughout the day. But there’s a moment in the classroom that really makes being a teacher worth it. There is a moment when you see a student who is stuck on a part in their work, and they are trying to work through their thoughts and find the answer. Then, the light bulb goes off. The look of excitement and realization on their face is absolutely priceless and really makes all the work in the classroom worth it.
Also, watching the lengths students will go to make sure their extracurricular activities aren’t interrupted is fascinating. I had a student who obviously wanted to wrestle in the winter. It was the one sport he constantly talked about any time he wasn’t working on assignments or other class work. I noticed one day that he was missing quite a few assignments, and his grade was suffering. One day I decided to bring him over and explain to him that if these missing assignments weren’t completed, he would not be able to wrestle in the next few weeks. He, rightfully concerned, asked that if he turned them in, if his grade would be high enough to wrestle and promised me that he would have all of these assignments completed. I thought it would take him a few days to complete them, but was confident that he would get the work done.
Boy, was I wrong about the timeline.
The very next day, he came in with a stack of papers. He had completed every single missing assignment in one night. In one night, this student completed around 15 different assignments. These assignments weren’t even low effort. No, he put quality work into each one.
I asked him if he got in any sleep the night before, and he proudly told me that he got to go to bed at 3:00AM. I was dumbfounded and impressed by his commitment. He was happily able to wrestle in the winter and actually maintained one of the best grades in his class.
So, to wrap this up, Middle schoolers are a bit chaotic, but I can’t say that is exactly a negative thing. Yes, they say whatever comes to their mind, but this bluntness is really appreciated because you never have to wonder what they are thinking about. This can also help keep the classroom lighthearted and welcoming. Middle school students also are very determined when the benefits match with their interests. I think knowing this will help me setup my classroom and lessons in a way that helps keeps students motivated in the classroom.
To anyone who is interested in teaching, don’t write off middle school teaching just yet. If you can embrace the chaos, it is a really fun job.
Also, to my past middle school teachers, I am so sorry that you had to put up with me! I didn’t really know better at the time!
JTL Writes 
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