The Middle School Experience

Posted by Amy Horn Jul 30, 2006

It's funny. After meeting people for the first time and telling them that I teach language arts and reading to seventh-grade students, their reaction is often, "I'm sorry." Or it's, "I could never do that." And sometimes I get, "I'd rather light myself on fire." I NEVER get, "Don't you absolutely love it?"

When I ask people what part of my job they find so repulsive, they almost always reply that it's not teaching the subject matter but rather it's teaching students that age. I'm sure a lot of people react that way after remembering what they were like in middle school or thinking about a group of obnoxious 13-year-olds at the movie theater last weekend, or even reflecting on the last fight they had with their own child about a messy room, the ridiculous phone bill, or an outfit that costs way too much and covers way too little.

But as I mentioned in my articles the past two weeks, Teaching in the Middle School and Middle School Versus Junior High, teaching students in grades 6-8 is one of my favorite parts-maybe the favorite part-of my job. There is not another age group comparable-especially since there is such a dramatic difference between each grade level. Sixth-grade students are nothing like seventh-grade students, and seventh-grade students are completely different than eighth-grade students. Teaching them all in one building makes for an amazing mix. Ask anyone who has taught in the middle for any length of time-no two days are alike and it's best to expect the unexpected. Maybe that's why I like it so much; I'm not exactly sure. But I am sure that there is no other grade level I'd rather teach, and no one needs to be sorry about it. I, for one, am not.