Reflections from a Middle School Teacher

The Reformed-based Christian schools just had their annual convention in South Bend, IN. I normally look forward to this convention, not necessarily for what I could learn, but the fellowship I have with other Christian school teachers.

The most often asked question, by far, this year was "So, how does it feel to be a middle school teacher?" It was a bit difficult to put the answer into words. There are things that I love about middle school and there are things that I really miss about elementary.

I think the thing I miss the most is the community in an elementary school. The community that the teachers have with each other and the community that a teacher develops with her class. I like the two other eighth grade teachers, but they are the only other adults I have contact with all day. I often feel like I work is isolation. I miss getting to know one group of kids really well. It takes longer to figure out students when you only have them for one or two subjects. I also miss the simplicity of life in elementary school. "Mrs. TerMolen, she won't play with me" is on a totally different level than "Mrs. TerMolen, she's talking about taking her life again". I don't feel like I'm trained for most of these situations. Who needs a master's degree in education? I'll need one in counseling. Part of the problem here is that I'm the only female on the eighth grade staff, so I get a lot of the girl problems.

However, there are some things that I really love about middle school. I love the kids. I love hanging out with them and talking to them. I thought I'd have a hard time building relationships with them, but they trust me already. I love the deep discussions that you can have with them. I enjoy being able to give them responsibility. I like having less preps and teaching the same thing more than once. (By the way, the second class gets the best lesson. The first time I teach it, there's always something that I didn't like. By the third time I teach it, I'm getting sick of it and tend to rush.) I'm also really beginning to like block scheduling.

So, I guess the answer to "How do you like middle school?" is:

Yes, I like it. But I don't know if I could retire there.