I am a middle school teacher.
Oh sure, I work at St. Bernard Elementary. I always have and hopefully I always will. But St. Bernard Elementary is a K-6 building. Most elementary schools only go up through 5th grade and then districts have middle schools for 6th, 7th and 8th grades. So even though I work in an elementary building, I am now considering myself a middle school teacher. I know my 6th graders sure act like they're in middle school.
Don't get me wrong. I like being a teacher. It's just that I like being an ELEMENTARY teacher. I don't believe that's what I am anymore.
I am a big fan of a talk radio host in Lexington, Kentucky. His name is Matt Walsh and he always tells it like it is. He's a young guy (late 20's), but is wise beyond his years. He recently had a blog post about middle school kids and how they (or their parents) won't take responsibility for their own actions. The whole blog post really resonated with me. The spirit of the article was that middle school students are very difficult. It wasn't bashing kids. However, I think if we're honest with ourselves, we can all agree young teenagers can be a pain in the neck. All of them. God doesn't play favorites here. Adolescence is probably the single most difficult stage in life. Bar none. If you want to read the whole thing, go here: The Matt Walsh Blog
Mr. Walsh does speak in jest of course, but he uses that humor to make a good point about middle school students. 99% of them act entirely different when alone or in small groups. Polite, civil, gentle, courteous, funny... you know, NORMAL. However, put them in groups and they will turn on you like a pack of wolves. I live it every day. It's a very strange phenomenon.
The one thing I've learned about middle schoolers. They need love and lots of it. The problem is, most of the time they are not that lovable. They need love, but they don't THINK they need love. That's okay. I'm going to love them anyway... whether they like it or not.
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