After over twenty something years as a high school teacher, I recently moved to a new school that is a combined middle/high. It is a small school with about 600 kids total in 6-12. I teach Career and Technical Education classes and this fall I was required to teach 6th, 8th and 9th graders. I had coached in middle school, but had never taught 6th-8th graders. Here are the things I learned, enjoyed and didn’t enjoy about teaching 11-13 year olds. God Bless the middle school teachers is all I can say.
1- 6th graders are just a year out of elementary school and are literally 11 years old. I have great nieces and nephews that age and soon realized what I had gotten myself into.
2- 8th graders can think they are all that at 13-14 years old and have lots of energy. They can be challenging at times for sure.
3- The shorter time frame of classes with middle school electives (exploratory) classes is appealing for sure with like 40 minutes with the kids.
4- The 6th graders are sharp kids and so technologically advanced and it was interesting watching the grow using AI and other advanced tech this semester.
5- I am 58 years old and they like to call me Pop Pop because I am old and they think of me as a grandpa. I understand it and am ok with it.
6- I can actually be more relaxed with the kids as I am around kids that age alot at home so it is cool with me.
7- 8th graders will lie, cheat and do whatever they can if you do not keep an eye on them. They will take advantage of you in a heartbeat. Give and inch and they will take a mile.
8- I posted one final assignment asking them what they learned in my classes and got some awesome responses. One even said I was the best teacher ever and they hope to have me when they get to high school. That is what it is about so I am glad to hear that.
9- I coach high school football so I got to know all the middle schoolers that will be incoming JV kids so building that relationship of expectations and working together will make us a better team next year.
10- I learned that at any age, it is never too late to learn new tricks, new ways and do things you never thought you would do!
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