week 9

"Who wants to teach middle school?" This question was asked in class today and to my surprise, only two out of about twenty future teachers said they were considering it. The lack of enthusiasm for middle school teaching really got me thinking: why is there less of a desire to teach this age group? Are we, as future teachers, afraid of these students? Are we afraid of reliving our middle school years (which could not have been that bad)? Or is it that we just don't understand them and think we can't help them?

While all of these prompts could be true, I think that future teachers need to be more educated about the middle school years and how to teach students during these years. If we had more knowledge and understanding of middle schoolers, we would feel more able to teach these students. These years are crucial to student development physically, mentally and socially, and this is why it is important to have dedicated and knowledgeable teachers in middle schools to assist them in their growth.

So come on teachers, let's go back to middle school! Except this time we can prepare ourselves by getting to know and better understand middle school students. Having fantastic teachers in middle school can make all the difference in students' lives, so I challenge any future teacher to not only consider teaching in middle school, but to do it! If all else fails, it would be a learning experience :)