Middle School Stressin'

Being a part of a 6^th grade classroom has never been as frustrating as it was this week. I have been in many middle school classrooms over the past few years tutoring and volunteering with my step father’s special education class. As demanding and draining as those long days of intensive care were, Monday stressed me out more than any of those days ever have. I was placed in the back corner of a 6^th grade class packed with students who had just finished lunch and were not at all enthusiastic to be sitting in math.

For me, I see the need to constantly give elementary school students reminders and ample opportunities to correct their behavior. However, I hold middle school students to a completely different standard. As immature as I knew they would still be, I did not expect the students to be still undergoing the attitude change to the extent that this class was. Many of the kids were restless, moving in and out of their seats. A few of these were also constantly distracting their peers with verbal outbursts and motioning to one another. At one point, one of the students that was sitting close to my table was even sitting in the floor.

My clinical educator did her best to maintain her composure throughout this class. As much patience as I thought I had, I am beyond impressed with how she handled their occasional chaos without even raising her voice. Not once did she seem angry with any of her students. Instead, she showed them constant grace as she corrected them. She even let a couple things slide. Initially, this bothered me. I had imagined myself with a much more strict response, establishing high expectations and not ever settling for anything less.

Looking back, however, I recognize how wise these decisions were. Taking time to correct every little detail would have been counterproductive and even more of a distraction to the class. This showed how conscious she was of every minute’s worth. As I walked around during their independent practice time, I recognized how effective her lesson was regardless of all of the distractions. Some students were flying through the worksheet while others worked slowly and steadily. However, everyone was getting correct answers and demonstrated an understanding of the process that was getting them there. The few times that I addressed raised hands ended up in the student and I talking through the problem and resulted in success.

Despite this class’s difficulties and frustrations, I found this observation to be extremely beneficial. Although my degree is secondary math, my ultimate goal is to teach special education at the middle school level. I want to be their voice in that world of insecurity, misunderstanding and identity establishment. Through this observation, I was able to get a small glimpse of some of the challenges I will unquestionably face. While it was a little disheartening to see how trying it would be, it was also reassuring because I realized just how much strong middle school teachers are needed. I am extremely blessed by God’s calling for me in middle school special education and I can’t wait to see what else is in store!