Three years ago, I met a group of 6th grade students: fresh-faced, wide-eyed, new-to-the-school and appropriately terrified. I had the privilege of being their ally for the three tumultuous years in adolescence that we call middle school. I know my job title, but that's really how I feel: I got to be their ally. Together, we got through middle school. Middle school! How many people do you know who would want to relive that era of life? These kids are some of the most earnest, kind, and creative individuals I've ever met. They'll never realize all they taught me; they'll never realize what a profoundly positive impact they had on my life. Because of these kids, I can fathom a career in teaching as a longterm ideal.
My students taught me about perspective. They taught me how to slow down, rephrase, and consider a sentence's value far beyond its grammatical pitfalls. They taught me about communication in its most authentic form: the sharing of thoughts, feelings, and ideas. Sometimes we problem-solved and sometimes we let ourselves feel frustrated. They showed me the advantages and outright necessity of scheduled breaks.
They inspired me to watch all of the films in the Marvel franchise without even trying to (kids don't really care if you like what they like or not; how refreshing is that?). They inadvertently taught me to ask for help, which I hate doing; however, one thing my students love is to be of service to others. (They absolutely live for it, so it was never an inconvenience to them to set up my projector when all of the adults in the building were too busy.)
They helped me understand my own irritation at the assertion, "Oh, you must be so patient," regarding my chosen profession. They helped me to see how the tables are quite possibly turned more often than not; it is the kids who must have patience with the adults who have forgotten what it feels like to be a kid. They taught me how to be supportive in a world full of new sets of rules, seven periods a day.
I'm so incredibly humbled by what I get to go to work every day to do. I feel there is a disproportionate amount of thanks given in the universe to teachers and all they do for their students, compared with students and all they do for their teachers. It's a common phrase, "That's a tough kid to work with." What about the fact that my students had to work with me, a perfectionistic introvert with single-minded views on the best ways to accomplish tasks? What about all of the various personalities students have to learn to appease daily in order to have success in their school day? It's hard work being a teacher, but it's hard work being a student, too. I couldn't be more proud of the unique and spirited group of young people finishing 8th grade in quarantine next week - the young people who taught me about humility, empathy, and Ant-Man. I will never forget them. Thank you, thank you, thank you to my wonderful students.
