Oh, Those Middle Years

"It is today we must create the world of the future." - Eleanor Roosevelt

It's so funny; every time I tell people that I taught eighth grade for twelve years, they react one of two ways:  they either say, "oh, you must be a saint, I could never do that" or they form a pained expression on their face and shake their heads.  Believe me, the middle years, those adolescent years, are quite a roller coaster.  But that was one of the things I loved best about teaching eighth grade.  Every day was a new adventure.  My students were young enough to still care (and cry at injustice), yet they were discovering the world and we had great conversations. 

A comment made recently in the Patch regarding study halls in another district made me pause for a moment.  Those middle years are so important in the lives of our students. My eighth grade students were naturally inquisitive - and given appropriate guidance, they thrived with that inquisitive nature.  Behind the sometimes apathetic facade was a student who really wanted to learn things that impacted his or her world.  I'm tremendously excited that the Robbinsdale Area School Board recently approved changes in the middle school schedule beginning with the 2012 school year.  One of the biggest changes is the elimination of study halls for all students, providing for lengthened class periods. 

In my twelve years of teaching eighth grade, my students never once had a study hall.  Those students were the same as students here - they were busy eighth graders, involved in sports, theatre, music, volunteer activities and friends.  They watched after younger siblings and went to the mall.  They made time for all of it, which is what we have to do as adults.  I worked with my students during class, and provided both my email and home phone to families if their children had questions on  homework at night.  (They did.  They also were respectful with that phone number.  I never had prank calls, a pizza never showed up un-ordered to my house, and they never called me at midnight.  I answered their questions; I had conversations with parents.  It worked fabulously.)

Mrs. Roosevelt is right - it is today we must create the world of the future.  Increased instructional time in schools, carefully planned and executed, will offer more opportunity for our students to learn.  Moreover, we must teach our children (yes, even those roller-coaster eighth graders!) to manage their time and their tasks, provide guidance along the way, and expect that they will get the job done.  Believe me, those same children are looking for us to believe in them and to believe that they can and will succeed.