Fearlessly Teaching Middle School Students

We are finishing out a year of school with only 2 weeks to go. My colleagues and I are ready for summer, and I don't have to tell you how excited the students are. I've noticed over the last couple of weeks that they are less patient with each other, with their teachers, and with themselves. The teachers (me included!) have to consciously add an extra dose of patience in our interactions with our students. We tell the students,"Just hang on, it's almost over" and "Remember to THINK before you speak or act." Middle School students are special. This is the time in their lives when they are no longer little, but not grown enough for the "grownup privileges" they crave. These are the kids that will tell you in one breath, loudly, that they are NOT A CHILD! and in the next breath ask you for a band aid for the bruise they got when their locker door hit their arm. They are hormone magnets with emotional ups and downs that rival a roller coaster. I admit, I worry about them every day. Students come with baggage, and for a middle schooler, sometimes the baggage can hurt more. They are becoming more aware of the world around them and the space they occupy in it. So not only are they dealing with issues but they are aware of how those issues affect them and their families. Awareness of your environment and all the implications that entails is a hallmark of growing up. And sometimes it hurts. It hurts because the middle schooler is not grown up enough to cope with often very adult problems. They know something is happening and they feel powerless to deal with it. The laughing bubbly student we see in the hallway may have problems we aren't even aware of. She fights battles we can't conceive and maybe don't even want to contemplate.  But we do. We middle school teachers deal with each child, giving out extra doses of patience, extra time, extra attention. That's what we do. Even in the last two weeks of school.
Middle school teachers are special. So, when you see a middle school teacher, give them a smile and maybe a hug. They deserve it.