Tuesday, April 12, 2022
In March, we celebrated Middle Level Education Month. During the month, the work of educators who help adolescents navigate some of the most rapid, significant changes of their lives, was recognized.
In Wisconsin, celebrating educators who teach at the middle level takes place in more than just one month out of the year. In honor of this, several middle school educators wrote about what they enjoy most about being middle school teachers and how they successfully connect with students:
When asked, “What do you love most about teaching middle school?” a huge smile comes across my face and a giggle escapes my mouth. THAT is what I love about teaching middle school...I can be goofy all the time! It also helps that I was born on leap year so I can “act my age” while I am at work. Truly, I teach health education and that topic is so important to this age group as they begin to figure out how to be more independent. Sharing stories and anecdotes about this journey is a great way to learn; especially if you are able to sprinkle in a little humor. Permitting humor in the classroom establishes a comfortable environment. With that comfort comes better communication and connection. Being able to connect and share feelings builds empathy which is of the utmost importance in our digital world. When students are comfortable, they are also ready to learn and laugh.
— Patricia Zemke, sixth grade health teacher
John Muir and Horace Mann Middle Schools
Wausau School District
There's no place like middle school. Every day is a new adventure in the classroom with students who still like to act like younger children and at the same time want their adult-like independence. Spending the day with my eighth graders involves building relationships in quirky ways, having light-bulb moments of learning amid epic failures in trial and error. They wear their emotions on their sleeve and appreciate supportive adult guidance. They love to derail a lesson to be silly for a bit and can be serious when that's what we need to be. Watching middle school students' growth in three years - physically, academically, and socially - reminds me of the tremendous growth from birth to age three. Don't blink or you'll miss something really special. There's nothing quite like it and I wouldn't trade working in middle school for any other level, not even on the days when they make me a little crazy. It's been my home for 30 years and I love it.
— Diana Callope, eighth grade mathematics teacher
Whitewater Middle School
Whitewater Unified School District
I love teaching middle school because students are at an age where they are awakening to the world, as is, seeking their niche, and expressing deeper and more critical thought. I love the surprises, ideas and viewpoints they bring to the table as we discover the world through history and science. Directing the middle school musical allows me to work with students beyond eighth grade. Grades 4-8 join together to perform a challenging production and each time, the week before, I lose sleep thinking things are falling apart. But, they, in their miraculous way, pull it together and do knock out performances. I have never been let down. I now enjoy seeing my old theater students in productions at high school. Their legacy moves on.
I work hard to develop deeper relationships and don't take the privilege lightly, knowing that we as middle school educators are often the one person that they may need at the moment. And it is about challenges in a world that is shifting sands, uncertainty, and trauma. To be present in the moment for them Is what it is about.
— Mary Ellen Kanthack, eighth grade science teacher
Brookwood Middle School
Genoa City J2 School District