I Survived A Year As A Middle School Teacher

Today is my last day teaching my middle school students.

 

It's very sad for me to say that. Why? Because I love my students. And there are no guarantees I will have a position within the school next year. I am hoping that I will because I love working there and the position I applied for would work well with my home life, as well as my hope of completing a masters degree next year. But, if it isn't God's will, then I will find another path and end up where he intends for me to be.

I need to leave it all in His hands.

 

But anyways. So it's my last day with my middle school students. And I am really going to miss them. Yes, they have spent the better part of the past ten months driving me up the wall. Yes, they have spent the majority of the school year asking me crazy questions. Yes, they have spent more class time goofing off than they probably should have. Yes, they have asked on multiple occasions if I will "help" them do their work by showing them step by step what to do.

But I love each and every one of them.

 

My students hold a special place in my heart. Some teachers have that motherly feeling towards their students by the end of the year. Some don't. I can tell you honestly that I am not one of the teachers who has that feelings. Let's be real.

I'm only 10-12 years older than these kids...

 

But I do feel very protective of them. And I am proud of the work they have done this year. Well, the work they've completed, submitted and done well on. Some of them could use just a little more help with that part of school, but I love them none-the-less.

 

It has been such an amazing opportunity to work with these students. They are so smart, and they know it. It amuses me how often they try to pass it off to their teachers that they are clueless. We all know they're full of it and we all know that every one of them can do the work if they put their mind to it.

They just have to decide to do it.

 

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Now maybe I didn't get as many assignments turned in this year as I had hoped. Maybe their test scores weren't as high as I would have liked for them to be. But I know I have made a difference in their lives.

 

I have been there for these boys and girls. I have talked to them. I have listened to them. I have helped them through good days and bad. I have helped them to make better decisions. I have helped them to understand that there are teachers in the world who actually care.

 

It is very rewarding to have students come up to me in the hallway just because they need a hug. It is amazing when these students open up to me and talk to me about things most young men and women wouldn't dare say to an adult.

 

Maybe it's because I'm young? I don't really know. But I feel like I have a real connection with my students. One that will last even if I'm not a teacher at the school next year. I don't think I'll ever walk in and be called "Christine" or "KBug's mom" by these students. I'll always be Ms. _______ to them. There's no doubt about that.

 

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Am I hoping and praying that I am afforded the opportunity to teach middle school again next year? Absolutely. With all of my being. I would be so incredibly blessed to be a part of the middle school team at our school again. And I would be so happy to teach these wonderful students again.

 

I am blessed now to have been able to teach them, watch them grow and be a part of their lives.

 

 

I just hope that I have made some sort of impact that will help them to find the best version of themselves and I pray that they have the courage to go and be that person.

 

None of my students will read this, unless their parents happen to follow my blog and decide to share. But I hope that they all know how blessed I feel and how loved they are.