When you are a middle school teacher, you get the following types of responses from both fellow teachers and the general population
- Omg... I couldn't do it...
- Bless your heart
- Ohhhh.... we sooo need you in the classroom!
- Middle School is the worst!
- How do you do it?
How did I happen to do middle school science?
It started off as a lack of confidence for me. I have a physics degree and even when to grad school for physics! However, I didn't feel I was able or even comfortable enough to teach physics at the high school level so I didn't even want to try it.
So when I started looking into volunteering and substituting I focused mainly on elementary and middle school.
One of my first substituting gigs was in a pre-k class and it was absolute chaos. Little kids were everywhere and I was expected to shadow a little girl with behavior concerns. She spent her time putting paint on everyone and hitting with drumsticks. I was like... I cannot do it this. I continued to substitute in elementary school a few times but then when I started substituting in middle school I definitely felt like this was my jam.
I then started volunteering in after school program targeted towards middle schoolers and loved it.
So when I decided to get my license, I settled on middle school and no regrets.
What is so special about middle school science?
What isn't special about middle school science?? (such a middle schooler thing to say..)
Actually, what is special is you get to touch on all the science content and you usually have a lot of freedom in the curriculum.
Most states either have their own standards or are using the NGSS framework which allows for lots of wiggle room in content. As long as you are touching on standards you can teach a variety of topics. For someone that loves all things science this is a win win for me.
I taught physical science for the first few years of teaching but then moved to life science and 6th grade science(which is Earth Science depending on district) and it has been great. I have been able to learn all things science and do so many different activities in the classroom.
Are the kids horror shows?
Yes.... and No... and Yes.
Honestly, yes, kids are as moody as you remember yourself being when you were in middle school. Yes, they can be horror shows and honestly the age group is not for everyone but when they are not losing their minds... they are the best group to work with.
I love middle schoolers because they still get excited about kid things but you can talk to them like older kids. So you can have more intricate conversations with them on content and sometimes they are happy to dive deeper in specific topics.
Also, watching them grow is awesome. I love seeing kids from when they enter middle school and then exit and see how they have changed. Its amazing to see how much they develop in such a short period of time.
Should you consider teaching middle school science?
Short answer Yes!
Long answer...
Teaching is definitely one of those fields, where you don't know what you are getting into until you do it. So for any person going into teaching you have to just dive.
For middle school, you have to really change the way your perception of how a middle schooler should behave and should think because development various from person to person, you are going to have kids that appear more mature than they seem or more immature. You'll have kids 6ft tall that act like a 9 year old and 4ft tall kid that acts like an adult. Its insanity.
You also have to remember their priority is NOT school. You might have some that are really into school but for the most part their priority is them. Their wants, needs and interests. They are doing school because they have to and a lot are successful because they have to be not because they want to be.
They also do not have buy-in. Since, they are going to get a clean slate when they enter high school they don't really have a buy in for doing their best so for ALOT of students, trying their hardest is just not there. (For some districts, students can opt their grade out for high school classes they took in middle school)
If a student has a lot of external factors impacting them, school won't be a priority so they kind of have a safety net knowing that they'll get a reset for high school. It's very much a tough spot because you have to convince them that if they don't learn some skills now, they won't be able to take advantage of them later.
I would definitely recommend middle school for individuals that love the age group first and the content second. You'll find that you spend more time focusing on the student than the actual lessons most days.