- The kids still care - When you give students an assignment and you tell them "spelling and grammar is important" so they ask you how to spell words like rivalry ("does it have an 'r' in it?") or deuteragonist just because they want to follow your rules. When you have students enthralled by the actions of the Spanish in their conquest of the Aztecs, or Montezuma's haughty lifestyle and they hang on your every word. They still want to learn. They still (even if some don't always want to show it) want to do well and want to learn things.
- The kids are so funny - I don't know how you can walk into a junior high and not laugh...all the time. Sometimes the way a student chooses to word something is just so hilarious. Sometimes the thing that that one kid is just dying to ask you, in an attempt to make you uncomfortable in its scandal, truly makes me grin from ear to ear. Its so easy to find humour in everyday life at a junior high. It's just so wonderful!
- The kids still like doing crafts - Today in my Gr. 9 Social class, we spent about 12 minutes creating a 1-page foldable book. (If you haven't seen it, its really an amazing little foldable) It was as if these children had never folded paper before. And yet we made it through. It required some additional patience, but also some great class bonding, as one student showed another how to complete it and then the next would pass on their knowledge. Sometimes you just need to get a little artsy (without getting artsy at all). I think a few of the students even forgot they were actually learning something!
- The kids are real people - I love that in junior high you can have an actual conversation with a student. Don't get me wrong, I loved my Grade 3s, but its hard to have a chat about the merits and demerits of the Series Finale of How I Met Your Mother or gush about how you so wished the House Hippo were a real thing. It's just nice to have an almost adult conversation sometimes. At the same time, its amazing how full of wisdom some of these kids are. Many of them have dealt with issues almost unimaginable. For them to come through those troubles with such determination and resiliency is incredibly admirable.
- The kids still know they don't know everything - In junior high, the students are aware that they don't know everything in the world, and why should they? They still think I know more about economics than they do. They think I have a better understanding of media literacy than I do. They think I'm teaching them and not learning from them. Sometimes you need a bit of a secret to keep from your students.
Notice that all of my reasons have to do with the students? That the joy of teaching, for me, comes from working with the kids, getting to know them, learning to love them (quirks and all) and learning to learn from them. Man, junior high is just the best!
Until next time,
Jo :)