Springtime is typically a very busy time in middle school. And if you’re not careful, the intermittent energy surges and the daily roller coaster can be exhausting.
This, in combination with adolescents making errors in judgment can get the better of us.
They can leave adults feeling and acting…human.
But there’s also so much good that happens daily in middle school. Looking back, here are five “good things” that have made our days in middle school memorable.
• Music in the park
It’s funny how sometimes we miss seeing something that's been right in front of us the whole time. I’ve driven past this hundreds of times, the entrance to what I thought was a small and simple park. This past month, I came to discover not only a beautiful park, but after entering, a amphitheater in which students performed music as a group.
• Awards Ceremony speeches
It’s not every day that we get to listen to a teacher praise a student, and seeing that student smile in response. That happened last month, and without masks so we could truly appreciate the experience. Student voice is one thing, crucial to a school's success. Teacher voice, especially praising a student is priceless.
• Speaking with veterans
While briefly, I was able to reconnect with a small group of local veterans from the American Legion. Being outdoors, we could more easily interact without the need to social distance or wear a face covering. These brief interactions had me looking forward to resuming our school's veterans flag ceremonies, in which local heroes are recognized by our students.
• Having a catch
A student I’ve been mentoring has demonstrated consistency in making daily improvements. As a result, we established that I’d bring my baseball goes to school so we could have a catch. Not only did we do it. This simple gesture and act helped solidify our trust and relationship so that when we need to reset expectations, this would make that a bit easier.
• Talking about the future
The end of the day represented a period of time in which we could look to and speak to the future. Next year, being a reset year, will demand a number of people to be flexible. It will also provide an opportunity to help people grow, together.
The best...is yet to come.