160 critical eyes

g'mornin everyone, Wish me luck. I'm back to work today in front of a full day's worth of 7th and 8th graders. I'm begining the apprentiship portion of becoming a teacher. In CA it's called Student Teaching. I've got a mixture of 7th and 8th graders with remedial, average, and honors English classes. I'm taking my brace just in case I need it and toting along the good ol' protein shakes. Hopefully the day goes better than so far. My wife tried to get to school early today (she's also a middle school teacher) and her car won't start. It's been sitting since my surgery date in mid-December. Hi-ho, hi-ho. Jake

Are you employing the scary teacher tactic? Send the toughest kid to detention immediately. They won't respect you otherwise. Seriously. Good luck and Godspeed. I can't ever imagine what it would take for me to do that.

My thoughts and prayers are with you today as you take your place as a mentor in the lives of these youth. This age is the hardest, especially on themselves. "A well placed word is more valuable than a basket of rubies" Bob.

Good Luck, Jake! JH is the toughest and remedial JH probably the toughest of the tough, but it's also where you can make the most difference. I remember being a little ***hole, but still held on to most of stuff that was taught. It's an age when the superficial is so in fashion, but the kids are still easily influenced and better able to grasp concepts than are elem. kids. Have Fun, Dave

Ugh, good luck. Middle school kids are animals. It's good to find dedicated people who want to deal with that age group, it's tough work. The man I work with is married to a 7th grade teacher. So far this year they have had to suspend a few kids for having oral sex in the back of a classroom, and there were issues with 7th grade girls practicing lesbian sex in the bathroom, so they would leave the doors open to prevent that from happening. Guess what. They moved into the boys bathroom! It took some time for them to be reported. Another kid brought bullets to school. The parents don't seem to be much better, I really feel for you, and you deserve way more money than you get paid!

Damn, KD! Oral sex in the back of the classroom? I think I grew up in the wrong era! Bullets? Well, in the eyes of the kids, they were kind of like toys at my JH. Guns with no bullets were okay, bullets with no guns were okay. Switchblades were okay. Beer and weed were okay. Of course, if the teachers had known about any of this...

Times have indeed changed. Beer and weed is now elementary school stuff. Now it is crack, snorting ritalin and crystal meth and sex in middle school.