You Teach Middle School Social Studies?

Photo by Amer Mughawish on Unsplash

I don't know about anyone else, but when I tell people that I teach middle school social studies, I usually get 1 of 3 responses -

* Response 1: (most common): "You teach middle school?! That's crazy! I could NEVER do that!" These are the people who tend to think that tweens and teens are evil.
* Response 2: "Oh, bless your heart! It takes a special person to deal with THAT age group." Puberty...they mean puberty.
* Response 3: (few and far between): "That's so cool! I love that age group." Response 3 people are my people.

I am also asked frequently, "Why middle school?" I mentioned in an earlier post that I started out teaching elementary school, 4th grade to be exact. Well, that only lasted two years and it was the longest two years of my life. I was NOT born to be an elementary teacher. You all have so much more patience than me and I admire you for that.

So, why middle school? There are so many reasons! Middle school is such a special place, full of exploration, new experiences, tremendous growth, and of course, terribly AWKWARD moments! I love being a part of all of these times with my students.

Middle school allows students to begin to discover who they are, what they like, and how they learn. In my middle school social studies class, I am lucky enough to have the flexibility to incorporate opportunities for my students to delve into all of these things!

What's your why?  Why do you love teaching your grade level or subject?