Reflections on my Time with the Middle Schoolers

Reflections on my Time with the Middle Schoolers

I have greatly enjoyed my time with the middle school students at the charter school over the past six months. I learned a good deal about myself as a teacher by working with them in the classroom. Perhaps the most important thing I learned about working with this population is that I cannot demand respect simply because I am a teacher, I have to earn it.

I have spent a great deal of my time over the past six months doing my best to get to know my students as individuals. Not only has this helped me to understand them but it has opened the door to creating a classroom environment in which students feel safe talking to me and in which they want to succeed.

Reflecting on my unit on westward expansion along the Oregon Trail I am impressed by the amount of work my students were able to complete on the whole. Individually and academically, I have seen serious progress in some of my students. I am proud of them for believing in themselves enough to let themselves do so well.

In the coming term I look forward to working with the same group of students again and perhaps learning some new computer programs. My experience working with the middle schoolers has only confirmed what I already knew. That I can't wait to teach this population as full time classroom teacher next fall.