7th graders

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This group has been through a few shifts with students coming and going, and it’s hard to “replace” the sadness of goodbyes with the excitement of a new face. But my prayer is that each one of the students that have passed through my door knows that they are valued, loved, and a crucial part of our classroom family.

I first met this class when they were wee 2^nd graders in Miss Abby Spencer’s classroom. They had the amazing privilege of having Ms. Spencer for K5, 2^nd grade, and 4^th grade! How was I to follow such an incredible teacher?

Sure enough, my first few weeks with them in 6^th grade, students commented, “that’s not how my old teacher did it.” I knew it would take some adjusting on both our parts, and I’m thankful they gave me a lot of grace my first year teaching middle school. This group was delightful and sweet, participating and following my expectations to the “t,” and because of this, we were able to take a fun field trip to see an Ancient Egypt exhibit and even have two Museum exhibit nights of our own.

I am always flabbergasted by the creativity, resourcefulness, and talent of the now 7^th graders; they just impress my socks off every time they go to present a project. This year, having some idea of these abilities, I gave the 7^th graders more creative liberty when it came to their English book report project. I was amazed by the results:

One 7^th grader sewed costumes for the actors in his group, and they collaborated to write a script in frame-by-frame detail for their book trailer.

Two girls rewrote a song with lyrics to be about the book we read and they sang it as a live duet in class. We were all mesmerized and applauded loudly when they finished.

Another 7^th grader wrote and memorized a monologue from the perspective of one of the character’s and performed it dramatically in class.

Not only is this group incredibly talented in drama and music, but also they bring critical thinking to the table. Since it’s their 2^nd year technically of world history, we’ve been able to go much deeper into the content and expand the amount of time we’ve spent on certain topics. We recently did a Reader’s Theater about the French Revolution, and I challenged them to think of alternative ways the King could have reacted to the peasants’ protests. The students’ suggestions were not only much more thorough than a simple, “give them bread,” answer, but they also connected what happened in the past to current issues/events in the world today.

These 7^th graders excel in making Biblical connections, which always makes me proud, since the majority of them attend the Roots Bible studies on Mondays. I love being there to field their questions about faith and the validity of the Scriptures and how they apply to our lives. In order to understand World History, you have to understand the World Religions, and it’s been a privilege to walk these 7^th graders through understanding other systems of belief in comparison with Christianity, and, in the end, why it all comes down to Jesus’ work on the cross.

My prayer is that the 7^th graders grow in their walk with God and that through this year of world history, God is preparing to send them out to be bold witnesses for Him in Panama and around the world.

I can’t wait to have them again as 8^th graders next year!

Throwback Thursday this year! (by decades)