This was my first ever “7th grade” class, but I met
some students in this group while they were just 3rd graders during my visit to CCA
in spring 2008. I showed them THIS picture, and they were incredulous.
“You photoshopped yourself in.”
“How did you get that picture?”
I joked with them
in return, “Well, it turns out you’ve been in my heart for four years.”
I’ve learned a lot from this bunch:
1. Find out what your students love (which happened for them
to be music, rap, acting and video games) and use it to teach. For this class,
it took the form of me rewriting lyrics to popular songs to be about science and
social studies topics. I saw the class light up, and we sang along with the
familiar melodies. Some of my favorite moments!
2. Partner work in 7th grade will always cause
drama, unless the partners are randomly assigned
3. Listen well and make sure discipline is done in
private/after class
4. Learn to laugh and it will automatically lift the mood
5. Storytelling is a powerful tool (thanks to Jim Almack for
this one)
6. Model kindness and respect
7. Use those teachable moments and be honest with each other
This year, I’ve had the chance to teach this intelligent group
again; this time for U.S. History. It’s a less interactive curriculum, and we’ve
had to fly through due to the amount of content. Yet, the students’ ability to
debate and analyze history continue to spur me on to finding ways to make these
decades come alive to them. (You should hear my WWI song.) In return, I’ve seen
these students shine this year with creative project presentations and seen
them mature and start to become confident leaders in the middle school.
I continue to pray daily for them, especially for the ones who
don’t know Christ or are wrestling with whether or not to commit to following
Him. I see incredible potential in all of them and know they will go on to do
great things.
Back in 7th grade: Hipster vs. Hobo day
7th grade: World History skit
I have yet to take a picture that captures the essence of these students as 8th graders..coming soon!
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