Why I Became a Middle School Teacher

Originally published in TEACH Magazine, September/October 2024 Issue

By Megan Harding

“Teacher, can you tie my shoe?” inquires a five-year-old as she jabs you repeatedly with her pointer finger, indicating that she desperately needs your attention. Later, after a different five-year-old has been in the bathroom for several minutes, you call out to her and ask, “Sweetie, are you having tummy troubles?” Her response: “No, I’m having bottom problems!” Later still, while listening to another kid tell a story about something that happened earlier in the day, you try not to laugh when they inadvertently mix up the term “took a spill” with “took a dump.”

If you can relate to any of these moments, you probably are, or have been, a primary teacher. And you are exhausted!

You rush from teaching one subject to the next, walk your class to specials (art, PE, music, etc.) and lunch, and pick them up from specials and lunch. When you aren’t fighting to hold kids’ attention in the classroom, you’re getting them to line up, waiting for everyone to be quiet, and then trying to keep track of all 30 of them while en route to the next class. And when you come back to pick them up later, you’re inevitably pulled aside to hear about how your class’ behavior was or to speak about a certain student, while the kids are waiting restlessly, pushing and shoving each other in line.

It can be a lot to deal with. And so, after 13 years of teaching primary students, I decided that it was time for a change.

An Unexpected Offer

I’ve always been passionate about classroom management and building relationships with students. Plus, being part of a school’s leadership team, PBIS committee, or any decision-making group really energizes me. I was starting to feel slightly worn out in my current role and wanted to avoid burning out altogether, so I thought that admin would be a good change of pace. The idea of still being involved with students, but without having to be in the classroom every day, enticed me.

I obtained my administrator license and ended up interviewing for a Dean of Students position at a local middle school. I knew was a long shot, since I didn’t have any middle school teaching experience and there were very few, if any, admin roles for primary schools in my region. I felt that I’d done well at the interview, but wasn’t surprised to find out that the job was offered to someone with the right experience. However, when I received the “thanks, but no thanks” phone call, it wasn’t quite what I expected.

I was offered a position teaching 6th grade English language arts and social studies as a way to gain experience at the middle school level. I accepted, mainly because I love teaching ELA, and also because the school was located very close to my house, which significantly shortened my daily commute.

Leaving the school where I was teaching at the time was bittersweet. I would miss the collegial relationships-turned-friendships, the families who took me in as one of their own, and the many connections I had made there. I would even miss the drive, or at least, parts of it: thirty minutes of rural highway with a beautiful view of snow-covered mountains and sunrises that just can’t be beat! Most of all, I would miss my principal. He had been my mentor through my admin program and I had learned so much from him.

But I knew it was the right time to move on.

That didn’t mean I wasn’t anxious, though. Starting at a new school is nerve-wracking enough, but switching from primary to middle school was a huge leap! I had zero experience with middle schoolers. I didn’t know if my teaching strategies would work, I wasn’t sure how to connect with the kids, and I was worried how the parents would receive me.

Turns out, I had nothing to be nervous about. The kids were the same, just in bigger bodies! I quickly realized that my students enjoyed morning meetings, sharing about their lives, playing silent ball, and going outside for free time. They were a little hesitant to use some of my collaboration strategies, such as four corners and jigsaws, but it didn’t take them long to realize that these methods could be much more entertaining than the traditional lecture-style way of teaching.

Now I have a classroom wall covered with student artwork, exemplifying the fact that these kids still want to share what they are proud of with me. I’ve had countless hugs from students, I’ve dried tears, and I’ve encouraged kids in ways I didn’t think happened at the middle school level.

The Many Benefits

So what is it that I enjoy about teaching middle school? For one thing, instead of prepping for every subject, every day, I only have two subjects to prep for. Also, I no longer have to walk a class anywhere. Now the students come to me. Aside from this giving me more prep time, I find that I have more energy, since I’m not spending my days corralling students from one class to the next. Not to mention, kids switching classes throughout the day makes it more manageable if there is an especially challenging student.

I love how independent middle schoolers are as well. Of course, they still need support and reminders, but they are able to walk into my classroom and know exactly what they need to be doing, just by reading the directions on the board or by knowing what day it is.

Best of all, I’ve been able to offer more choice at the middle school level than I ever did with primary. I recently had a final project where students could choose a way to exemplify the theme of a book we read. One of my students was very creative and artistic, but she was always so hesitant to share her artwork. I encouraged her to make a new cover for the book and, despite how nervous she was at first, by the time she turned it in she was so proud of herself! I’ve seen the intense insecurities that middle schoolers face, and I am honored to be able to walk alongside them as they find their strengths.

When I finished my first year of teaching middle school, I figured that was that and it was on to my next batch of students. However, this has not been the case. We have four-minute passing periods and almost daily I still have students from the previous year that will come and see me during that time. Sometimes they want to “spill the tea,” sometimes they want a hug, sometimes they simply want a familiar face instead of navigating through the halls. Regardless of the reason, I’m beyond thrilled that they haven’t disappeared now that I’m no longer their teacher. That kind of relationship building just wasn’t important to primary students.

A few years ago, I often used to go home with headaches, and, while crying out of frustration was not regular, it was certainly not uncommon. But in the year and a half since I’ve started teaching middle school, I’ve ended the day with a headache only twice, and in tears maybe once. I’m not saying that my middle schoolers don’t frustrate me, because they do, but they turn it around so much quicker! They are better able to redirect their emotions, and the heart-to-heart chats I have with them often have an impact—probably because their impulse control is a bit better than when they were little.

If I had made the leap from primary to middle school sooner, I might have saved myself a lot of grief. These days my work and home life feel balanced and I actually look forward to teaching.

The first year in my new role was incredibly busy, but now I’m more settled and am excited to take on additional responsibilities outside of the classroom, such as coordinating extracurricular activities like dances and talent shows. I don’t know what else the future may bring, but I do know that right now I’m happy and I can’t wait to see what comes next.

Megan Harding is in her 16th year of education. She resides in Central Oregon with her family and when she isn’t teaching or planning school activities, she can be found spending time with family, reading, or playing board games.