I can definitively
say that I was the epitome of an angsty pre-teen during my 7th grade
year at Highlander Way Middle School. They
had just redistricted HPS, and instead of going back to Three Fires Middle School
for 7th grade, I went to Highlander Way. Naturally, I despised that move because it
forced me to make friends all over again.
Being all too pre-occupied with the social hierarchy of middle school, I
had scant time to devote to actually being a decent student.
Thus, it
happened one fine winter day in 2006 that I ditched my science homework on a
week night in favor of a night shredding the gnar at Mt. Brighton. Of course, snowboarding at Mt. Brighton as a
middle schooler is much more about competing for who can be the biggest d-bag
in the terrain park – and consequently becoming the one that all the cool kids
talk about the next day at school – than it is about actually snowboarding.
And so, the
next day when we turned in our homework assignments, I had (with a smug look on
my face) nothing to give my science teacher.
The consequence for this was that I had to write a one page paper on why
I didn’t do my science homework. Of
course, to me this was just another example of how every authority figure was
out to get me that year, so I begrudgingly took to the task that night. I distinctly remember the first sentence of
that paper being, “I didn’t do my science homework because I think snowboarding
is more fun, and better than science homework.”
I then went on to describe the many advantages of a night of
snowboarding as compared to a night of science homework, because, let’s be
real, knowing the periodic table in 7th grade won’t get you girls,
but a 180 of the big air and an almost-fight with a skier will.
However,
after turning in that superb essay, I incurred the wrath of my science teacher,
which was terrifying for me, but more importantly a huge headache for him. He (rightly) scolded me for not respecting
him or caring about his class, all the while I showed him I still didn’t care
by shrugging off everything he said.
Middle
schoolers man…
Fast
forward 11 years and here I am, a middle school teacher. The shoe is most certainly on the other foot.
I was of
course extremely nervous when I first heard I was placed in a middle school,
but I’m liking it more and more every day.
Compared to middle school students back home, Korean middle school
students (in my experience) tend to be much better behaved and have a deeper
respect for authority.
I also feel
like I can relate a little more to middle schoolers than I would elementary schoolers. I can have deeper conversations with them and
build stronger relationships.
Nonetheless
pre-teens are pre-teens anywhere in the world, and they can be crazy – we’ve
had about 3 windows broken since my arrival. They scream and yell and push each other
around in the hallway. Sometimes they
like to test out newly-acquired swear words in my class. Some of them may even sleep or have side
conversations during my teaching. Sometimes
I do have to break up my angry-teacher-voice.
However, I do know that the vast majority of my students have much more
respect for me now than I had for my science teacher back when I was a little
turd-nugget. It’s all about perspective.
