5 Life Lessons My Middle Schoolers Taught Me
Discovering Wisdom in the Middle School Classroom
I have been a speech pathologist in the same middle school for 3 years. When I look back at my own middle school experience, I cringe.
Think about the trauma and embarrassment. That phase of life for me is something I completely ignore. I’m mortified by what I thought was so important to me and how I thought any source of drama was the end of the world.
But after 3 years I realized I’ve learned a lot from these students.
I have the privilege of spending my days with sassy preteens who can roast me like no other. And even though sometimes I want to pull out my hair and quit my job, I appreciate these five valuable life lessons.
5 life lessons my middle school students taught me:
I take myself too seriously
I want to think that I’m self-aware. I was completely oblivious to how much I overthink and overanalyze everything. I was over-planning- trying to create fun and entertaining lessons. I was trying to get my students excited about language and vocabulary strategies, but I caused unnecessary stress. Unnecessary pressures. My students told me, “You try too hard”. And it’s true. Not every lesson has to be full of evidence-based learning strategies. it’s okay to have semi-productive lessons and to stumble. It makes me more relatable.
I will never be as interesting as YouTube
This is pretty self-explanatory, but it took me 3 years to learn. I will never be as engaging and interesting as a YouTube video or TikTok. That’s okay because that’s not my job. Social media and video games are designed to captivate students through an abundance of sensory stimulation. I can’t compete with that. The only thing I can do is be myself and try to engage with my students in a genuine and relatable manner. I have to stay true to myself and hope that’s enough.
Rapport is everything
We learn in graduate school that rapport is everything. It is. My students are more engaged when I create lessons that cater to their interests. They get excited when I remember what they did last weekend or who they mountain biked with. Building a rapport is important to show students that you care and are interested. When students feel heard and respected, they’re more open to cooperate and to take part in therapy.
To build trust, I need to share snippets of my life
When I share snippets of my life and my personal experiences, I am authentic and vulnerable. It also helps to build a common bond. They’re always shocked when they find out I do aerial arts or that I enjoy playing video games. Sharing details of my life creates a space of safety and comfort. And that is a foundation of trust. It allows students to feel comfortable in sharing their hobbies, goals, and interests.
Praise and positive behavioral feedback
I am the therapist who praises my students over and over. Positive feedback helps balance the stress and pressure of everyday life. Sometimes students get in this negative feedback loop of a fight with a friend, a poor grade, and difficulties at home. Praise is a simple way to increase students’ self-esteem, motivation, and personal growth.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I love being a speech therapist in middle school. I am in awe of how my students are able to handle so many different experiences. They’re able to build relationships and take part in school while going through puberty. They’ve taught me so much and they don’t even know it. I am forever grateful.