Module 4 Reflection - Jarod Rollins

Teaching Middle School

When I think about the possibility of teaching middle school students, I feel pretty good about it. If you had asked me a year ago about teaching middle school students, I would have been very apprehensive, but several things have changed my mind since then. The first thing that influenced me was my wife teaching middle school health for almost a year. Hearing about her experiences shaped my perception in a positive way. She had many great students and very few behavioral problems to deal with. I was surprised by this and maybe even a little unbelieving at first, but then I gained some experience subbing at our middle school and realized she was right. being a substitute is never easy, but overall, I had a great experience too. Everything I have learned in this class has added upon those two experiences.



Now I feel like I am prepared for the occasional behavior problem, understanding where students are at in their brain development in maturity. This helps me have empathy for them and has better prepared me to teach them. Understanding the things they are facing in finding their own identity and place in society will help me be more conscious about the things I say to them and how I try to help them. I still think I would prefer to teach at the high school level simply because of the variety of CTE classes I could teach and the full spectrum of WSL opportunities. But I would gladly take an opportunity at the middle school also.



I no longer have any fears or concerns about teaching middle school students. I think if I end up teaching at that level there will be many things for me to still learn, but I feel like I have a good foundation to move forward with.


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