I have been thinking about what it is like to be one of my students lately. I am thinking that one attribute that is so very often overlooked that my students carry is that of courage.
Courage.
It is not easy to be a student in our world. They must set aside concerns, worries, anxieties on a daily basis. It is aa wonder that they even come to school and are courageous enough to leave the house in the morning.
Meanwhile, students come to school and are bullied or caught up in drama. This daily struggle is not easy for anyone, but in Middle School...it is exaggerated in a huge way.
My students are always asked to take risks, step out of their comfort zones and push themselves into situations that they have never experienced before. For my students, it take tons of courage to present in front of their peers. In fact, many adults find that this takes a lot of courage.
It is very much our role (the role of teachers) to inspire courage. We must model it and reinforce diving into courage allowing our students to trust that we have their backs and will take good care of them as they take these risks.
A good reminder. And the struggle you describe above doesn't go away in high school. It just gets more sophisticated, with more complex machinations.
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