Those in the Middle

Reasons why I love teaching Middle School:

1. J and E come to visit me at lunch each Thursday...just because.
2. M says to me that she thinks that a choir singing a pop song is just silly. We should do good chorus music because a choir singing a pop song would be like mixing golf with basketball...each are great...they just don't go together.
3. J being the only boy in my middle school chorus, but choosing to stick it out because he wants to sing...even though his voice is changing and has a range of about 5 notes. Boy do I have my work cut out for me.
4. C, S, and B doing their McDonald's rap in Spanish for me.
5. J answering a very detailed question just when I was starting to think that he wasn't really paying attention.
6. Having high expectations and never being disappointed.
7. T (a boy) showing off that he can sing higher than all the girls...and getting an enormous amount of applause for doing so.
8. Finish singing a song and have the entire chorus say "Wow...can we do that again"
9. Working on a song that was written by middle schoolers in response to 911 and having a great big discussion on how that song of hope and dreams could fit so many people in our country and around the world right now.
10. Anytime that I open my mouth to sing something I get thunderous applause.
    
11. E an R wanting to sing the harmony part even though it is tough. They just dig in and do it.
12. Having it be then end of class and they say "It is over...ALREADY???"
13. Watching students who only are in choir because they had to be, start to really dig what we are doing.
14. Knowing that I get to be a part of developing these all-to-soon to be adults.

It is a responsibility that I don't take lightly.


More Later

-A Ro