I walked into Davisville Middle School unsure of what to
expect. I haven’t been feeling completely back to my normal self since leaving
Esek Hopkins and have found myself to be… how shall I put this, more guarded. Through the front door and into
the main office, I am met with “hello’s”
and warm smiles, as well as a Davisville
agenda.
“You must be Laurie’s
new student teacher, I’m Pat, Laurie is waiting for you in room 105.”
This feels... It feels like how a middle school should feel.
Grades sixth through eighth for children are ones of extreme change and growth,
both physically and mentally. It’s the time in life when they truly begin
figuring out who they are and who they will be. This time is especially hard as
children at these ages need to feel like they are both safe and secure to be
able to figure themselves out. Davisville feels like this sort of place. Teachers
are warm and quirky, the way all middle
school teachers should be, allowing students to see the acceptance of knowing
oneself and owning it. They are in a school with community, as teachers cluster
in the hallways excited to see one another on a daily basis- a true model for
students to see what it looks like to work together and to get along. There is
an air comfort as well as that spark of learning I can literally see as I peek
into the open doors of classrooms throughout the day. It looks like students
leaning forward in their seats and genuinely interested in what the teacher is
saying, in what their peers are saying.
It reminds me of my own experiences at Kickemuit Middle
School, it was the first time I remember having to make choices. Deciding to focus on school work or bunk first period with Charlotte* who all of a sudden began hanging out with James* who, a year ahead of us, I knew he was trouble. needless to say I watched my friendship with Charlotte* fade away...
Middle School was the place where I remember connecting with teachers who made me want to become a
teacher. The place where I began to figure myself out, and the place I saw
my future begin to unravel…
Now, having spent the last two weeks at Davisville, I am feeling more like myself. the students have allowed me into their lives without question as well as the other teachers on Team A. I love that aspect of middle school, the idea of being on a team and feeling like when you need a little help, it is never that far away.
*Names have been changed
