So, what are middle schoolers like anyway?

I teach eighth grade.  It means everything that you think it means.  When I tell people 
what grade level I work with, I get a face, a vocal response or both.  

Eighth graders are everything: children, adults, defiant, kind, moody, real.  They 
can be the best and worst of humanity all within an hour, and it can change from 
hour to hour!

When the walkout protests were publicized on social media, I honestly did not take 
much time to think about it.  I double checked the details so that I would be at least 
aware of when it was so that I could be both supportive to students and whatever 
response they may have to whatever events were or were not organized (by students) 
on our campus and also to be supportive to our staff.  Everyone deserves to feel safe 
on a school campus, and I wanted to be part of that safety.

The walkout was scheduled for my prep.  If I had students during the time of the 
walkout, I was to remain in my classroom.  Since I had a prep during that time, I 
wanted to be available for supervision for student safety.

So, today was the day.  At 10am, I was in my room.  I wanted to walk downstairs to 
figure out where to go to be helpful, but I didn’t hear any students walk out.  Generally, 
ANYWHERE the kids go, you can hear them even if you ask them to be quiet.

When I finally made my way downstairs, I emerged from the hallway to see a few 
teachers also supervising.  The only way I could tell that anything was happening 
was that there were several teachers standing in a line facing the same direction 
and it was silent.

When I rounded the corner to face the same direction as the other teachers, I saw 
HUNDREDS of middle school students standing on the rain-soaked grass.  I nearly 
burst into tears. (I mean, that’s always my reaction when I see a group doing the 
same thing.)

For seventeen minutes, these students stood in the amphitheater listening quietly 
to the names of those students who perished in Florida.  Even those students that 
we worry about because of their behavior or attitudes were standing there not 
causing any problems, just standing in a huddle together.  

When the seventeen minutes were up, they were told by a classmate to return 
quietly to class AND THEY DID.  People, hundreds of sixth, seventh and eighth 
graders walked out of class and returned to class QUIETLY because they had a 
message to send.  

Generally, these folks are accused of being immature, impulsive and of having 
poor judgement.  Today, they showed that they are capable of much much more 
than we ever thought. They can organize, they can be respectful, and they have 
something to say.