If you notice the tags at the end of my blog posts, you might have seen my "8RE". It's an abbreviation for "8th graders are evil". Because they are.
There is something about that age. 13. Kiddos go a little crazy. Not every kiddo. And it doesn't always hit them at 13. But get 35 thirteen-year-olds in one room, and chaos happens.
8th grade teachers deserve hazard pay.
This past week I covered two days of an 8th grade science class. And the crazy...
Normally, I seek out the best story of a given day and that's what I post on the blog. Some days I have more than one story, so I find the one that I think is funnier and go with it. (Of course, there are some days where nothing blog-worthy happens, and those days don't get posted about at all.)
However, with these groups over those two days, I had a hard time choosing. Really hard. So, I decided not to.
I've had several days of late that haven't made it to the blog at all. The kiddos were on task. Silent, even. I expect this will keep up, at least one day of the week. So, for those days, I'm going to bring out another story from this class. By my estimation, if I post one of these a week, it'll take me until nearly Christmas to get through them all.
You'll know it's one of those classes by the picture at the top and the tag "that 8th grade science class".
I don't know which one I'll start with. Perhaps it should be the one where one of the "good kids" from the math class got into trouble...
8th grade is a crazy year. We believe we're adult because we're so close to high school and like to get into all sorts of shenanigans. I really appreciated my 8th grade teachers, though. They were the best!
ReplyDeleteIt takes a special individual to do it. It is definitely an interesting year.
DeleteI completely agree. I thought one of my friends was insane when she decided to teach middle school English. Completely crazy.
ReplyDeleteI love the tag!! Mine would have to be 8GRE...for 8th grade girls are evil!
ReplyDeleteI take it you haven't met many 8th grade boys. Because they can be just as bad.
DeleteMy only quibble is that I think sixth and seventh graders are just as evil. But maybe that's just towards other students. At least it's giving you lots of stories for your blog :)
ReplyDeleteMy friend's child just recently became an 8th grader. And she's so full of attitude I can't stand to be around her.
ReplyDeleteLiz,
ReplyDeleteI was going to suggest posting the stories when you don't have a "blog worthy" day. I'm not sure how you manage to post something every day anyway. I can't do it. Congrats for that.
Teens can be out of control. They know everything, you know. I don't know how teachers deal with all the mess on a daily basis.
Sunni
http://sunni-survivinglife.blogspot.com/
It just takes a bit of planning. And I only post about 3 subbing stories a week. Plus, if I have nothing, I don't mind skipping a day.
DeleteThe body is changing, hormones are in full swing and so is their attitude. I couldn't do what you do
ReplyDeleteYep hormones and a lack of deodorant have a lot to answer for. Good luck
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, the smell in middle school classrooms sometimes...
DeleteI don't know how old kids in 8th grade over there are but in Australia it's the 9th graders who are the worst and they're 14 turning 15. The boys in particular are especially hideous. Silly as a bag of rats they are.
ReplyDelete13. 8th graders tend to be 13.
DeleteI read through the whole blog post, then finally got the meaning of the title! Ha! (I need more coffee...)
ReplyDeleteYeah, I've got blog posts for weeks!
DeleteIt is neat though that you have at times a lot of fodder to write about. I remember my 8th grade, yes I was evil at times.
ReplyDeleteBetty
I don't think I was evil in the 8th grade (none of us really do), but I remember how awful my math class was. Total chaos.
DeleteYeah, I remember 8th grade. Evil. Pure evil. Then came high school, and it got worse.
ReplyDeleteReally? In my experience, the kiddos mellow as they age. Sure, some seniors can be interesting, but mostly they aren't.
DeleteI have enough memories of 8th grade (my 8th grade, not teaching it). Never again. Ever. Please. (shudder). Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteIt is one of those memorable years.
DeleteYikes, I have a feeling these are going to be some interesting stories. I've never really noticed your tags before. I shall have to pay more attention!
ReplyDeleteI think the tags are more for me. So I can find that one post to link back to when a future post needs the reference.
DeleteI can't imagine dealing with that many 13 year olds. At least they make good blog fodder. :-)
ReplyDeleteIt's a challenge.
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