Teaching 12 year olds

Do you remember being 12?

I remember having big bushy hair and large glasses. I remember trying to fit in with the cool group at Home School Performing Arts and West Michigan Home School Bands. I remember the drama that went on every time I hung out with my best friend - the kissing pillows, mad crushes, and ridiculous ideas. We were going to create a make-up company called Av-OFF, and we tried various "beauty products" made of household ingredients. Thank goodness this was pre-zits.

Every relationship was a big deal. It was like a new world that I'd been living in for years. Instead of only caring about the people who I was with at the moment, I started caring about EVERYONE and their opinion.

12 year olds are hilarious to spend time with. They have opinions about nearly everything having to do with pop culture (did you know Justin Beiber threw up while performing, which also outed him for lip synching?) They are super interested in your life, especially if you are old (but not too old), beautiful(ish), and single (this is clearly the most exciting of the three). 

I teach 12 year olds. Approximately 80 of them, with 40 up and coming 11 year olds following closely behind.

This is the best thing in the world. There is no other age group I would choose to spend my days with.

I teach 12 year olds. As much as they care about everything else... school WORK is not always that important to them. Responsibility is dumped on them... but they're just babies.

Failing 12 year olds? Detending 12 years? 12 year olds who you KNOW are struggling to figure out how they fit with their friends, in their bodies, in this world? 

This is the worst thing in the world. It breaks my heart.