A Class Act!

Remember when you were in 8th grade? I was exactly like most of the 8th graders I currently teach: more concerned about my hair than my grades, more concerned about walking "the long way" to see a boy I had a crush on than getting to class on time, more concerned about what the five page note my best friend gave me before class said than the notes my English teacher was rambling about.

Yesterday I stood before about one hundred generally rambunctious, giggly, chatty 8th graders in an auditorium where you could have heard a pin drop when I shared with them the news. These 8th graders transformed before my eyes. There is the one boy with whom I struggle each day to find a new approach to subdue his behavior and distractability issues who stopped me in the hallway and said, "Mrs. Lyng, you really scared me today when you started talking, but when you were done I felt better." There are the sweet ESL girls who secretly left the most thoughtful, incredibly well written, emotion-filled letters on my desk. There is the one sweetheart who pulled me aside with tears in her eyes and had the courage to tell me her mom is going through the exact same thing. And now, I hear of two other self-less young ladies who are organizing a hall "movement" to show their support and solidarity as we go through this journey together.

People will often roll their eyes when I tell them I teach 8th graders and comment that is takes a special kind of person to teach middle school. Yesterday I had never felt so special, indeed! These 8th graders can change the mind of any skeptic. These 8th graders forgot about their hair, their crush and their notes and left on impact on me so huge I will never forget them.