Teaching Teenagers

I've been teaching grade eight for two consecutive years. It is really tough to deal with group of people aged 13-14. As they see that they started having grown up features, they start ignoring everything related to learning and education.

To them, they are the center of the universe, their long hair means much  more than a math equation, matching with each others in clothes is essential while knowing the simple present tense and its uses is not.

Those people really need a special treatment, I always try to make them feel appreciated and respected, more often than not I give a compliment about a new hair cut, a nice sweater or a new pair of glittery shoes knowing that they really look weird in their different styles.

We might see them tall, huge and fat but in fact they have little minds that need lot's of love and care. they are always anxious to know more. This age group is the one teachers can influence the most, especially if the teacher is a young one that can understands what is going inside their minds.

They ask weird questions, things that you never expect to hear from teens.  "Do you like teaching?" my answer is always " I love teaching". "Do you love you mother?", "Do you love your fiance?" and a student would at the end of each and every session to ask you "Was I good today?" and someone who misbehaved during the session would come to ask you at the door step so nobody would hear him/her "Do you still love me?" "I'll always love you but I dislike the behavior you do"

I wouldn't have loved to teach any other class. I enjoy being in the Four sections, each and every person of them holds a different story and has a different personality that he/she wants to reveal to the world.