NEVER SAY NEVER

Help Me Henry....I am tutoring middle schoolers! When I became a teacher umpteen years ago, I made a secret vow that I would NEVER teach middle school. Never say never, because here I am....tutoring not just 6th or 7th or 8th graders but tutoring ALL 3 yessiree Bob - ALL 3! Tuesday was my first day to tutor at one of our local public middle schools, and although I am looking forward to the superb pay; I was Dreading it with a capital D. I will not say anything to declare that it was a glorious experience, because it wasn't; BUT....it was not near as dreadful as I had thought. I will leave it at that for now. After all....I've only tutored one day, and I still have SEVERAL more days left. I'm not quite ready to wrap it up and tie it with a bow just yet. However after my first day, I will say that I am expecting some days to be good and some days to be not so good as opposed to all days being not so good. I have discovered, as I soul searched all summer about my Addi Jo going into middle school, that the reason I was so nervous about her entering that treacherous territory of middle school and the reason that I was Dreading (with a capital D) beginning my tutoring job really has ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with the kids or the schools but solely with me and my middle school experience (was that a run-on?). I absolutely ABHORRED, I mean detested, loathed and really hated with every ounce of my being middle school. Are you getting the feeling that I didn't like it? Well.... I didn't. I was so uncomfortable with EVERYTHING in middle school....from the boy/girl relationships to the mean and manipulative girlfriend relationships to the peer pressure all wrapped up with puberty. Inadvertently I have stereotyped middle school to be the same experience for Addi, as it was for me, and I'm now seeing that that is ludicrous. We are different people in a different time in different circumstances. She is actually really enjoying middle school (so far), and I'm so glad for her. I am still quite bothered by things I've heard and seen while waiting in the carpool line, but SHE IS HAPPY; and she is a good kid! And as for those treacherous 6th, 7th and 8th graders I'm tutoring....they ain't so bad either (don't hold me to that....it has only been one day).