Every year around March 1 a new element enters the middle school landscape. It is the final group of eighth graders that are going to figure out the concept of middle school relationships. It is cute, drama-filled, and predictable.
Let me paint the picture. For three years, there have been two single-gendered tables in the cafeteria side-by-side with zero, I mean zero interaction between the boys and girls. Many of these students have band and accelerated math together, but it was as if the Berlin Wall existed between their tables. Suddenly, March 1 arrives, and it is like new children have hatched. The giggle volume increases. The food gets tossed on the other table. The looks and whispers are obvious. Young love is in the air. Many of these kids will look back at March 1 of their eighth grade year and remember the name of the first person that they held hands with, attempted to say loving things to, and possibly even a first kiss.
By the way, dealing with all of this is the easy part. The hard part is keeping them focused on learning, representing our school well through testing, and preparing them to take on the high school. I'm glad that spring has arrived.
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