For the next 3 days, I am helping (with 3 other teachers) Jumpstart for my school. This program aims to provide a warm welcome and introduction for 7th-grade students, easing their transition into middle school.
To help the students feel tense and create an environment of fear and anxiety, I conduct engaging community circles. Recognizing that they might be feeling nervous, they first enter the room designing a superhero of their choice. Next, I ask them questions in a circle with everyone sharing what color they are currently feeling. I then all of them what they are looking forward to in middle school.
One of the highlights of the community circle is when the students get to unleash their creativity. They are invited to describe a superhero they have invented. This exercise enables them to showcase their imaginative skills while also revealing their unique personality.
Closing the circle on a high note, we engage in a simultaneous clapping activity, where the students pass the applause from one person to another. I make them do it over and over again faster without messing up.
Today, the kids were much less fearful than I had hoped. I’m hopeful that the kids tomorrow and Friday will be more afraid and awkward. Perhaps the YMCA’s decision to provide them with breakfast played a role in contributing to their hyperness.
I guess in the end I’m lucky to not have to teach 7th graders this year. Even if I mess up, they won’t remember me by the time school starts anyway.
