Why Every Middle School Teacher Should Be A Small Group Leader [Youth Ministry & Getting My Middle School Education Degree]
Last semester in my methods class, Teaching Language Arts in the Middle School, I had to lead a discussion with a small group of students.
The catch? They weren’t real live middle school students! We used an online discussion simulation tool called Mursion, where the students online were actually real people, who work for Mursion and have experience teaching middle schoolers, pretending to be middle schoolers.
I had to introduce myself to these 5 students, answer allllll the questions they had about me, and then jump right into a discussion about a poem. I was standing facing these “students” toward a huge screen, with my entire college class behind me watching as I facilitated this discussion.
What I realized as I was leading this discussion was that, although I was feeling pressure to do well facilitating this discussion in front of my college class (Enneagram 1 and major perfectionist over here), was that navigating the conversational piece of this discussion came more naturally than I was expecting. Because although I hadn’t led a discussion on the poem “The Sadness” by Jason Reynolds before, I had led many discussions with middle schoolers.
And where did I first learn how to navigate discussions with middle schoolers? Being a middle school Small Group Leader at my church for four years in high school and college. Although I am still learning how to lead and navigate discussions with middle schoolers, here are 4 things I’ve learned to do along the way that have helped me tremendously in the classroom:
1. Use their names. It not only shows them you see them and acknowledges their contributions to the discussion, but it also is a helpful tool to reengage a disengaged student, without totally embarrassing them in front of their peers.
2. Don’t be afraid to let the rabbit trails happen. They’re actually what helps build a sense of community in the classroom, as you get to know each other and find common ground. The latest rabbit trail in my classroom went like this:
Student: “What does AD stand for?”
“Some people say it means “After death” meaning after the death of Jesus, but it actually stands for this latin word…”
“Why don’t people just say CE instead of keeping AD if it’s not English.”
“Right? I don’t know how to speak Latin.”
“I have to sing a Latin song in chorus.”
“Like pig latin?”
“I don’t really like pigs.”
“What’s the song called?”
“It’s called FUN FUN FUN”
“I like fun!”
“I have to sing a song in Chinese next week.”
Did we get eventually get back to what we were originally talking about? Yes.
Did it mean we had to talk about singing a song in Chinese for a minute in order to get back there? Also yes.
Were all of my students engaged and excited to be part of that conversation? You know it.
3. Relate what you’re talking about to their own lives. I found this to be what made the discussion about the poem, “The Sadness,” by Jason Reynolds more fun for myself to teach on and more fun for my students to talk about. It allows them as middle schoolers to relate what they read or learn to their own lives, giving them the chance to actually apply it. That’s the whole point, right? Yes, it’s important that they understand the figurative language and underlying theme of the text we were talking about. But to me, it’s even more important that they are able to apply that theme back to their own lives.
4. Let them ask questions. And encourage them to respond to other students’ questions. This is where the magic happens in a discussion: when students move from conversing with the teacher (or the Small Group Leader) to conversing with each other. What I’ve also learned about middle schoolers is that they ask really good questions when they feel safe enough to do so. And sometimes, the questions are so good, that I don’t know the answer! In those moments, be okay with not knowing the answer. Even better? Tell them you don’t know, but you’d love to help them find out.
I can’t tell you enough how grateful I am to have been a Small Group Leader of middle school girls prior to being in the classroom—and it’s why I think every middle school teacher should get connected to lead a small group in a middle school ministry. It will teach you, challenge you, confuse you, make you realize you actually don’t know what you thought you did, make you laugh harder than you ever thought possible, and let you learn more about who God is all over again through the eyes of a middle schooler.
Now, I want to know: What’s one thing you’ve learned from being a Small Group Leader? Bonus points if you’re a middle school teacher!