Sixth Grade-- the beautiful time when hormones begin to take hold and the resulting tension between the males and females of our wacky species crackles and sparks like nobody's business! Such fun for a teacher, especially when that teacher is responsible for quelling all kinds of BOY vs GIRL drama when teams are drawn up and pitted against one another for physical competition. I made the silly mistake of allowing (naive little me) a Boy vs Girl game of STEAL THE BACON last week-- a couple of tears there-- never again. Yesterday, I was blown away, though, by how utterly, almost to the point of fear of contamination it seems, the two genders separate themselves. They are completely vocal about it, not trying to couch their disgust and contempt for one another at all. And while to me, it's sort of amusing from the outside, that is when it's not incredibly annoying in terms of trying to get a lesson going, it really is ugly to witness. I know it's all a part of growing up, and a very important stage as well-- I know too that I was exactly the same way in Sixth Grade-- however, I cannot help thinking of the repercussions that some of these interactions are going to have on the kids, for better or worse. I think more about those who are tangential to the real action too-- the followers and clingers-on who are grateful to be included in a group simply by virtue of their being one gender or another, but who really have no voice there, who are picked last and overlooked in the heat of the drama.
But enough about this-- kids will be kids, teens will be teens...I suppose it's just interesting to witness this behavior from such a vantage point and in such a context. Seventh Grade is similar, but not so starkly divided. I also had Second Grade yesterday and they were dreamy-- apart from a couple of needy attention-seeking whiney ones ;). We had a magical afternoon!
Today is Sixth once again-- and Third. Let's see what kind of excitement unfolds...
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