Functioning in a Gen Z Classroom

Author: Kayana Waller

Being an ArtistCorps member is an uncategorized position for the middle schoolers I serve. I'm not old enough to be their teacher whom they see as "part of the system" yet I'm not their peer. Before becoming an ArtistCorps member, the last time I had entered a middle school classroom, Obama was in his first term. Middle school hasn't changed much.

Middle schoolers test every boundary they can. I'm twenty-one years old and most of them are old enough to be my little brother or sister. Technically, you could say we're all Gen Z. They recognize this technicality too and challenge my authority the most. I try to deal with the occasional clichéd outburst with as much empathy as I can, but it's a daily challenge

I don't know if you know this, but middle schoolers have colorful vocabularies!

Dealing with bad behavior is not rewarding, but allowing students to feel understood and comfortable sharing their ideas is. Being an ArtistCorps member in a middle school gives us a unique opportunity to mentor them as young professionals, not as authorities.