The words I would use to describe Ms. Calhoun, my 7th grade language arts teacher, are joyful, protective, and thoughtful.

She always has a smile on her face and enjoys working with students. She makes her classroom a safe place for students.

How would you compare middle school then with middle school now?

“Okay…I think that middle school now a lot of the students that I’ve seen and a lot of experiences I’ve had with student’s um y’all seem to be more aware of the issues in the world compared to when I was in middle school.”

What where you like in middle school?

“My dad worked for the school, so I was very good I did not step too far out of line or be too much of a troublemaker because I know that sometimes make its way back to my dad and I grew up in a really small town, so our assistant principal was actually my next-door neighbor so I couldn’t be bad at all.”

Did you like middle school back then?

“I did not I really struggled in middle school.”

What was middle school back then?

“For me it was a lot of drama just a lot of big emotions without all the words to explain or process them.”

How did your middle school experience inform you as a teacher?

“A lot of students were not accepted and mean, so I want to create a safe space for my students.”