Webber Middle School Case Study Interview

For my case study interviews, I identified students that, from my experience as one of

their teachers, view school in two very different ways. The first student, we’ll call her “A” is the

daughter of a teacher, is eager to learn, and has her work turned in on time if not early. In

essence, A was me as a middle/high school student. The second student “J,” is the total opposite.

J frequently seems to be disengaged in the class, with assignments often missing or late, unless

they really peak his interest. He is a very different student than I was, and therefore very

different from the students I feel like I know. As a future teacher, I wanted to understand the

experience of both of these types of students; what I found from talking to both A and J gave me

an interesting new perspective on the boxes we often place our students into based on

stereotypes.

While talking to these students about their experiences in middle school, I found some

interesting differences and connections that I think say a lot about not only the students, but the

role of the teachers. When I asked both students to describe school, I got two very different

answers. A told me that she enjoys school both because she likes to learn and because she gets to

see her friends when she is here. She does after school sports, choir, and is even playing the role

of a middle schooler in Rocky Mountain High School’s musical. J, on the other hand, told me

simply that he “would rather not be here.” After school, he likes to hang out with his friends and

play video games, and on occasion he attends Webbers gaming club, but that is about the extent

of his involvement with Webber outside of school. Their answers to how they view school didn’t

exactly surprise me; in class, A is always the first to answer questions, both academic and social,

and she is a great at getting along with whoever she is around. J definitely has a few solid

friendships in the classroom, but he doesn’t respond well to being cold called on in class. While
he isn’t defiant, he often takes more prompting to do his work, lest he sit around and not really

engage with material or classmates.

Despite the different attitudes I found towards school in general, one aspect of school that

I found a lot of commonalities between the two students was the attributes of their favorite

teachers. A talked about a Webber math teacher she currently has, and J talked about one of his

6th grade teachers. When I asked each of them what made these teachers their favorite, both used

the same word that really stood out to me: the confidence these teachers gave them. A’s favorite

subject in school is English and Social Studies, and she described herself as hating math. But she

told me she loves her math teacher because he has not only given her skills to feel more

confident in math, but has encouraged her to be confident in herself. J had a similar story about

an English teacher from last year, who for the first time in his school career helped him realize

that he was actually a good writer. He told me that she pushed him, and while at the time it

frustrated him, writing is actually his favorite subject now. He told me that he feels more

confident in writing after her class… and even that simple exchange gave me a whole new

perspective on this perceived “problem” student, and the ways that teachers have and should be

interacting with him.

The other part of my conversation that is worth taking note of was a great reminder of the reason

I have always wanted to become a teacher. I asked both A and J what the most important things

in their lives are, and what they would change about the world if they could change anything.

Both of their answers touched me deeply. A told me that the most important thing to her is her

family, her friends, and treating others with respect. She spoke candidly about how she can’t

stand people who doubt others or intentionally bring them down, and how when she sees that she

gets anxiety. J told me that the only important thing to him is his family, and if he could change
anything, it would be racism. He said that he has had a very hard time at school since the issue of

immigration has been ramped up, and that he doesn’t want his younger siblings to feel that way

when they start school. I found both of their answers to be profoundly deep for two seventh

graders, coming from a place of deep vulnerability that they felt they could share with me. I have

said for a long time that I want to be a teacher because I think that young people are some of the

most affective change-makers that societies have seen throughout history, and I want to make

sure that they know that there are adults and mentors in their lives who believe in that ability. I

want to be able to instill in my students the confidence that A and J’s favorite teachers have

instilled in them, and I want to encourage them to use that confidence to make the changes for

causes that are so personal and important to them. If I only get students to take one thing out of

my classroom (although the goal is much, much more), I want it to be this confidence in

themselves as human beings.

When I asked A and J if they had any final advice for me as a future teacher, they both

mentioned different things that they like and dislike in a teacher; but the thing that both of them

hit on was the idea of forming relationships with my students. They both talked about the things

that we have entire classes to focus on in our CEP courses. But unlike those classrooms, it was

the format of this interview, having an actual conversation with actual students, that is going to

stick with me the most. Instead of hearing about the theories and practicalities of building student

relationships, I heard it straight from their mouths. They notice. They notice when teachers take

time to foster these relationships, and it impacts them profoundly. That is why I want to continue

to talk to my students, and continue to make sure that they feel heard.