IMS History teacher Mr. Schmidt spoke with Rithik Kadiyala and David Guzman to discuss his perspective on this year’s 6th Grade class. The following transcript has been edited for clarity.
Rithik: When you started teaching, did you expect the students to behave well or poorly?
Mr. Schmidt: My first year, I had more confidence than I should’ve. Before I started middle school, I started high school. You know, you could reason with those kids a little better.
Rithik: Which period do you prefer to teach more often?
Mr. Schmidt: 7th Period. The one that I’m in my car going home.
Rithik: Do you like the 6th-grade classes you teach?
Mr. Schmidt: Sure, I like the content of the class.
Rithik: Why is that?
Mr. Schmidt: I have always been an enjoyer of American History, but World History doesn’t do it for me. I like civics too; my 7th-grade class is fun.
Rithik: Do you enjoy teaching History to 6th graders?
Mr. Schmidt: I do, I feel like they pay attention at least, if I am sharing something, you know that they can take it for their life
Rithik: What is something you don’t like and like about the 6th grade?
Mr. Schmidt: I feel like I teach more about behavior and how to be a good person or a functional student than I do about history. It seems more like babysitting than teaching sometimes.
Rithik: On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate the behavior of the 6th graders?
Mr. Schmidt: I would rate it 0.
Rithik: Which period is your least favorite?
Mr Schmidt: I will not answer that.
Rithik: Do you have anything else to add?
Mr.Schmidt: I hope the 6th graders mature a bit for next year and understand that even if you don’t want to be in class, you have to do it, because most of life is made up of things that you have to do, not things you want to do. It’s an important skill to learn early.
Rithik: That’s all.
Mr. Schmidt: Thank you very much.