You've Gotta Know What You're Working With

Mrs. Hillbilly Mom is not a fan of interspersing upperclassmen with freshmen. Not that she has any say in it, of course. Required credits dictate enrollment. So when a new kid shows up from a school that teaches their sciences in a different order than Newmentia, select sophomores or juniors find themselves smack-dab in the middle of Mrs. Hillbilly Mom's high school newbies. Sometimes there's an errant upperclassman repeating my class for a credit, but the majority of my uppers are thrust into my matrix through no fault of their own.

Here's the thing with freshmen. They are playful, frolicking puppies. They want attention, good or bad, and will do their darnedest to get it. While I can't actually swat them with a rolled-up newspaper, nor nip them until they yelp like another puppy peer might do, I CAN get their attention and make my wishes known. Freshmen are very teacher-centric. The kids have not developed such a mob mentality. They relate to the teacher one-on-one, especially for the first half of the year. Then they pull away and begin that quest for independence.

Freshmen are especially enamored with upperclassmen. They are COOL, no matter if they really are or not. So I have to befriend those upperclassmen, and make sure we're on the same page. Not buddies, but co-workers. You can't treat uppers like you treat lowers. They're more sophisticated, Sometimes surly, and quite likely to tell Mrs. Hillbilly Mom to go jump in a lake. Their tender self esteem does not depend on the approval of Mrs. Hillbilly Mom. So they get a bit more explanation as to the reason for things, rather than a commanding STOP THAT RIGHT THIS MINUTE or a flat-out NO. The freshmen kind of catch on, and see that with maturity comes more respect. They settle down so as not to be seen as foolish in the eyes of the upperclassman.

It's been working so far. Even with transfers who must be trained in the ways of Mrs. Hillbilly Mom. It's worth the investment. As the upperclassman goes, so goes the class.