When I moved from being a high school English teacher to becoming the librarian at a middle school—and serving as a student council adviser at both levels—it was a big adjustment for me. Middle school kids are so different. They don’t always follow through on the things you would like them to, for instance. And they are far less independent than high schoolers.
One thing I discovered is that student council is a great way to engage my students here at Tuloso-Midway Middle School in Corpus Christi, TX. Getting involved in student council helps them develop as leaders and start thinking more about how they can become agents for change. There’s no better example of that than Isabella Schmit, who was recently elected junior vice president of membership on the newly created National Student Council.
Isabella came to our school in sixth grade after spending two years learning online at home and not meeting many other students. When she heard my announcement about student council, she decided to give it a try because she wanted to get involved in a school activity. Isabella was definitely a leader from the get-go. In the two years she has served as a grade-level representative, she’s helped other students learn what it means to be a leader, too. And she is such a great communicator. We have a core group of about 15 kids that have a stick-to-itiveness that I’ve never seen in another group of students. They show up, and they always do what needs to be done.
When I heard about the new National Student Council, I encouraged Isabella and two of my other top students—all good friends—to apply. They made me promise to wait to see the results until we could all be together. When I received the email announcement, I gathered the three students together. With them all standing behind me in anticipation, I opened the email; they erupted in cheers when they saw that Isabella was elected. It was like they had won the Super Bowl. And it was amazing because the two girls who didn’t win were also so happy for her. They were happy for each other, and that made me happy.
They weren’t the only ones who were excited. This was the biggest thrill of my 33-year career. Nothing like this had ever happened to me before.
I’m so glad I encouraged Isabella and her classmates to apply. Unlike in high school, where students are worried about class rank and college, middle school students are not yet as focused on those aspects of school. If we as middle school educators and advisers have students with natural leadership qualities, we must find opportunities for them to lead and to grow. These are the young people who can be absolute world changers if they have those chances, but they aren’t necessarily going to know where to find those things, and their parents may not know either.
I know Isabella is very excited about this new position. It will give her the ability not only to serve on a national group but to help make some changes that will benefit lots of other students across the county. I’m incredibly proud of her.
