Every May, I’d wrap myself in a blanket and cocoon away from the bustling halls of middle school. After a summer of adult-only chats, rewiring my brain for middle school conversations felt like training for a marathon. Even now, I chuckle at the thought of how all the middle school teachers are warming up for the delightful chaos of conversing with students. Not in the middle school trenches yourself? This hilarious video by Gabe Dannenbring on his TikTok might just be the enlightenment you need. And yes, we promise it’s funny!
Middle school teachers are warming up for their job
How many middle school teachers are warming up this same way? Here are the common middle school conversations Gabe has to prepare himself for:
- “Boys, stop touching each other!” Despite only teaching eighth graders, this phrase echoed even louder from my seventh grade colleagues down the hall. My sister, who teaches high school boys, swears it’s her most-used line. Apparently it’s a never-ending saga!
- “It’s literally on the board.” On a rough day, you might have caught me repeating this more times than I’d like to admit. On better days, I found gentler ways to point out the obvious, LOL!
- “Stop eating Takis in my class.” I was blissfully unaware of Takis until last year when a chorus of teachers lamented over the spicy crumbs littering their classrooms. Who knew chips could be so controversial?
- “Even though I’m laughing, that’s inappropriate.” Sometimes the jokes were too good not to laugh at, but discipline must prevail! I’d often find myself scurrying into the hallway to regain my composure after a quick verbal discipline.
- “I’m not your ‘bruh’!” I heard this from students so often, even from the young ladies in middle school. No amount of warm-up will brace you for the barrage of “bruhs”!
- “Stop drawing pictures of the male reproductive organ on my desk.” Thankfully, a fellow male teacher was always ready to tackle this issue for me. Being a female teacher had its small mercies—less frequent desk doodles from middle school boys!
- “I know you’re gaslighting me.” This one’s new. “Gaslighting” is regular vocab in adult conversations, but teenagers? They’re picking it up faster than we think!
- “We make garbage cans for a reason.” A timeless reminder that yes, those cans are indeed for trash, not just classroom decor.
What others are saying:
Gabe’s comment section is chock-full of other conversations middle school teachers can add to their warm-up reps!
I can confirm I’ve heard many teachers exclaim this one.
This was one of the most common phrases I had to pepper into classroom conversations too!
The braiding is constant.
Validation.
If you haven’t seen the SNL sketch where this comes from, you’ve got to check it out!
“Well, sweetie pie, I just saw you do it.”
Both Ashley and AJ agree that these conversations are not limited to just middle school teachers!
As the new school year beckons, our middle school teachers are warming up their conversation skills for a unique blend of humor, discipline, and teaching that defines their classrooms. From “Stop eating Takis” to “I’m not your bruh,” these teachers navigate lively exchanges that would bewilder non-teachers. Yet amidst the chaos, their dedication to middle school kiddos creates an environment where learning thrives and laughter is never far behind. Join us in tipping our hats (or favorite classroom-themed mugs) to these middle school heroes who make class both educational and entertaining!