ABSTRACT
Teaching seventh grade as a first-year teacher presents specific challenges. Being a seventh-grade teacher puts you in the position to make a unique impact that neither sixth- nor eighth-grade teachers can have on a middle school student. I am not advocating that sixth- or eighth-grade teachers cannot have the same impact on their students as a seventh-grade teacher. Rather, I am stating that a seventh-grade teacher is in a unique position because they are teaching students who have had one year of experience in middle school and still have a year left of middle school. First-year teachers that work with seventh-grade students are able to change specific habits that were developed in sixth grade. Focusing on the social and academic development of a seventh-grade student will assist a first-year teacher to have a successful year.
