This me at the beginning of the school year. Kids teacher quit, second one quit and a string of subs who did not want to be long term after spending ONE day in that class. My advice to you, be a hard ass. I was dealing with upper elementary kids who thought they could make me cry and run out like everyone else by being the biggest bullies ever.

You know what I did? I was extremely rude back to them. They didn’t like it, saying how I couldn’t talk to them like that. I would just mention I was responding the same way they were talking to me and if they didn’t like, I was more than happy to write a pass to the office to report me. But if they took me up on that option, that meant they were admitting to the improper way they spoke to me first and would be receiving a referral. No one took me up on it. Best advice? Maybe not, but it worked for me because they got a reality check on what they were actually saying and how they had consequences attached to them.

Kids did not want to listen for those first two weeks and I did everything in my power to show them I wasn’t leaving and what I could do would be worse than what they ever thought they could do. Those kids thought they ruled that classroom and school because no one had stayed long enough to say no.

Be. A. Hard. Ass. Especially with middle schoolers, they are going to push your boundaries like no other.