(Photo Illustration - MetroCreativeConnection - Editor's Notes by Christina Myer)

Do you remember who you were in middle school?

I do. Ish. I remember being thrilled to discover I had a talent for music and joining band and choir — taking it very seriously. I also remember (at about age 11, possibly 12) thinking it made sense to join the others in seeing how far I could kick my instrument down the football field. (Don’t tell my Mom.)

I remember being one of the “pleasure-to-have-in-class” students — think Hermione Granger but with worse hair. But I was also the person who completely zoned out when my teacher greeted those of us coming into her classroom with “If one more of you slams your books down on the ground when you take your seat, you’re going to detention!” She had barely finished the sentence when I slammed mine down, too, and she looked at me like, “Really?! You?!!!” and then sent me to the office.

I remember there being absolutely no relationship between the graceful walk I had planned across the gym to get the jump ropes and the whacky-inflatable-flailing-arm-thing motion that took place when my knees decided to stop functioning.

I remember very much believing I was old enough to have a “boyfriend” (mostly because I was obsessed with reading every single L.M. Montgomery book and had a literary crush on Gilbert Blythe), but also still needing my mother to braid my hair for me and help me pack my lunch.

It was a weird, weird time. And I was one who didn’t have trouble succeeding with 1980/90s teaching methods.

Many of you probably have similar memories of that bizarre experience called middle school or junior high, depending on your district.

Now, factor in the social media age and digital everything.

I don’t know how teachers stay sane. Maybe they don’t.

But to prevent as much madness as possible, the West Virginia Board of Education is introducing new training and tools for middle school teachers.

The West Virginia Middle School Initiative “enables schools to effectively implement proven middle school practices, such as expanded career and technical education resources and opportunities. We will officially launch this program at the first Middle School Conference during summer 2026, where middle school teams of educators will learn effective practices and collaborate to share insights and strategies,” the state Department of Education’s website says.

Acknowledging the massive transition middle schoolers are experiencing during those years, the department says “the middle learner stands in unfamiliar territory as growth spurts, coordination, and cognitive function converge during maturation.” That’s putting it politely.

To bridge the gap between elementary and high schools, this initiative will set standards in three categories: foundational, to promote a supportive environment for adolescents so learning can occur; leadership, to support a growth mindset for staff and students and emphasize learning for all; and instructional, to establish a framework for effective instruction, intervention and enrichment.

There’s a lot more to the program than that, but you get the general idea. Educators who attend the training will be better armed to face the challenges presented by classrooms full of people who are impressive young adults one minute and irrational children the next.

The students can’t help what they’re going through. (Think about it, if you could go back and skip ahead past those years, you might consider it, right?)

But teachers should now be even better at helping them get through it. I have a feeling teachers AND students will be glad the Department of Education found new tools for tackling middle school, together.

Christina Myer is executive editor of The Parkersburg News and Sentinel. She can be reached via e-mail at cmyer@newsandsentinel.com.