President: Leading the Middles (4th/5th) for a Week

“The next president is … On a Friday afternoon, you’ll hear the sound of drum rolling, followed by the ceremonious announcement of the Middle’s next president. It’s a big deal. 

The role of the president is established after the first 6 weeks of school. Middles are ready for the role once we learn the structure of a morning meeting and how to play various outside games. There is usually a mixture of nerves and excitement on Fridays when we invite one Middle to be the president for the whole week.  

Being the president gives students the chance to practice leading their peers, make decisions, and present games to the group. Leading morning meetings starts with a stretch, followed by the greeting, sharings, a group activity, reading the schedule, and ending with centering. A morning meeting is a time when we come together as a class and set the tone for the day. The goal is to give all Middles the opportunity to be the president. We build a positive community by fulfilling student needs to belong, feel significant, have fun, and be a leader. 

Past presidents have shared bits of wisdom for the next president, such as how hard it can be to get the attention of classmates, or that picking the outside game was fun.  

Here are a few more responses to what it was like to be president: 

It’s fun to have the responsibility.- Damaris  

It was hard when it felt like no one was listening. ~ Junie 

It was fun to choose the outside games because you can sort them between calming and high-energy games. ~ Zander  

Some Middles even shared how they now understand how teachers feel when everyone talks at once. Lead the way Middles!