Middle School is an Airport

Elementary teachers get hugs and undying adoration. High school teachers wait for maturity and get appreciation night at football and basketball games, etc. 
What exactly do middle school teachers get?  
I didn't get into teaching for mugs and thank you gifts and I'm actually not a hugger, but I think we are missing the magic of what middle school is or can be.

Middle school is an airport.
It's not home - a place that is familiar and, hopefully, comforting and loving.
It's not your destination - where you discover new ideas, see new things, and learn about the world. 

Our objective in middle school often seems to be getting your through an experience most people don't love, but they endure because of the adventure on the other side. The middle school where I teach is 6th through 8th grade.
Sixth grade is a lot like the confusing/disorienting check-in.
You had better be organized or figure out how to organize or this security checkpoint is going to be really frustrating for you and everyone around you.
And yes, seventh grade is very much like waiting for your flight - food, shopping, rushing to be somewhere then just waiting for life to happen. Finding that seat where you can just be left alone in this strange, noisy place. 
Eighth grade, well, it can sometimes feel like that final line-up to board your flight. I mean, the whole reason you are here is to leave. Listen for your turn. Get in a line. Endure that flight. It will all be worth it.

I truly hope this description seems foreign to many. I'm certainly working to change this culture because in fact ages 11-14 are a pivotal time. This is a rite of passage time in cultures around the world. This is the transition from child to adolescent and teachers are guides. We need middle school to be an experience that is: 
Challenging.
Inspiring.
Exploratory.
Comforting.
Reassuring.
Curiosity-filled.
Joyful
Teaching through the pandemic has completely changed my approach to classroom community. Fear of not being prepared for high school does not fit into the social emotional competence game plan. 
I'm on a journey to make middle school a place where we help students see their community and cultural capital and individual assets. 
The Search Institute has identified 30-40 assets that support students in eight categories: Support, Empowerment, Boundaries and Expectations, Constructive Use of Time, Commitment to Learning, Positive Values, Social Competencies, and Positive Identity. 
From seventh to ninth grade, students experience the greatest decline in assets. (Scales, 1999)

We know that adolescent mental health is in a crisis. This crisis existed before the pandemic and has been exacerbated by uncertainty, lack of structure, social upheaval, collective trauma, and the struggles of adults to stay afloat.
This April I'm going to reflect on middle school as an experience because it is its own beautiful animal and needs to be cared for as such.

Reference: Scales, P. C. (1999). Reducing Risks and Building Developmental Assets: Essential Actions for Promoting Adolescent Health. Journal of School Health, 69(3), 113. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A54709091/EAIM?u=minn4020&sid=EAIM&xid=3ed6ce49