By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Seventh graders are just weird. But where some adults see rude and rash behavior, Bill Ferguson sees raw potential.
Ferguson, a seventh grade English teacher at Bowling Green Middle School, was recognized Thursday by Bowling Green Kiwanis Club as one of the top inspirational educators in the community.
For his 28 years of teaching children on the awkward verge of becoming teenagers, Ferguson received a rousing round of applause.
Though given a chance to move to the high school, he has stuck with teaching the age that he referred to as “the middle of the middle.”
“It’s kind of the forgotten year,” he said. Sixth graders are still holding onto elementary years, and “eighth graders know everything.”
“Seventh graders are weird. They think the dumbest things are funny,” like seeing how small a pencil can be and still be usable, he said.
Ferguson admitted that part of his longevity with seventh graders could be his similar sense of humor.
Then there’s the fact that those students are straddling the divide between cynicism and wide-eyed hope.
“I love this age level. They think deeply. They have the same worries we do. They just can’t express it like we do,” he said. “They might not be paying attention when you want them to be, but they are always watching.”
Ferguson often uses Charles Dickens’ literature in his curriculum. And the seventh graders are keenly aware of the different treatment of human beings depending on their place in society.
“They do have an interest in how people are treated,” he said.
Ferguson described an assignment he has given students for the past two years – giving them 20 minutes to write about a current issue and present possible solutions.
The assignment has resulted in the students addressing serious issues not frivolous subjects. “It was completely eye opening,” he said.
Of the 108 student essays this year, only one focused on a crazy vacation at the lake. The others offered thought-provoking topics.
Some addressed topics related to school – school shootings, bullying, body shaming, plagiarism and dress codes. Some addressed human rights issues, like LGBTQ rights, racial injustice, homelessness, hunger, poverty and access to health care.
Several essays focused on the environment, talking about better waste management, clean water, climate change and reforestation. Others wrote about lowering the voting age, holding world leaders accountable, animal abuse, and funding for law enforcement training on de-escalation and mental health issues.
And some students wrote about issues impacting their lives – advocating for more funding for cancer research, suggesting more input from children in custody agreements, and unemployment.
“When a 12-year-old kid turns in something like this, I’m so proud of their responses,” Ferguson said.
Students are exposed to so much today on social media.
“It might not be accurate,” he said. “But they see so much. They are worried what the future looks like.”
“I do respect their convictions,” and he is gratified that they share their beliefs with him. “They do trust me with these things. I am proud of each and every one of them.”
“They are already showing me they will shine in your communities,” Ferguson said.
Ferguson knows from personal experience the difference an inspirational teacher can make in a child’s life.
“I always told kids I hated English in seventh grade,” until he had a great teacher.
A lifelong teacher, Ferguson gave the Kiwanis members their own homework assignments. He advised them to ask kids what they are thinking about. “Then more importantly, just listen. Sometimes kids just need someone who’s not a parent to listen.”
Ferguson thanked his wife, Melanie, an eighth grade teacher at BG Middle School, and their two children for all their support. And he praised Superintendent Francis Scruci, Middle School Principal Eric Radabaugh and Assistant Principal Michel Bechstein for being supportive administrators.
