Middle School Classroom Jobs

Middle school is a pivotal time. Students are growing more independent and learning to navigate more responsibilities, in and out of the classroom. A simple but meaningful way to support students’ growth is by implementing classroom jobs. Giving middle schoolers the opportunity to help during daily routines can make them feel capable, trusted, and part of a community. In this article, you’ll learn how to make classroom jobs work for your middle school students and find creative classroom job ideas.  

Benefits of classroom jobs for middle school students

Classroom jobs give middle school students opportunities to build essential life skills. Here’s more on how taking on these roles can help students grow both personally and academically. 

• Promotes responsibility: When students are assigned a job, they learn to take ownership over their tasks and recognize the importance of following through. For example, if a student is a board manager, they can see how forgetting to update the homework or announcements on the board can affect their classmates. This student then develops a sense of accountability and understands how important it is to perform their tasks in a timely fashion. Therefore, encouraging students to take on these roles and responsibilities can serve as a middle school classroom management strategy.
• Fosters teamwork: Classroom jobs can foster teamwork outside of academic group projects. When students share classroom job responsibilities, they learn to work together toward a common goal. Also, students build social skills, like communication and cooperation. An example of a role that is collaborative is that of clean-up crew. Students who have this job work with one another to keep the class tidy.
• Strengthens classroom community: When there are classroom jobs in place, students can see that everyone has a part in keeping the classroom running smoothly. This can help students feel more connected to each other and their learning environment, creating a sense community in the classroom.
• Supports leadership development: Even leading in small ways can help students develop important leadership skills. Consider, for example, a student who takes on the role of technology assistant manages digital device and helps their peers log in. By having this job, the student will learn skills like taking initiative, making decisions, and communicating with others, which are all key components of being a good leader.
• Teaches real-world skills: Classroom jobs can also provide students with practical, real-world experience as the jobs assigned mirror responsibilities that they will encounter outside of school. For example, the job of supply manager can teach organizational skills or the job of timekeeper can teach time management. Developing these skills will prepare students for life beyond the classroom.

List of classroom jobs for middle school students 

Classroom jobs for middle school students may look different than classroom jobs for elementary students. You might not need a line leader or door holder on a regular basis. In fact, middle school classroom jobs may look more sophisticated, as students develop a more advance set of skills. Maybe your middle schoolers knows how to troubleshoot tech problems, like restarting devices. So, the role of tech assistant in the 6–8 classroom may call for more responsibilities than that of one in the K–5 classroom. Take into account your students’ skills and strengths as well as their interest and hobbies when creating your classroom job list. This will get students more excited about helping around the classroom. 

Below are jobs that can be a good fit for your middle school classroom.

• Attendance monitor: Tracks attendance and reports absences to the teacher.
• Board cleaner: Cleans the board when needed.
• Board manager: Updates the homework or reminders on the board.
• Classroom announcer: Reads daily announcements.
• Classroom DJ: Manages music during class work time (with the teacher’s approval).
• Clean-up crew: Oversees cleanup routines at the end of class or an activity.
• Homework collector: Collects homework assignments from their peers.
• Light monitor: Manages lighting as needed during class.
• Messenger: Relays messages to other teachers.
• Paper collector: Collects any worksheets, assignments, and forms.
• Paper distributor: Hands out worksheets, assignments, and forms.
• Pencil manager: Sharpens pencils and collects any borrowed pencils at the end of class.
• Substitute helper: Assists a substitute teacher by explaining any classroom routines or procedures.
• Supply manager: Keeps classroom supplies organized.
• Technology assistant: Assists with devices and digital tools and helps with any technology issues.
• Timekeeper: Keeps track of the time during classroom activities and transitions.

Another thing to consider when developing your classroom jobs list is the subject area you teach. There may be tasks that are specific to your content area. For example, if you’re a middle school science teacher, you may need help gathering lab supplies for an upcoming experiment. You can then assign a student the role of lab assistant, someone who preps lab materials. Or if you’re a middle school English language arts (ELA) teacher, you can have a classroom librarian, who organizes the classroom library and keeps track of borrowed books. 

Tips for implementing classroom jobs 

Typically, classroom jobs are a routine established earlier in the school year, but you can get them up and running anytime. The following tips will help you easily implement classroom jobs in your middle school classroom. 

Identify classroom jobs needed 

Before assigning classroom jobs, think about what jobs are needed in your classroom. You can collaborate with students to identify potential classroom jobs. Lead a classroom discussion about what roles may be needed in the classroom. Then you can ask students to brainstorm potential job titles as well as write down brief descriptions of the roles they’re suggesting.

Create job descriptions and expectations

Just like in the real world, it’s important to provide job descriptions and expectations in the classroom. This way students can understand what a job entails and what is expected of them in that role. For each job, consider writing clear and concise job descriptions that can include job expectations and job skills needed as well as job time commitment. You can post the job descriptions in your classroom so students can refer to them when needed. Here is an example of a classroom job description:

Job title: Technology assistant 

Job description: Help with classroom technology. 

Job expectations: 

• Turn on and off devices daily.
• Help classmates login to digital devices and/or programs.
• Report tech issues to the teacher.

Skills needed: Basic technology knowledge (turning on devices, charging devices, typing), attention to detail 

Time commitment: 5–10 minutes daily

Have students apply for a job

After you post your classroom job descriptions, you can invite students to apply for a role that piques their interest. This way students can get practical, hands-on experience with the job application process. You can ask students to fill out and submit the downloadable classroom job application form below, where students would respond to prompts like: “I want to be _______because_______.” The job application form also asks students to explain why they would be a good candidate for the job. 

Along with a job application, you can also conduct job interviews to further screen students for a classroom job. You can ask students questions like: 

• Why does the job interest you?
• Why do you believe you’d be a good fit for this role?
• Tell me about your skill set. 

Afterwards, you can display on a job chart which students were selected for the different roles. Something else to keep in mind is how often jobs will be rotated. You can assign roles on a monthly or quarterly basis. This gives other students the opportunity to take on the roles in the future and, in turn, develop a variety of skills. 

Reward and recognize students

As with any job, celebrating successes can increase motivation and boost morale. So why not reward and recognize students who are meeting the responsibilities of their classroom job? You can implement a reward system where students earn classroom dollars or tokens for completing tasks. Students can later exchange the dollars or tokens for free or affordable rewards or privileges, like a a homework pass or stickers. You could also give students who are doing a good job a shout-out at the beginning of class or select a “student of the week” to spotlight. 

When a classroom job system is in place in the middle school classroom, it can create a learning environment that fosters a sense of purpose and belonging among students. 

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Assigning classroom jobs is one way teachers can manage their classrooms more efficiently. Read more classroom management articles for more strategies and tips, regardless of the grade level or subject.