Ten years ago I was desperate. I’d tripped and fallen out of 25 years of ministry and 20 years of marriage. Dazed and confused, I lurched toward teaching, figuring myself for a high school educator. But a middle school principal named Joy Brown took a chance on me. Middle school? Dear God! I’ll serve my time, I thought, and get the hell out quick as I can. Ten years later, I can honestly say there’s no place I’d rather be. My students, my colleagues all become like family–albeit a dysfunctional one, which puts me right at home! There’s rarely a dull moment. And those wacky 8th-grade kids? Well, they give me hope for our future. Last week, at year’s end, I wagged my video cam around school. Here’s what I saw…