Am I crazy for wanting to teach 8th grade science?

I'm an 18 year old guy going to college in the fall to get my bachelors degree and then complete my teaching credential, and currently I want to start out teaching middle school (8th grade) science.
I know of lot of you guys think teaching middle school is hell, but in my opinion the pros outweigh the cons. The current list of reasons I want to teach 8th grade Is:
I connect well with this age group (13/14 year olds), my humor works with them, and I find them funny
They're still more interested in school and are easier to engage, more likely to participate in class discussions
They still have enthusiasm about things, much more so than high schoolers who are mostly apathetic towards school in general
They're old enough to have serious in-depth conversations....
...But are still young enough they want to play games, which can be utilized to teach in a fun way (something I love doing)
They are loyal to you and actually care if you show them real respect
This is a critical age of development, so you have a huge influence over them
No APs/IBs, grades don't matter as much, and school is less stressful for the kids
I currently work at a summer camp as a cabin leader/counselor and the middle school age group is my favorite. I know teaching middle schoolers will be vastly different than working at a summer camp, but some of the strategies I've learned for managing kids will carry over. I'm also very passionate about science, love teaching people new things in engaging ways, and find I connect with middle schoolers really well.
I know I've only listed pros here, and there are countless obvious cons, but each day will be an adventure and even though some days (most days) I'll be exhausted and overwhelmed, I'll rarely have boring days. Also I know I'll have to deal with
Anyways, thoughts on this? Those who have taught middle school or middle/high school what are your thoughts on my list of pros?
Follow up question: how much freedom do I get over curriculum/how I teach the curriculum (assuming I'm following the California NGSS science standards). I Basically can I write my own tests/quizzes, do my own labs/demos/games? Or does it have to fall exactly in line with what the department/admin decides? How Is this for you?

Submitted May 27, 2024 at 11:55PM by Jo5ay https://ift.tt/Frz5f1Z