This We Believe

This book is looking at the characteristics of middle school children and middle schools themselves. It talks about the children briefly as a blanketed whole but focus’ on the “successful” middle school student. The traits the book lists as important for students to develop and grow into make up a very long list of an ideal well rounded person. My belief is that one of their ideas is more important than the rest. Students should focus on their strengths. This is not to say that no one should ever try hard and become good at something they were bad at, but rather if you want to really be successful you should develop what you are already good at. I think if we could somehow get all the students to focus on their strengths we could produce a society of exceptional people instead of a declining mediocre society that has some general knowledge about everything.

The middle school leadership should be held to a very high standard. Leaders to the middle school children are all of the adults that have an impact on their school day, from their parents and teachers, to the administrators. I cannot agree with the book more when they say the leaders need to develop change with the children in mind. Making changes based on money or personal agenda destroys a working system and is a real problem. In my childhood school system, recently the superintendant eliminated a position to save money and took on the responsibility himself, which included taking a pay raise. From the outside looking in there seems to be so many things wrong with this approach that it is easy for me to generalize all the problems of schools into, money and personal agendas.

Middle schools strive to have a culture that offers individual students the attention needed to help that student grow both academically and emotionally. My middle school did not really have any type of advisory program or make any effort to reach us as individual people. Personally it did not affect me in a negative way but I am fortunate to have a family support system that allowed me to grow. It seems too easy however for a student that does not have a strong family relationship to get lost in the cracks of a middle school. It is such an important time of these students lives that time spent being overlooked or lumped into a group can seriously impact their lives negatively. I would love to teach in a school that focused on getting to know the students as individuals; I believe that relationship would significantly outweigh any curriculum that might suffer from the time dedicated to the person.

Chapter 2: Turning Points 2000 Synthesis

Abstract: This chapter discusses the seven points that middle schools need to consider in their design in order to create the best learning environment for the students. Listed below are the points the book suggests:
• Teach a curriculum grounded in standards that is relevant to the students
• Use instructional methods designed to create life-long learners
• Staff middle schools with teachers who are experts at middle school
• Organize relationships for learning, create smaller communities within the school
• Govern democratically, involve the teachers who know the students best
• Provide a safe and healthy school environment
• Involve parents and communities in student learning
These steps are not listed in any particular order; rather they all combine to make a web of interlocking pieces that will create the strongest possible environment for young adolescents to learn in.

Synthesis:
The most common thought about these ideas of change in middle schools was that teachers in middle schools should be experts at middle school. A certification that is catered to middle level seems like a good idea. If there are separate philosophies and approaches to teaching high school and middle school why is one broad certification good enough? If we really want to reach the middle level student to the best of our adult capabilities we should be creating teachers who are specialized for the age group. Another theme in our responses was the need to involve the parents and communities in the education of the children. Somewhere along the lines school became a day care. Parents drop their kids off in the morning and pick them up at night but are really removed from what is happening during the day. Instead of having a divide between teachers and parents, middle level educators need to develop a relationship with the community to make sure there is a common goal being worked towards. Through good and bad times both teachers and parents need to have the best interest of the child in mind when they react to situations and make important decisions. We also thought it was important for the teachers and schools to get to know the students as individuals. If we can cater to the student’s needs in their education they will only benefit. All of the responses had one common theme; there is no need to change for the sake of change everything should be done with the best interest of the student in mind.

Chapter 17: The Truth About Middle School Students

The final chapter in this book is a reminder that I am becoming a teacher for a reason. I realize that children are the future of the country. We need to realize that the students in schools today will be responsible to advance America to the next steps of growth. I think it is hugely important to motivate some students enough to make that happen. We should not focus on the bad apples and say all of the students are like that. We should embrace the achievers and allow them to grow even taller. When the schools focus on that demographic we will see a great increase in the path of America. Hopefully I can be a part of that by motivating some students along the way.

Chapter 2: Motivating Young Adolescents

The second chapter in this book gave some great ideas of ways to make a middle school classroom that breeds success. To me the most important aspect, which also ties directly into some of the other ideas, is to be enthusiastic about your subject. The line about your enthusiasm allows other people to be enthusiastic is so true. People will play off your emotions so as a teacher it is paramount to be at the front of the class with some enthusiasm. The other ideas of using suspense, stories, or random objects that tie in later, all of that stuff is second nature if you are truly engaged and enthusiastic about your subject.

Chapter 1: Stoking the Fires Within

This chapter immediately put me on edge because the author was talking about the little sarcastic ways that people make fun of school and teaching as a bad thing. I do not want to read another book about education that takes itself way too serious. Later in the chapter I saw some things I agreed with and for the most part the overall message from the chapter of being a good professional I agree with. You should approach your career with some enthusiasm and make sure you are helping the students. It is easy to become the teacher that hinders the student’s progress. I want to be the teacher that the students know as the guy who is always in a good mood. It doesn’t matter what the task is, I want to maintain an outlook that welcomes children to try and fail, or try and succeed in my class.

Chapter 2: A Design for Improving Middle Grades Education

In the second chapter the book branches into how teachers and parents need to work together in order for the middle grades to be a positive learning environment. I don’t know how many times I have heard from my family members that are teachers about parents impacting their children’s education in a negative way. It is rare for them to have a parent that is on both the school’s side and the child’s side, working toward creating the best possible experience for the students. I feel it is priceless to have the support of the parents in shaping a learning experience that allows the students to succeed.

Chapter 1: Turning Points: A Decade Later

In chapter one of Turning Points the part that really struck home with me was a small section about how the emotional transition from elementary school to middle school was hard for children. It reminded me of when I was a long term sub in a resource room for fourth grade. One of my students was very mild mannered and the school was concerned that he would get socially “lost” when he moved on to the middle school. One day I took him over to the middle school and introduced him to some teachers and older students, showed him around the school, and in general got him a little more comfortable with being in a new environment. It can go unnoticed, but moving from being the top dog in a school to the low man can be very scary for children. I completely agree with this book that it is an important aspect to consider when designing middle school curriculum.