This We Believe p. 43-62

It is quite apparent after reading the rest of this book that my professors at UMF are on the right track when it comes to educating us about educating students. Everything in this last section of reading was all very familiar to me from all my education courses. Providing a safe environment, using inquiry-oriented, problem based, and student centered lessons, being aware of outside influences, and getting parents and community involved are just some of the bigger picture ideas that I have seen and practiced in my lessons. The newer concepts I learned were the middle school students’ physical, emotional, moral, intellectual, and psychological developments.

One of the biggest realizations I learned was that middle school aged kids need to release energy. This is why this age group tends to suddenly have outbursts of energy. Teachers need to keep this in mind when planning lessons. We cannot expect students to sit through fifty to eighty minutes of lecturing and practice problems without some sort of movement. Teachers also need to be aware of when they praise students for a job well done and what they praise them for. Middle school students are constantly comparing themselves to each other. If one student gets more recognition than the other, the one not being congratulated could shut down and stop trying. However, we still need to make sure there is plenty of praise going around. Students of this age often have lower levels of self-confidence in areas such as academics, sports and creative activities. Without the adequate congratulations and good jobs, they too might shut down in a certain area.

This We Believe p. 33-42

A safe and supportive environment is crucial for the success of every single student. There are many different aspects that go into making this type of atmosphere; everything from teacher-student interactions to the look of the school to the assistance of other adults needs to be considered. The two aspects that I liked the most were making the school itself a comfortable place to be and the health and wellness being addressed. Both are very important and can be done with relative ease.

Healthy choices are difficult to make as adults and it is more so for young adolescents. It is up to the responsible and caring adults in their lives to help guide them through these tricky times. If teachers can provide quality situations that demonstrate healthy choices or places for them to participate in these better decisions, it will be better off for the students. The best ideas this section mentioned was the intramural sports idea. We did this in my junior high and it was amazing the people the came out to play volleyball and basketball. Kids will get involved when given the opportunity.

Having a nice, attractive school is a great way to make students feel comfortable. If the school doesn’t feel safe, the students will not learn effectively. I loved the idea of displaying students’ work throughout the school! If we present our students’ work, we will show how proud we are of them. Students will also gain confidence because everyone will be admiring the effort they put into it. I also think all the work would be great decorations for the school as a whole.

This We Believe p. 27-33

“…for improvement cannot depend on any single person,” (pg 29). This quote sums up this entire section of reading. In order to have a middle school benefit its students to its fullest potential, every single person in that school needs to work collaboratively. Teachers, administration, parents, and students need to all be looking out for the best interest of the students. In order for this to be done effectively, the school officials should have a mission statement so that parents and students know what to expect from the school. The mission statement process should be revised on a fairly regular basis to keep up with new practices and parents and students should be involved in that process to make sure their thoughts are heard too.

Other ways to ensure that middle schools benefit the students is to make sure administration and teachers are up to date on the latest teaching practices and ideas that are out there. Just because something worked twenty years ago does not mean it is still the best out there now. It is up to the administration to set up effective teacher workshops so their staff is well informed. The tricky part is ensuring that educators actually get something out of the workshops. Programs focused on school improvement or discussions among teacher communities about some of the newest ideas are just two of the ways in which principals and administrators can aid in the professional development of their teachers.

This We Believe p. 1-26

I do not know if it is because this is a newer book, or if a lot of education books say similar things, but I thought that a majority of the information in this section is almost exactly what I have been hearing in my education classes for the last three years. I know that this was applying it to middle school students, but the teaching strategies they told us to use are ones that I have been practicing in lesson plans in both practicum and methods. All last semester we worked on having exploratory learning in our lessons, integrating as many multiple intelligences as possible, and using a variety of formative and summative assessments. The only difference between what I have been practicing and what this book says I should do is take into account the developmental changes that middle school aged children are going through compared to their high school counterparts. This is an age where students make decisions that determine future behaviors and decisions. It is up to teachers, coaches, parents, and other relatives to help guide students into making healthy choices. Everything from academic goals to decisions about drugs and alcohol need to be modeled and guided so we end up with well-rounded students at the end of their schooling.

The other main concern that needs to be kept in mind is that no student will develop at the same rate. Every single child goes through puberty at a different time and it affects him or her in a different way. Middle school teachers need to keep this in mind when setting bench marks and deciding on the curriculum.