The readings for this week focused mainly on a couple of topics regarding education for young adolescents, aged 10-15 years old. The history of middle schools, its development over the 1900s, the challenges of the past, how and why they formed and changed. In the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) publication of This We Believe, there was an introduction of middle school education, why education in the middle grades was so important and different than elementary and secondary education. The developments and transitions that young adolescents go through were described, as well as, the specific challenges of today's world that face young adolescents.
In the online article, The Emergence of Middle Schools, Growth and Maturation of the Middle School Movement, it described the middle school/junior high of the 1980s being criticized for not meeting the needs of the students, academically less challenging than late elementary grades, motivation for learning dipped, there was less support from teachers, and students feeling that their teachers were cold and distant. Personally, I found this part of the article interesting because I was in junior high in 1988-1990. Our junior high consisted, at that time of only 7th and 8th grade.
The sixth grade, which looked a lot like fifth grade, consisted of one main teacher, only interspersed with a music and gym class a few times a week. In seventh grade classes suddenly were taught by 7 different teachers, as well as, a homeroom teacher, it was quite a shock. It would have been better to introduce two teachers in 5th & 6th or only 3 or 4 teachers in Jr. High, it was just all too much.
The lower academics that were mentioned in the 1980s was hard to look back on and analyze. I did enjoy being promoted to the higher level math class, Algebra I and I found that challenging, in a good way. I also remember our reading and writing were taken up a notch, we had to start writing longer papers, not just the five paragraph essay from elementary school. I do remember being overwhelmed, as all of the writing was done at home, with my mom to help edit. Teacher support during the writing process would have been more helpful, I really relied on my mom whereas many of my classmates did not have that option.
We also had a home economics class, for all students, and I thought it was quite fun, we were all able to cook and sew, to varying degrees, by the end of the semester. It wasn't a class that the students were worried about failing, unless you were just not trying, it was a way for us to explore for ourselves how to boil eggs and sew a sweatshirt. This type of exploratory learning helps explore careers, interests and hobbies that students might not of been exposed to before. Music, art, home economics, auto shop, wood shop, physical education, volunteering, nutrition, gardening, and other electives are important to educate the whole student. Hobbies that works with our hands, whether it is a musical instrument, a garden spade or a screw driver, are missing in many people's lives. Hobbies are being being recommended in modern times for stress relief and depression, which are common and widespread mental health issues. More of these electives in middle school might engage students and lead them to different crafts and careers.
On page 8 of This We Believe, the authors mentioned that middle school students are targeted by marketing and consumerism. I instantly remembered my Consumer Ed. class from Jr. High. I hated that class, because it was so dull, all we did was read a old text from the 1970s about being smart consumers. The instructor was just like the monotone teacher from the movie, Ferris Bueller's Day Off. I do remember reading about Ralph Nador and the saying, "Let the Buyer Beware". This class would of much been improved to make the content relevant, looking at what students were interested in buying, working in groups to find flaws or red flags in advertisements, and using technology to navigate through examples of marketing increasing literacy skills of consumerism, researching facts and reports.
Mary: It's nice to have you in class again. I found some of my school experiences to be the same as yours. I remember being in a small school where you did not move around much, but the teachers did. I remember being promoted from one grade to the next and not seeing much difference in classes or curriculum. It seemed as if the teachers often recycled lessons every other year to keep things consistent, but not always the same for the students.
ReplyDeleteI remember hearing about certain projects that I would have to do once I reached 7th and 8th grade. I heard about them from the older students and dreaded having to do them myself. The teacher, of course, loved to video tape our projects, our speeches, etc. One in particular was a lipsync song and dance project for English class. The class dreaded this, but the teacher thought it was great and loved showing previous videos to the class for ideas.
I certainly did not have the influence of the media, etc. that middle schoolers face today. I want to connect with my students on a personal level and know that I need to give them support and positive strategies to help navigate this world we are living in today. Though my experiences may not be my students experiences, it does not mean that I cannot be the teacher they need today!
Mary,
ReplyDeleteFirst, I love the way you have set up your blog! This seems very "teacher like" and I think it is awesome. I thought that you had a very precise and accurate summary of this week's readings. You mentioned that you attended a junior high that consisted of only 7th and 8th graders. I also did! The way that your school introduced 7th and 8th grade was interesting. I had a similar experience. My 6th grade was similar to 5th grade. There were 3 teachers and the school had the students move from one class to the other for different subjects. I also had one main homeroom teacher which is where my desk and school supplies were. You mentioned that you had 7 teachers in 7th grade! That seems like a lot of teachers! That transition would come as a shock to any student experiencing change. I like how you mentioned the importance of introducing students to different things through different classes. Those experiences can help shape the student and determine his/her interests. I also loved how you made the comparison from the text and the Ferris Bueller's Day Off. I thought that you did a great job, not only comparing those things, but also coming up with an alternative that the teacher could have done. Such as, finding out what the student's interests really are. Overall, you had a great post and connected a lot to your own life. Great post!
Hi Mary! I liked your review of the reading as well as sharing your experience. When I was in middle school, I also had a home economics class, and I loved it! I remember we sewed a stuffed animal dog. The entire class was horrible at sewing, but we all enjoyed the experience and the challenge. At the time, it was popular to have these dogs made out of canvas, and have your classmates sign them during your 8th grade year, sort of like one would in a yearbook. So even though we weren't master seamstresses after this class, we made a product that was relevant to our lives at the time, and it was something we were interested in. As a future business teacher, I really like the idea of continuing to offer students elective classes like home economics, business, art or even subjects like carpentry or mechanics (probably more at the high school level). Often, we put such a stress on going to college after high school, and that we don't fully prepare those individuals who do not plan on going to college with skills that might help them find a career path and allow them to explore other interests. I really liked your post, and also love the format of your blog! Great job!
ReplyDeleteMary - I was excited to see you in class, even if it is online. Your junior high was structured like mine with only 7th and 8th grade. I just didn't have the same feelings or experience as I enjoyed changing classes, having new students in some of my classes and different teachers. I do recall that there was not much of a transition from elementary to junior high like each of my sons received during their transition. I think I was more nervous about the locker combination and remembering it! I was in advanced math and algebra too while in junior high and felt prepared for that. I had a hard 6th grade teacher for reading and writing (aka language arts) that truly prepped me for junior high. I still remember ways she taught me to annotate or answer questions in written form. We had papers to write (state report and country report) that required research, citing sources and inserting pictures or graphs and charts. I loved all my exploratory classes! Since they were non-academic type classes, they were a stress release for me. I didn't have to "think" and I just listened and did what I was told or expected to complete. I felt those classes not only calmed me or gave me different perspectives, but they gave me life skills like sewing, cooking, using various power tools and hand tools, etc. I feel these exploratory/elective classes are important to continue today as I will be teaching business to either middle or high school students. As you know I work with Boy Scouts which are these ages and it amazes me how many don't have experience or home knowledge of basic life financial skills or terms. These exploratory classes are a way for students to gain information they may use later in life or find that this is a potential future career path.
ReplyDeleteI was in middle school in 2011, but even though I went to middle school a little bit later than you, much about what you said resonated with me as well. I remember the transition between 5th grade and 6th grade to be very anxiety inducing about what teacher to go to at what time. Something that my school did was that in 5th grade, we switched teachers for one subject. So for math, my homeroom would stay in our room, but for history, my homeroom would go to the other 5th grade class. I can't remember what we did for 6th grade, but I believe that we stayed pretty much between two different classrooms. Finally 7th and 8th grade is when we were fully "transitioned" into middle school.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you with being overwhelmed with the increase in writing in middle school. When I was in middle school, technology was still relatively new to have in the classroom and was nowhere near what it is like now. What I've noticed is that with the increase of technology, there has been more support with writing. Now instead of having to have a parent edit, students are able to email their teachers or they are able to use Google Classroom and have the teacher read over papers prior to official due dates. I didn't have a full writing support like that until high school and I plan on implementing that into my classroom so that my students don't feel overwhelmed.