In this chapter the topic of discussion is how to be a good advisor to young adolescents. Wormeli used one of past situations to demonstrate how important it is to change how we do advisory programs. In his case, they went hiking, and while on the hike his students behaved in ways that were different from the way they behaved in the classroom. Doing this activity allowed teachers to see another side of their students and for students to see the good in one another. Wormeli suggests that doing a full-day advisory session gives the chance for all students to shine in one way or another. When students are in the classroom the only way you can normally gain attention is for being a good student or a bad student, whereas doing a physical activity a student could be recognized for being athletic.
I really liked Wormeli’s suggestion to change the way we do advisory sessions. I think that giving students a chance to see teachers outside of school will help them feel more comfortable around them. Also, when you do the advisory days teachers have the chance to see their students in a new light. For example, if you took students hiking you may learn about how certain students really like to hike. I feel like if we had done this in my middle school people would have loved the opportunity to get out of the school and do something fun together.
In this chapter the main topic was how to create a successful middle school team of teachers. With the creation of teams, teachers are than better prepared to help their students achieve academic success. For example, when teachers work on a team together they can better plan due dates so that students don’t have multiple projects due on the same day. Since teachers are working together is unites them as a group and allows for integration across different subjects. When you have a team of teachers it is important to have your values as a group available somewhere. Also, each team member has to hold one another accountable for their actions.
I liked the idea of team teaching because I feel like it would make middle school easier to transition into for students. I can remember there were times when all the teachers would have major assignments due on the same day and we’d wonder why the teachers didn’t talk about scheduling conflicts. I think that when you’re on a team you are better prepared to help a student, because when you’re by yourself you only see a student in your class whereas other teachers can present their observations. Doing this allows you to really make sure that a student is getting the best available help. I think that it would be exciting to be on a middle school team because I think that you’d really have a chance to develop a good middle school environment for their students.
In this chapter the topic of discussion was how to be a middle school teacher that inspires their students. One suggestion Wormeli had was to always maintain a positive attitude, even when you’re having a difficult day. If you show up with a smile on your face your students will respond. Wormeli also discussed how it was important to make your students comfortable with you. It’s important for middle school teachers, or any teacher, to make sure to listen to their students because they can bring up very important subjects. The example the author used with his student who felt humiliated demonstrated how important it is to maintain a line of communication with your students.
I thought that this chapter raised a lot of important issues, which make you more conscientious as a teacher. I think Wormeli raised a good point when he said that you should listen to your students; it’s very easy for me to get into the mind frame of “I’m right and you’re wrong” and I never give the other person a chance to explain. What I disagreed with him on was his belief that you should allow your students to touch you. He went so far as saying that students will lay their heads on their shoulders; in today’s education system that could cause you to get fired. I believe it is important to maintain a sense of connection with your students, but I don’t think that they should treat you like a friend/parent. I think that to maintain a good relationship with students, you have to maintain a balance between the teacher relationship and being friendly.
Chapter 2:
This chapter discussed the various ways that middle school teachers can make learning fun for students. Wormeli raised the idea that students will not actually learn unless they are actively involved in their work. Wormeli presented various ideas that middle school teachers can use to get their students involved in their schoolwork. He suggests that teachers present the material to students in an enthusiastic way, such as a game and students will retain the material better because they are actively involved. Wormeli also suggests making sure that you are meeting the different learning styles of your students because not all students learn or work in the same way. Another suggestion Wormeli had was to make sure that you are clear about what goals you have, because when teachers aren’t clear students will lose whatever motivation they had to complete the assignment. Overall, Wormeli was discussing how important it is for teachers to make sure that the material they present is done in a user friendly or adolescent friendly way.
I agreed with what Wormeli said about presenting material in a way that makes it interesting for students. I can remember the times in middle school that I would be bored out of my mind, because the material was presented in such a way that I lost interest quickly. I think it is so important to remember that when you are teaching middle school your students will be between the ages of 11-14. You cannot expect the average student of this age to sit through an hour long lecture and retain the material. When you’re young you need to be taught in a variety of ways that maintain your attention. The little notes from the students just demonstrate and further validate what Wormeli was saying: it is important to remember who you’re teaching. Once you remember that you’re dealing with young adolescents it’s much easier to regain your sense of fun and make them an active participant in their own education.
Chapter 17:
In this chapter Wormeli was telling teachers of young adolescents to not give up on their students. He was reminding us how important it is to look at the positive instead of only looking at the negative. He pointed out how the one percent of adolescents receives press for their bad actions, but the other ninety-nine percent don’t receive any for the many good deeds they do. Wormeli was pointing out how teachers of young adolescents need to appreciate the quirks that this group demonstrates. In this chapter he said how he felt more comfortable leaving his children with students in middle school because at this age they are very conscientious of their actions. They are very worried about how they are perceived, whereas when students get into high school they lose the connections they have with their teachers.
I agree with what Wormeli said, I do think that the small groups of students that misbehave in middle school get attention, whereas the students that work hard and are successful are never heard from. I think that I’m going to work hard to make sure that instead of being impatient with my students, I will instead appreciate their quirks and make each class entertaining. The more I read about young adolescents the more I know that middle school is meant for me. I think young adolescents are more eager to learn and at this age group they are very easily encouraged. Students at their point in life are just learning who they are and it is very enjoyable to watch as they discover themselves.
This chapter covered the reasons why a distinct form of education was created for middle school. In 1987, when research was done on young adolescents, researchers realized that young adolescents are in an important time in their life because of their opportunity for success and their vulnerability to failure. The Task Force on Education of Young Adolescents published their report in 1989; this report’s findings paved the way for middle school education to begin changing. The task force realized that young adolescents need a certain type of educational system; for example, large middle grades schools needed to be divided into smaller communities so they could have a sense of comfort. When young adolescents enter middle school they feel out of place because they don’t have the same comfort level as they did in elementary school; middle school is an entirely different situation, one in which there is less of a focus on being supportive for students. In the report there are many helpful suggestions that have been proven to raise grades; though not to a point where young adolescents are at the same level as their peers globally. As pointed out in this chapter, the students in the United States are falling behind their peers on the global level; here in the US, there are increasing problems with drugs, alcohol, unprotected sex, pregnancy, and STDs. The purpose of this new education system was to help young adolescents become successful and be less at risk.
I thought this chapter was useful, because it pointed out what problems we as future middle school teachers are facing. I felt like this chapter put things in perspective because it really showed me the challenges that I’ll face. I liked the suggestions that the task force report gave; especially when it talked about putting large middle school groups into smaller communities. I know that when I was in Lincoln Middle School in Portland, Maine we had the 7th grade split up into “houses” and in each house we were separated into sections. What frustrates me is we have all this data that talks about how the US is falling behind globally, but no one does anything about it; the students that are struggling now are the ones that will be running the country in a few years and that thought frightens me. We know that students that are non-white struggle more in schools, but we do not forcefully attempt to rectify the situation. I feel like, we as teachers, are failing our students because as the chapter said, “The hard fact is that many educators believe some groups of students are less able to achieve academically because they see these groups of students achieving less than others on a daily basis”. I feel like teachers do notice the problems, but they aren’t sure how to tackle the issues; I think that the recommendations of the task force are a start, but they are not the end.
Chapter 2:
In this chapter the writer is explaining how the turning points recommendations changed after they had the research from the past ten years. The goal of turning points was to ensure success for every student because they felt that the original recommendations were not specific enough. For example, in the original recommendations it seemed that the core knowledge they discussed was inflexible and a prescribed body of knowledge. Whereas, in the newer recommendations it does discuss the core knowledge, but they want it to be flexible so it can reflect the changes seen in society. Doing this helps make sure that the curriculum taught is relevant to the adolescent’s lives because when it’s not, it’s difficult to get them interested. Overall, they modified the recommendations to better encompass every student instead of a select few.
What I liked about this chapter was how the modified recommendations worked. I felt that the first set of recommendations was very vague; they had goals that they wanted to achieve, but they didn’t really specify how. In comparison, the new recommendations the task force provided suggestions on how to ensure success for every student in a way that middle grade teachers could understand and implicate. I also liked how people are beginning to say use the word “every” instead of “all” students because I do feel like when you use the word “all” people are mentally excluding large groups of students. The recommendation I felt was modified the best, was the recommendation to make curriculum relevant to students. I’ve never understood how we can expect a set curriculum to work with every student. Teachers are going to have to use different strategies and curriculum with different types of students and in different types of locations.
