Page 8 - Priorities 3

Academics
Recognizing Issues of
YOUNG
TEEN
YEARS
Maianne Stoner Director of the Middle School
Many people wonder why there has been such a strong move- ment recently to develop a differ- ent approach to Middle School education. Essentially,Ithinkwe in education have come to recog- nize that the early teen years are more than the simple transition phase we once thought.
We know now that this is a
time of important, critical change. During this period ofrapidemotionalandphysicalgrowth, studentsare setting patterns for how they will behave as young adults.
They clearly need an education designed to help them find successful paths, in both academic and social/emotional realms. Too often, I have seen prom- ising young students get bogged down or turned in the wrong direction in early adolescence. Sometimes, they never completely pick themselves up in high school.
The range in development among middle school students is tremendous. That alone can be confusing toayoungteenwhoistryingto“fitin.” Somesixth graders look much younger than their eleven years, and there are other sixth graders I have to look up at. Some are very interested in reading and learning everything within their reach. Others are motivated by their emotions and social contacts. They test each other and us to learn what is acceptable.
It is important for middle schools to create a curric- ulum and an environment that will support all the stu- dents in a positive manner. Some of the key ingredi- ents are: a small community with an “unfrenetic” atmosphere; close student-teacher contact; a wide vari- ety of experiences; support from a community of friendly peers; clear guidelines academically and behaviorally; rapid intervention when students are out of line; time to reflect on themselves and the world.
It is no accident that I have my office right in the center of the middle school classroom area. I very much like being in the center of the action. I like hav-
ing students in my office, even if it is just to drop off some items that don’t fit in their lockers. It is impor- tant for me to hear what they are interestedinandto helpdirect them when someone needs a gentle suggestion.
When there is a problem, I, or another faculty member intervene right away. We try to be clear and directandconsistentand goright
for the truth about what we see. It is important that the students know they can trust the adults in their lives to be honest and straightforward.
When more than a few students are involved, I talk directly to the whole class — I will drop in on a class and ask for a few minutes to clear up a problem before it can grow.
Academically, studentsofthisagebenefitbytest- ingthemselveswith awidevarietyofsubjectsand experiences.Fromdrama,fineartsprojects, avariety of science and foreign language/culture activities, team and individual sports, hands-on time with tech- nology and so forth, they will find their individual talents, interests and preferred learning styles. This can become the basis for their high school academic choices and it helps them develop the study skills to manage high school requirements.
In Woodside Priory’s language wheel, for exam- ple, sixth grade students try out French, German, SpanishandJapanese beforetheyselectaforeignlan- guage course of study. This is very helpful because most students intend to stay with the same language for three or more years. At the same time it’s also fine to take one language in middle school and move to a different choice in high school. Students gain from this experience a sense of their interest and ability for languages and cultures in general.
We also need to support depth of knowledge. At the Priory, we know we are fortunate to be able to deal with each student individually. When a student writes an English paper, for example, he or she
“Students are setting pat- terns for how they will behave as young adults. They clearly need an educa- tion designed to help them find successful paths, academically and socially.”
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