Their are many issues to consider when a student is in middle school, and how progress to creating a developmental concept that meets the needs of the "middle" schooler is needed. I went to a school that began as junior high, so i started their when i was a seventh grader. Then during the summer before 8th grade, the school was changed to a middle school. I would have to agree with William Alexander that there needs to be a recognized "in-between-ager" institution. Students emotions run are completely at all different levels, and a middle school is the level where they are supposed to be able to learn to manage their widespread maturity levels. Also these institutions are great for giving students an opening to working on "an individualization of curriculum." Opportunities are more accessable for students to better understand their roles in their social environments, what they bring to the big picture.
Middle school is also very important for keeping a student in line, or so that the student does not feel as though they are left out to dry. I say this because competition for jobs, with an emphasis on technology is at an all time high. Students need to learn the skills, or they will fail. Feeling like they cannot succeed causes many students to try other things, like drugs, alcohol and such. A middle school is an atmosphere that prepares students to be able to handle what is needed to succeed as an adult.
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I'd agree that the middle school is a necessary institution in order to promote a healthy environment for the adolescent...but I think we need to clearly spell out what makes the middle school curriculum (or the "junior high" curriculum)different from the standard 8th-grade-as-elementary-school program.
ReplyDeleteDo we extend curriculum by offering different extracurricular activities?
When we talk about different skills that middle schoolers need to learn, how are we going to teach them? Specific computer classes for commonly used programs? How do we ensure that those programs (and that curriculum) doesn't become worthless or outdated?
Easily. We make the curriculum flexible to the changes of the world. Instead of calling a class "word processing" or "microsoft office", we create a curriculum that first demands an instructor who keeps himself up to date on current technological trends, always trying to find the NEXT thing as opposed to what's current.
Of course, this demands an administration willing to spend time and money to employ such a person, but if the result is better education, there can only be benefits.