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Focus on Middle School.

By barbara on 29 Dec | 1 comment

 

This is a great story from the Los Angeles Times on that district's focus on its middle schools.

 

With all due respect to those who have focused on high school, I think the horse is already out of the barn and charging full speed toward the hills by then.

 

You need to move the focus back to middle school and late elementary school to catch the kids before they give up on topics they dread, like math, or writing or anything else that frankly, by the time they are 15, they've probably decided the don't want to touch that subject with a 10-foot pole.

 

That's frankly why I will focus on going back to school next year to become a middle school science teacher. Yes, that age will drive you crazy (I know, I have a 13-year-old daughter), but it's the time where I think you can redirect and catch their attention.

 

 

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Comments

Posted: Sat, 11/24/2007 - 6:13pm — Pamelia Valentine (not verified)

Middle Level Learning

Not only is the horse out of the barn but the barn door has been shut and locked! I've read that middle level students are busy sorting through their neurons and synapses and deleting all the files they don't think they need. Unfortunately if they don't understand that a lack of math competency isn't a choice! Sometimes they develop a math animosity that could easily be avoided. Math isn't the only casualty of the "deleted files" problem. It could be a simple problem with reading or even a test anxiety issue that blocks the pleasure of learning for some of our kids. The middle school age is our last best chance to save some of these kids and they deserve the best teachers that they can get. I applaud your decision to teach at this level! Welcome aboard- may you have a long and happy career pouring your heart and soul into the students who need it the most!