Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Middle Schools
I was just about to send my reflection about Arbutus and Frank Hobbs to Leanna when I realized that I had not really written a compare and contrast paragraph on the schools but rather I had gone off on a tangent about whether middle schools were really a good idea. I went to the same elementary school from K-7 out here in the boonies. In an attempt to avoid Belmont at all costs I ended up going to Reynolds from 8-12. It was quite a shock for me because I did not know anyone, but also because the atmosphere in high school is so much different than elementary. I guess I thought that middle schools would be like elementary school they just change classes and have different teachers. Our trip to arbutus was my first time ever in a middle school and it felt to me like a high school. Students were being quite mean in the halls and I found the atmosphere to be more of an "I hate school and don't want to be here" atmosphere, unlike elementary where kids are usually excited to learn. So, I was wondering why we have moved to a model were we are taking students earlier out of a safer, friendlier environment where learning is fun and moving them into a high school environment which feels to me like the opposite. Did anyone ever attend a middle school? Did you like it? What does everyone think about the middle school model?
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19 comments:
When I was in school I went to elementary school from k-7 and then went to a grade 8-12 highschool. However, because I moved when I was in grade 10 I also went to a junior high that had grade 8-10 and then to a senior secondary that had grade 11-12, so I feel that I definetly experienced many school models. From my experience I agree with Ashley in that I was not impressed with the middle school model. Kids in grades 6 and 7 are still very young and it felt like moving them into a middle school forced them to grow up too soon. So personally I think that keeping an elementary school grades k-7, allows kids to stay kids for that much longer. However, going right into an 8-12 highschool can have a negative effect for students as well. I found that high schools force the grade 8 and 9's to grow up very fast and this can have very negative ramifications. So from my experience I think that k-7 elementary schools, 8-10 junior highs and 11-12 senior highs works best and contributes most positively to student development.
I attended middle school from grade 7 to 8. Our middle school was 6-8 set up but my 7th grade year was the opening year of the school. I had a great experience and felt that I was becoming more mature being separated from the "little kids". I do, however, understand that this separation is not always best and depending on where you come from it could be better not to have this segregation. However, I felt that I benefited from my middle school experience and that it did prepare me for high school. I think making the jump from elementary to high school could be overwhelming for some students and this "transition" stage can be a good idea.
I too attended elementary (Frank Hobbs) when it was K-7 and I then moved on to Arbutus, which at the time was 8-10 and finally on to Mt. Doug for grades 11 and 12. When they introduced 'middle schools' I had a hard time understanding the logic behind it for many of the same topics that Ashley raises. I too found the students in Arbutus to be acting older than their ages. Another interesting thing I noticed, were how small some of the children were. Surely this is a disadvantage for children who are slower to sprout up. They are forced to be mixed in with much more matured students and face discrimination or worse due to their size. I can imagine this would have long term effects too.
Anyway, I could rant on, but the point is that having children being able to flourish in an environment more suitable to their age seems most effective.
I lived out in the boonies, so the schools were grouped a little differently. I went to Prospect Lake for k-2, beaver lake for 3-5, royal oak for 6-8, and finally claremont for 9-12. I really enjoyed going to a middle school. I find that it gives you a stepping stone towards high school rather than jumping from elementary straight into high school. I also liked switching schools more often because it gave me the chance to be the part of the big kids in the school every couple of years.
I grew up in Stony Plain, which is a little town just outside of Edmonton. The Alberta school system works a little differently. Grade K-6 is elementary, grade 7-9 is middle school, and grade 10-12 is highschool.
The school I attended was both an elementary and a midlle school. However, the school separted each section so that one wing was devoted to elementary students and the other wing was for middle school students. I found that this system worked really well. Also having the middle school expereince seemed to help when transitioning into highschool
I agree with Ashley and Carly's comments that middle schools make children grow up too soon. I attended an elementary school for grades k-7, then a junior high for 8-10 and then senior high for my final two years. I feel that these grade groupings are perfect because students are mostly in the same levels in these grades. I always have felt kind of conflicted on whether grade 8's should be in school with grade 12's, and i think that grade 6 is too young to be out of the elementary school environment. Perhaps I think this way because I never experienced first hand going through middle school, but I think that it makes children grow up too soon. 12 year olds still need the structure and stimulation that elementary schools offer.
I had the same experience as Carolyn, two of the same schools in fact and really liked how we did it. K-7 is still divided k-3 and 4-7 usually...we're all in the same school but you still get a sense of primary and intermedite grades and I think that gives the older kids enough of a feeling that they are indeed older. Arbutus as a junior high was great. We got to do many of the same things you do in highschool (home ec, work working, metal shop etc) without the pressures of the "big kids" I feel that a 6-8 middle school takes those awkward years and puts them all into one school which in my opinion only asks for trouble. If you're in a K-7 elementary school, in grade 6 and 7 you get to be the role models and even though you're at the developing stage people still look up to you...in middle school you're back at the bottom of the barrel. I think Arbutus now does a good job trying to keep their grades united and make everyone feel special but I don't know if it's enough for me. Again, in highschool we got to just be teenagers. Grades 11 and 12 are pretty important years for kids and i think it's nice to be in a school just with students who are, for the most part, focussed on the same things as you..whether that be school, the opposite sex or cars!If you throw grade 9 and 10 in there, which Mt. Doug has now done, you add in kids with very different life experiences and I think that could have a negative effect on the younger students, especially the emotionally and physically less mature students...as many people have stated...i could rant on forever. so i shall stop!!
Middle Schools were a foreign concept to my little town. We had 2 elementary schools from k-7, 1 highschool from 8-12, and a private school from k-12. I loved the system that I grew up in. I felt comfortable leaving elementary school in gr.7, and was prepared to enter highschool in gr.8.
Today children are growing up way too fast. They want to look older, act older, and be older. I think if we can help them realize that being kid is okay we can help them mature and develop in a healthy manner.
I have to agree with Navi that I think middle schools are a great way to ease students into being teens. I personally went to a middle school and I remember that it felt pretty cool to be "too old" for elementary school. I also believe that I would have been unbelievably afraid to be in high school/jr high in grade 8. Being in high school in grade 9 was difficult enough. Having that transition school allowed me to adjust to the different ways a high school works more slowly than jr high.
I attended Bayside Middle School which was a grade 6, 7,& 8. I loves the middle school idea. In grade six it was a little intimidating to switch schools and be the youngest grade all over again, but at the same time it made me feel like I was growing up. I don't think "middle schools" are to blame for the youth of today being forced to grow up so quickly. I had a great experience with the new system and personally wouldn't hav eit any other way... which is easy to say because I don't have anything to compare my experience to :)
I agree with the comments that children are growing up too fast, however I think it is a necessity in today's society to be aware of adult concerns and dangers at a young age.
I think that middle schools are a good way to help easte the transition from elementary to high school. It is also a good way to be able to integrate a great little class we called "CAPP" (Career and Personal Planning). CAPP in middle school taught students about drugs, sex, (rock n roll..just kidding), careers, job training, post secondary, high school, and networking/social skills. I think that all of these things are important to start in on early.
I think that these are topics that are often skipped over in elementary school.
I believe that CAPP, specifically sex and drug education are vitally important for grade 7's because the average age of people who have sex is 14. That means that some people are having sex much before that! AND kids are being exposed to drugs, and drug users alarmingly early. People who are high on drugs wander the streets of downtown, and society seems to think its a good idea to put a needle exchange across from a school...what a world!
I believe that although middle school demands that children grow up faster and learn about adult concerns, it is a beneficial model due to the fast-moving pace of risky behaviours in today's society.
I never attended a middle school. I went to St. Margaret School where it goes from k-12. I was a lifer and attended this school from this time 13 yrs. The split the school though into the elementary school which had one building from K-6. Then there was the Senoir school which had a couple buildings and went from 7-12. When I visited Arbutus I felt out of place like everyone was staring and I did not feel like this was a happy place. When I was at my school the atmosphere was always pretty tight. We all knew each other because the class rooms were small and we interacted throughout the grades. Also I also think I had such a different experience was it was all girls and their wasn't as much boy girl issues. I do think that they look like they have grown up way to fast. I don't remember dressing or acting that way. I quite enjoyed staying at one school because you knew everyone who is there.
Ew..yes middle school was not a pleasant experience for me. I strongly disliked school and loved my friends! When I was in Grade 6 we did not have a middle school on Salt Spring...it wasn't until I was in Grade 7 a new high school was built and the old one became the new middle school for Grades 6-8. This meant I only had my Grade 8 year in the middle school. Because it was the only middle school on the island it meant that all the students from all the other elementary schools came together for the first time. This caused it to be a VERY social year. I liked it because it was a good way to get to know everyone before we went to high school (which is always such a big deal at 14/15)but the school itself was a mess testing the waters with the idea of Middle School on the island. I do hear really good things about it today as wrinkles are ironed out.
In general I do think middle schools are a good idea. It's too much of a leap in ages from kindergarten to Grade 7/8. Middle school also separates Grade 7/8's from the stress and the different learning environment of high school which I think is important at such a sensitive age.
This is a tricky topic and I can see why we and many schools districts, cities and provinces are divided on this issue. I think that whether a middle school is able to successfully bridge the gap from elementary to secondary varies school to school, and child to child.
I never attended a middle school and I found myself personally growing up way too fast being a grade 8 in high-school with grade 12’s. It is a scary world out there and yes anyway we can prolong childhood for adolescents is a good thing. Is middle school the answer? Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. I don’t think that there is one way or one system that will help keep kids kids. I think we need to work on other strategies and measures to help children realize they don’t have to be in a rush to grow up. Teachers, parents, and communities need to work together to help our kids stay kids.
I attended a private elementary (k-6) and middle school (7-9) and then went to a public high school (10-12). In my school moving to the middle school was an exciting leap because you were moving from the elementary section of the school to the middle school section. Looking back, my first impression was that it was perfectly fine but the more I think about it grade 7’s are really young and grade 9’s are really immature and tend to do very silly things when they are the eldest in the school. I think by putting grade nine students into a high school might limit the amount of fights that can occur with this age group because they will have the grade 12 students to keep them in line. From what I have heard grade 8 students tend to still be focused on their school work and still have an interest in school. I wonder what the outcome would be by having a middle school of grades 6-8 and high schools from 9-12.
I like the idea of middle school, but when we actually visited a middle school, I have to say I did not like the environment. It felt cold and very much like a high school. I am not sure what could be done, if anything, to change this and there are probably a number of reasons it is this way. One reason probably is simply because the students are very hard on everything, and another is probably budget. That being said, I am sure there are ways within the budget that could "warm" things up and not be easily destroyed. Also, I think if the students had a nice environment, they would take pride and enjoy it and perhaps be less likely to destroy it.
I did not get a look into all of the classrooms at Arbutus, but the ones I was in were also cold and without much in the way of decoration. I really think a comfortable inviting learning environment is important for students. Maybe it's just the Martha Stewart in me, but I hope to provide my students, no matter what age, an aesthetically appealing space to learn.
I never got the chance to experience a middle school and I'm glad I never had to. I went to Willows from K-7 then Oak Bay 8-12.
I feel like middle school does help children prepare for that high school atmosphere, but on the other hand there are children who aren't quite ready for the middle school atmosphere and would benefit a great deal having grade 6 and 7 in an elementary atmosphere.
When I was in Arbutus it totally had the high school feel. Ashley brought up good point when she noted that children were being mean to each other in the halls and that their attitudes were quite miserable. These are the feelings I got when walking around the halls, even in the classroom I was in students didn’t seem like they were enjoying themselves one bit.
I feel that the middle school model takes away from the elementary friendly/safe atmosphere. Immature grade eights picking on grade six kids is definitely going to have a negative affect on the younger child. Not to say this doesn’t happen in elementary but I think it is less evident.
Overall, I think for some students middle schools can act as a wonderful stepping stone towards high school but for others it can be a nightmare.
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