Why middle school?
The Purpose of Middle School
Middle school is tough in a number of different ways. Thinking back to my middle school years, I remember the students not understanding one another and certainly not understanding themselves. Students in middle school are simply wired differently, and have different social-emotional, as well as academic needs, than students in elementary or high school. This is a time where it is imperative for students to learn good habits to help put them on the right path toward success in high school and beyond.
Transition Years
If you take a poll and ask adults to reflect back on their school years, many of those adults would say that middle school was the hardest part of their schooling. In my experience working with middle school students, this is the time where students are figuring out “who they are”. Many are not confident within themselves and are less accepting of those around them. In high school, you begin to see a major change as students are more comfortable with themselves and, therefore, are more accepting of others.
There is often a sort of disconnect between the curriculum and the way that students learn during the middle school years. According to the Alliance for Excellent Education report, students experience many changes in their bodies and brains during this time, and educators can better respond to student needs by understanding these changes. Simply having a more in-depth understanding of students and their academic, as well as social-emotional needs, can lead to increased student achievement, close learning gaps, and help students develop higher-level thinking skills.
It is important for students to develop good study habits during their middle school years. This can be beneficial to students in high school and beyond. Many times this is difficult for your gifted learners because most academic things come naturally to them, so in their elementary years, many times they don’t need to study much to earn good grades. As the content gets harder, and studying becomes unavoidable, students need to learn the study habits that will best suit their needs.
Middle school is the time in a child’s life that is so important in developing an appreciation for learning and to value education in general. This can be the turning point for many students in either a positive or negative direction. Instilling the notion of being a lifelong learner is important at every stage of education, but even more so during the middle school years. They say that hindsight is always 20/20, and when many look back, they wish they had taken a different approach to their schooling in the middle school years.
Shaffer, Jessica. “The Importance of Middle School.” TeachHub.com, K-12
Teachers Alliance, 5 Agu. 2021, 222.teachhub.com/classroom-managemen/2019/09/the-importance-of-middle-school/. Accessed 23 June 2024.