Serving+Every+Student

 "At no other time in the life cycle are the chances of finding one's self and losing one's self so closely aligned." ~ Erik Erickson

Serving Every Student  In the mid-1970’s Donald Eichhorn, one of the founders of the middle school movement, coined a new word to use when talking or writing about 10 through 14 year-olds. He used the term //transescent// as a way to specifically identify this unique developmental stage in a person’s life, one of transition from early childhood into young adulthood. While some began to use the word transescent, it never became fully accepted and with time faded away. However, Mary Compton, an education professor at the University of Georgia and former president of National Middle School Association identified with Eichhorn’s use of transescent and wrote an original poem she shared with middle level colleagues.  Who Are Transescents?  Girls who play with Barbie dolls and girls who could compete in the Miss Teenage America contest...

Boys who look like short playing cards turned sideways and boys who already look like grown men...

Girls who don’t know where babies come from and those who are experimenting to find out “for sure”...

Boys who play with toy dump trucks and those who can operate real ones...

Youngsters who play with Tinker Toys and those who can dismantle, repair, and reassemble an automobile engine...

Those who believe their parents are the smartest people in the world and those who wonder how such stupid, old-fashioned people have survived so long...

Kids who can’t read their own names and those whose noses seem to be always in a book...

Youngsters who rate the opposite sex somewhere between spinach and milk-of-magnesia and those who are “on the make”...

Those who munch chocolate bars and those who pop amphetamines...

Those who guzzle cokes and those who will soon be incurable alcoholics...

Those who meet the world with easy smiles and contagious laughter and those who are already being propelled by unbearable pressures toward the taking of their own lives...

These are transescents.

In today’s literature, we refer to this age range as young adolescents but that does not change the accuracy of the descriptions offered in Dr. Compton’s poem. When I first heard her share this poem, I felt I could attach one of my current or former student’s name to each of those examples. I imagine most middle level educators can do the same thing and therein lies the challenge of //serving every student// in our middle level schools.

Human development research tells us that the years 10 through 14 are the second most important time in a child’s life, second only to their first three years of life. During these transitional years students change significantly intellectually, physically, socially, emotionally, and ethically/morally. Perhaps the greatest thing they have in common is they are all experiencing change in their lives on a daily basis. While they seek to discover their own identities and future directions, they wrestle with such things as peer acceptance, learning results, and family expectations which all inter-twine as their self-concept begins to emerge.

I can still recall my anticipation (and nervousness) about my first day as a teacher. I hoped to become the "perfect" teacher only to discover within the first few weeks that someone hadn't assigned me the "perfect" class of students. Activities I thought would work didn't. Some days students were actively engaged in the lesson I planned and other days they showed little interest. Every assignment I graded demonstrated the wide range of academic skills and student engagement in the learning process that existed in every one of my classes.

Clearly, “one-size doesn’t fit all” described my evolving instructional choices as I worked to develop relevant and engaging lessons. Opportunities to learn in different ways, use different resources, and make individual choices about how to demonstrate their grasp of newfound knowledge and skills became important parts of the learning process. But even that was not enough to reach every student. So many things seemed to matter even before a student walked through my classroom door. Had an argument between friends just happened in the hallway? The emotions and drama of that were not going to disappear just because the bell rung to start class. It, too, would impact the learning of the day.

How about the incredible growth spurts some of my students seemed to be experiencing? They were always hungry or tripping over their own feet as their centers of gravity changed on a weekly basis. Those who were going through rapid growth spurts were often expected to be maturing socially at an identical rate of growth, although that often is not the case. I remember watching one student awkwardly maneuver his way through the hallway, tripping over other people’s feet, dropping books, and playfully pushing people out of his way. A teacher standing next to me said in a disgusted tone, “I wish he would act his age.” I remember thinking he was acting his “age.” The more appropriate statement would have been, “I wish he would act his size.” All too often, people assume that a more mature body also means more mature social skills or intellectual skills. However, the many changes going on in the lives of young adolescents progress at different rates  making size, for example, an inaccurate determiner of one’s maturity level in other areas.

Each developmental characteristic interacts and impacts the other changes that are occurring. A growth spurt impacts a student’s need to move about which in turn impacts one’s attention span when trying to focus on an academic task. So, a teacher needs to find productive ways to actively engage students in the learning process to help accommodate that physical need. Likewise, in the realm of social development young adolescents seek out peer acceptance. At times they risk not answering a question during a class discussion in fear of giving the wrong answer or being accused of being “too smart” by peers. Teachers who understand the social impact in the classroom find ways to lessen that fear and use student learning groups to promote constructive learning.

Luckily for me, I was surrounded by veteran teachers who were willing mentors for a young and eager teacher. Through both their humor and wisdom they helped me learn these important lessons. It became obvious that becoming a successful middle level teacher demanded more than specific content knowledge mixed with effective instruction and assessment strategies. I needed to understand the unique characteristics and needs of young adolescent learners in ways that impacted everything that happened within my classroom and throughout the school day. It meant I needed to understand, respect and value the diversity of each student.

The students in today’s middle level schools represent an incredible range of diversity that includes the developmental changes they are all experiencing at their own individual rates as well as such things as cultural, socio-economic, and racial diversity. All of these things impact the education and well-being of every young adolescent in ways that require middle level educators to understand the characteristics and needs of their students. They also need the skills to respond to developmental changes so they can form productive learning partnerships with students while demonstrating empathy and valuing their diversity.

To help ensure a common knowledge base regarding the characteristics of young adolescents and their impact upon the teaching and learning at the school, a middle level leader must provide opportunities through professional development and day-to-day encounters to learn about these issues, be reflective about their impact, and build effective and appropriate teaching skills. Some suggestions to get this process started include the following ideas.  · Become personally familiar with the contents of //This We Believe// and //Breaking Ranks in the Middle//. Together they provide the essential characteristics and the framework for implementing a school responsive to serving the needs of every student.  · Through faculty meetings, team meetings, and professional learning communities study these documents together, sharing views, clarifying thinking, and considering the implications of putting their recommendations into practice at your school.  · Keep the conversation going even after the initial study phase is completed by sharing pertinent magazine or journal articles with the entire faculty or specific individuals. Periodically tap into a variety of DVD and online resources for quick updates at faculty meetings. For example, NMSA has a resource entitled //This We Believe in Action// with an accompanying DVD that can help your faculty see developmentally appropriate practices in action. Using those video clips as a starting point, view them together and talk about what you saw. In comparison, how do those things look in your own building?  Understanding the unique characteristics of young adolescents is only part of the answer to implementing a developmentally responsive school. With time and experience both as a teacher and principal, I learned that school is more than just the place where we teach students. The school, as an entity, is a powerful teacher in its own right. The school’s lessons are sometimes taught silently but they are powerful lessons none the less. As middle level leaders, it is important to reflect upon what is referred to as the “hidden curriculum.” This We Believe:_ says, “The “hidden curriculum”—what students learn indirectly from the people with whom they interact, the structures in which they work, and the issues that inevitably occur in a human enterprise—has a powerful influence on what students learn. In fact, this aspect of learning is sometimes so profound and long lasting that it overrides learning that is more traditional.” (TWB, 2009, p. )

Several years after I began teaching we moved to another state and I began a new job. My school was in an agricultural community which employed migrant workers in the spring, summer, and fall seasons of the year. Migrant workers’ children who were 16 or under were required to attend school while their parents worked in the fields. Therefore, my school often began and ended the school year with migrant students in our classes.

I had never worked with migrant workers’ children before and quickly came to realize many did not speak English and were only in school when they worked in a state that had mandatory attendance. During the first week of school five migrant students joined my class, none were English speakers. Since I did not speak Spanish, and there were no ESL programs in schools in those days, I scurried to figure out how I could best facilitate their learning opportunities.

Luckily, I had several bi-lingual students in the class as well and they eagerly agreed to help. We began a “study buddy” learning team which meant the bi-lingual students and migrant students became partners with the bi-lingual students serving as translators for us and by helping answer questions. I found appropriate Spanish-language reading material at the local library, as well as a librarian who helped me translate some math and writing instructional materials. The system had major flaws but I felt we were headed in the right direction. The migrant students seemed excited to be engaged in all the class activities. I knew the bi-lingual students were pleased to be helping.

About three weeks into the plan the study buddies showed up in our classroom during lunch time recess frustrated and shedding a few tears. When I asked what was wrong they told me they had been sent to me by the playground supervising teacher and told they’d lost playground privileges for the next week. I asked what they had done to get into trouble. They said they’d been explaining directions for a new game to the migrant students when they got in trouble. I then asked, “What else were you doing?” and the response was, “nothing.”

Finally one of the students said to me, “We were speaking Mexican on the playground and you can’t do that at this school.” Knowing that was the only way they could communicate with each other I said I didn’t understand. And another student said, “It’s true, we can’t speak Mexican at school.” I told the students to stay in the classroom and said I’d be right back.

I headed to the playground to ask for clarification from the playground supervising teacher. Surely, something else had occurred but when I asked the teacher she confirmed their story. I said a rule like that means these children can’t visit with anyone at recess time. I was told that was correct if they spoke “Mexican.” When I began to question it even more I was told to go talk to the principal about it.

Recognizing I was getting nowhere in that conversation, I headed inside to find the principal. When I found him, I told him about the students being sent in from the playground and the reason given for their losing playground privileges. His answer to me was, “Yes.” “How can that be?” I said. It’s the only language five of these children speak? I’ve encouraged speaking their own language in my classroom and have asked some of the bi-lingual students to serve as translators and study buddies. Shouldn’t we all be looking for ways to help these students learn while they are with us rather than apparently punishing them for being who they are?”

I still recall the very direct and stern look I received as my principal replied, “You can do what you want in your classroom but at recess they are not to speak Mexican. If they want to work in America and earn American money, they can learn to speak American. Besides you never know what they could really be saying about you. You’re a young teacher, you’ll learn with time.”

I was so shocked at what I was hearing I asked him to repeat what he had just said—which he did. At that moment, I knew I’d have a very short teaching career at this school but I became very determined to make it as positive as possible for **//all//** of my students. I returned to my classroom, shut my classroom door, and began ensuring that the indoor recess time was as much fun as possible for the next week.

My principal was right about one thing. With time I did learn. I learned the lessons taught by the school through the sometimes not so “hidden” curriculum could be very powerful and that most times actions speak much louder than words. Fairness and equity in education took on new meaning for me and the lessons I learned stayed with me throughout the rest of my career.

John Lounsbury, one of the founders of the middle school philosophy, speaks and writes about the “school as a teacher.” He said:

“The school is not just a physical place in which teachers conduct classes, it is an environment in which youth grow. It is not a teaching factory, but a laboratory of living. The school is not an entity set apart from the rest of society where one learns things needed in a future life; it is life. The ecology of the school, then, as well as its formal curriculum, deserves attention. ….Particularly if we are serious about helping at-risk youngsters and affecting their out-of-school lives, we must consider what the school is teaching itself. To influence students’ attitudes and beliefs as necessary, we will have to do more than provide effective instruction in the mandated curriculum. We will have to teach them with our collective and institutional behavior—for they learn what they live.” (As I See It, p.55-57)

As middle level leaders we must continually be aware of the importance of the school as a teacher itself. Asking ourselves, individually and collectively, some pertinent questions on an ongoing basis can shed light on how well we are serving every student.

For example, what lessons are learned by the discipline we use in our schools? Do the discipline practices and policies simply list consequences for assumed misbehavior or is there a genuine effort to recognize students for doing the many right and positive things they do? Have we found ways to reinforce positive behavior rather than draw attention to negative behavior?

What about bullying? Has every person in the building taken an active stance that bullying, in any form, will not be tolerated? Or are some educators (faculty, staff, and administration) allowed to stand in the hallway and ignore inappropriate student interactions by saying “kids will be kids” instead of being held accountable for not intervening? What lessons do our students learn from those moments? So many times an educator’s silence in a situation like this is interpreted to mean that behavior is appropriate and supported.

Have we continued to track students in certain academic areas assuming it is necessary to ensure adequate test results or provide challenging classes for some of our students? Doesn’t tracking or ability grouping tell students that some of them are worth more than others? How do we address the equity of education if students are regularly and consistently grouped by ability?  Today's research and practice continually reinforce the importance of middle level schools staffed with educators who value working with this diverse age group and are prepared to do so. It has become increasingly clear that while successful middle level leaders understand their key priority is the teaching and learning that occurs in their school; they also know that collaboratively establishing a school culture and learning environment based upon the awareness of and respect for the nature of these distinctive young adolescents is essential.

One idea that can help reinforce a school’s commitment to //serving every student// is to periodically assess the degree to which your school currently implements the recommendations found in //This We Believe __// and //Breaking Ranks in the Middle//. A variety of tools are available through both NMSA and NASSP that can help you accomplish this. Once the assessment is completed use the results to collaboratively build a school improvement plan which continually focuses on implementing practices, procedures, and policies within every classroom and throughout the school that best serve young adolescents. <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';"> <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: #484848; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">Finally, we asked successful middle level leaders several questions in regard to understanding the needs and characteristics of young adolescent learners and developing and maintaining a school culture that sets high expectations and ensures equitable access to all programs for all students. Here's what some of them had to say. <span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">


 * Keeping students in the center:**

• It's very easy to get caught up in the day to day demands and forget that students must be at the center of every decision we make. I think it's Nancy Doda who uses the image of pulling up an extra chair at your team/faculty meetings and making sure that the chair is "occupied" by the needs of your students.

• Understanding the needs and characteristics of young adolescents show up in discussions at faculty meetings when we are deciding how to operate or implement a new idea. It is one of the parts of the teacher evaluation.

• We make every decision based on what is best for the student. Our programs and initiatives are part of our overall school improvement plan and are monitored constantly. I am a "hands-on" leader and, even when I delegate, I monitor that our overall mission and vision is in place within every aspect of our program. Our leadership team is instrumental in facilitating the mission of serving each and every one of our students is pervasive, consistent, and effective. I have an open door policy for all stakeholders and believe that any time we uncover an issue, problem, or concern from a student, parent, teacher, custodian, etc, we have an opportunity to better serve our students.

• Constant review of practices and policies designed around understanding who young adolescents are is key to building an infra-structure that best meets the needs of every student. Once policies and practices are in place, school leaders must "walk the talk" of middle level practices. This includes constant vigilance that teachers are using practices that support what we know works, constant professional development for both new and veteran staff, and being a strong voice in the school community advocating for continued support.

• We have evolved from studying about the characteristics and needs (social, emotional, intellectual, and physical) of students to an inclusion of ethical behavior and more focus on intellectual needs. Keeping up with the latest literature about early adolescents and their learning needs is key.

• We use the School to Watch indicators for "developmentally responsive" as our guiding lights on understanding our students' characteristics and needs. These were used to frame our current mission and vision and are "kept alive" through weekly team/PLC meetings and via monthly staff meetings.


 * Equal and Equitable Access:**

• Four years ago, we began with 6th grade and scheduled all classes heterogenously and progressed with a grade each year. As we began the process, we determined that all classes would be considered advanced and that we would do two things immediately. First, we began professional learning on differentiated instruction immediately. As we would learn a strategy, we would work that into our units and share with each other. We also began, at the same time, standards-based classrooms and that initiative helped us with some of the structure. We provided multiple opportunities within the day and outside of the day that would help the learner who struggled.

• As the master scheduler in my building, I create opportunities for department chairs to identify students who can be accelerated to higher levels in an effort to address the achievement gap among African Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and

• We give all students access to rich curriculum by limiting homogeneous class settings and we have initiated co-teaching between regular and special education

• We view every decision through the equity lens. It has become part of our culture to overlay this lens. Cultural competence is one of the five domains in which instructors are evaluated. We have implemented pre-AP for all our students rather than some. <span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: 'Times New Roman','serif';">

 [k1] I changed this a bit because I’ve found that flexible grouping by abilities for short periods of time can be productive – I think it’s the constant tracking with no hope of getting out of a group that is a detrimental practice. If you disagree, it’s not a huge deal to me but would like to chat about it a bit.