Didn't see it coming

When I signed up for school this summer, I didn't anticipate rethinking what school is all about. Within the last few days, through the fog of new concepts, I see a theme emerging. The students are ready to have a voice in their education, and if I give them some control and guidance, they will make more of the learning opportunities than I ever could provide with a fantastic show in the front of the classroom. Humbling, but exciting.

Does middle level education apply to high school?

Middle level theory is similar to my philosophy of education. Is there any reason why a high school wouldn't benefit from functioning like an ideal middle school? What is different about that age group that requires a different approach?

Before I read the history, what is my history?

The next reading I will tackle is the history of the middle school movement. I'm part of that history. And because my family moved frequently, I experienced many different schools.

For early elementary school I was in a traditional K-6 elementary school in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The majority of my teachers were African-American, as were my friends, and we had large class sizes and I walked uphill to school, both ways. I did not learn to read well until the 3rd grade and didn't handle math well at all.

We moved to New Jersey for the 5th grade, where I was placed in an elementary school that was K-5. I had a rockin' teacher, who taught me math and outlining and turned on the learner in me.

From there, I was in the middle school 6-8 (1981) which collected students from 3 elementaries. Here we tried new hobbies, intramural sports, different instruments, art, different languages and woodshop and technical drawing, cooking and sewing. I loved school and decided then, that I was at the perfect age.

We moved to Midland Michigan at the end of 7th. My new school was a junior high 7-9. I developed severe anxiety problems which kept me home from school, even though I was highly successful academically, even to the point my parents wanted me to skip a grade. I told them I wasn't ready for high school. I was growing like crazy and zits and all were making my life difficult. Those 9th graders seemed awfully big. High point for me was 8th grade science.

Yahoo- we moved back to New Jersey for 9th grade. Dad even quit his job and commuted long distances so I could stay in the same high school. 9th grade had its own building and the school was 2250 students strong. It is rated one of the top schools in the nation and I'm thankful that I got to attend there all four years.

So, I too, survived the early adolescent years, and now I am looking forward to reading why and how in the world so many different school systems exist.

First Post

My head is swimming with postings. Welcome to Kathy's blog.