Week 1
Good evening! I am Lisa Pesavento. I am currently studying to become a Secondary History teacher with an endorsement in Middle Grades Social Sciences. I spent a long time looking for a career choice that would satisfy my love for history and sharing my knowledge and skills with others, and found this program is a perfect fit for me. I have two children: a one year old daughter and a thirteen year old son. This course is rather timely, seeing as how my son just recently became a teenager! He is in 7th grade, and it is really a fantastic resource to have him and his friends to question about what kind of activities they find helpful, what they have a hard time tolerating, what is important to to them, and what kind of lessons and activities they would enjoy participating in the classroom. It's extremely helpful for me, and this insight will be an asset when I enter my future classroom.
In This We Believe, our text reading focused on the the fight for setting appropriate objectives and curriculum for students in the middle grades. The students in this age group are going through so many physiological and cognitive changes, it is important that they receive a specialized curriculum that focuses insight on their rapid development and growth, and fosters development of their critical thinking and interpersonal skills. Furthermore, the text conveys that educators must take into consideration the changes this generation of middle school students must face in addition to the physiological changes of puberty and the tumultuous emotions that occur alongside it. For example, marketing techniques, which can further foster a division among peers. I see this all the time with my son and his friends. The all desire to have expensive clothes and shoes, as a symbol of status.
The assigned article,"Middle Schools-The Emergence of Middle Schools, Growth and Maturation of the Middle School Movement" was a history of the efforts and barriers in giving students in the middle grades a separate curriculum that would meet and foster their developing cognitive and social emotional needs. There were a couple of points in this article that I found especially interesting. First, the inability for officials or educators to settle on a grade range for middle school. To this day, there are middle schools that are 5th- 8th grade, 6th-8th, and only 7th and 8th grades. I never realized there was a time that middle school was considered through 9th grade.
Secondly, I agree wholeheartedly that middle school should have a specialized curriculum that considers the difference in development of students in this age range. These kids are going through so much change, and offering a curriculum that helps them understand and offers guidance through these turbulent years can be life changing for them. This includes having specialized teachers for the middle grades. Teachers that are prepared to help guide, foster, develop,and mentor these students are imperative for both cognitive and social/emotional growth.
The article discusses the need for middle school students to have positive relationships with adults. I have seen too many times how kids of this age range are pushed aside, ignored, or brushed off. They are caught in a turbulent and awkward time of not being a child, but not yet an adult. A nurturing and caring environment will have tremendous influence over how they see themselves, and relationships with peers and adults.
I have seen in my field experience observations with CPS the positive influence that a caring teacher who is interested in the students as individuals can be. These students work hard, ask questions, and want the approval of the teacher (Mr. McDowell). They often stop in between classes to have a quick chat, or ask his opinion on something. It is really incredible to see that one teacher can have that much of a positive influence on so many students. I once heard the saying, "A student does not care how much you know, until they know how much you care. " I plan on taking that ideology with me into my classroom.
In This We Believe, our text reading focused on the the fight for setting appropriate objectives and curriculum for students in the middle grades. The students in this age group are going through so many physiological and cognitive changes, it is important that they receive a specialized curriculum that focuses insight on their rapid development and growth, and fosters development of their critical thinking and interpersonal skills. Furthermore, the text conveys that educators must take into consideration the changes this generation of middle school students must face in addition to the physiological changes of puberty and the tumultuous emotions that occur alongside it. For example, marketing techniques, which can further foster a division among peers. I see this all the time with my son and his friends. The all desire to have expensive clothes and shoes, as a symbol of status.
The assigned article,"Middle Schools-The Emergence of Middle Schools, Growth and Maturation of the Middle School Movement" was a history of the efforts and barriers in giving students in the middle grades a separate curriculum that would meet and foster their developing cognitive and social emotional needs. There were a couple of points in this article that I found especially interesting. First, the inability for officials or educators to settle on a grade range for middle school. To this day, there are middle schools that are 5th- 8th grade, 6th-8th, and only 7th and 8th grades. I never realized there was a time that middle school was considered through 9th grade.
Secondly, I agree wholeheartedly that middle school should have a specialized curriculum that considers the difference in development of students in this age range. These kids are going through so much change, and offering a curriculum that helps them understand and offers guidance through these turbulent years can be life changing for them. This includes having specialized teachers for the middle grades. Teachers that are prepared to help guide, foster, develop,and mentor these students are imperative for both cognitive and social/emotional growth.
The article discusses the need for middle school students to have positive relationships with adults. I have seen too many times how kids of this age range are pushed aside, ignored, or brushed off. They are caught in a turbulent and awkward time of not being a child, but not yet an adult. A nurturing and caring environment will have tremendous influence over how they see themselves, and relationships with peers and adults.
I have seen in my field experience observations with CPS the positive influence that a caring teacher who is interested in the students as individuals can be. These students work hard, ask questions, and want the approval of the teacher (Mr. McDowell). They often stop in between classes to have a quick chat, or ask his opinion on something. It is really incredible to see that one teacher can have that much of a positive influence on so many students. I once heard the saying, "A student does not care how much you know, until they know how much you care. " I plan on taking that ideology with me into my classroom.
Lisa,
ReplyDeleteI also found it very interesting that 9th grade was considered a middle grade and for quite a bit of time. I agree with you, as well as with the resources, that middle grade students deserve a curriculum specifically geared for them. Students at this age are different from elementary students and they are not quite yet at the level of the secondary school student. Students at this age could be the most important to teach since they are at one of the most important transition periods in the human life. That said, I agree that much attention should be placed on how to effectively educate and interact with these students. As it has been shown, what students take away from this period in their life has a dramatic impact on their future.
Lisa,
ReplyDeleteI agree that we need more teachers who are going to prepare, guide and develop students. The best teacher I ever had definitely shared those attributes. He was very professional and he took his job seriously. I could tell that he genuinely wanted to help us learn more and to prepare us for life after high school. Every morning he would come to class excited to teach and that changed our attitudes about learning. He challenged us and he supported us outside of his classroom.