The Middle School Dynamic

I am sitting here trying to process a lot of information. It has been a busy two days in my placement at Forsythe Middle School, meeting teachers, going over schoolwide information, and setting up the classroom. On top of that I am starting up class in the School of Education again. I have a billion and one things buzzing around my mind that I could talk about, but what really struck me most today happened when I got home.

There was an article in the local newspaper, the Chelsea Standard, that my parents wanted me to read (I am commuting from Chelsea this week until I move into my apartment in Ann Arbor on Sunday). I noticed it in the paper when we got it last Thursday but had not had time to read it until tonight. It was about a girl, Amanda, who graduated from Chelsea a year before me and her struggle with sex and drugs and alcohol and finally her triumph over it. That hit so close to home I couldn't help but think about my classmates and my time at Chelsea and wonder how close I was to being introduced to some of this stuff. Granted most of her problems happened in high school, but it developed from her sense of self (or lack thereof) in middle school. This really got me thinking about how these are becoming issues not only in high school, but also in middle school. And it can happen anywhere.

Those of us teaching in middle schools cannot forget that the group of students we are teaching is going through major changes in their personal lives. Puberty can easily lead to irrational behaviors among adolescents and we really have to watch out for them and catch them when they are about to walk into a pitfall. And its not as easy as it seems. How many students like the girl in the article have fallen headlong into that hole while parents and teachers have stood by oblivious to what is happening? We teachers need to be proactive when it comes to these students. In this society it is becoming harder and harder for parents to keep track of their kids and many times the teacher sees the child for more time in a day than the parents do. Also, most parents are unwilling to believe the worst of their children. "That could never happen to my child," or "There is no way on earth my child would possibly participate in such activities," they say. They forget what it was like to be the odd one out, the one who just wants to fit in so badly he would do anything.

Therefore, in many ways it is easier for a teacher to see the signs of high and hungover students than it is for parents and to get that student the help he or she needs. Teachers see these things everyday so they know when students are trying to fit in and when they might be starting to go a bit too far. Teachers teach because they care about their students so how is it that students, especially students in such supportive communities, still fall through the cracks? It is a difficult task, but each and every one of our students needs our utmost attention. It will be so much easier for us and for them in the long run if we sacrifice a little bit and lay ourselves out as a bridge across the chasm of illegal substances, instead of letting our students fall in and then have to climb out on their own.

To close, I want to stress that this is a global problem. No school is good enough or inclusive enough to the point where everyone fits in and feels good about themselves. The human mind just does not work that way. We need to be observant especially in the middle school environment, because even though events may be minor in middle school they can easily lead to much worse behaviors at the high school level.

I want to say more and say it more eloquently but at the moment my mind is muddled with an overload of information. More post on other thoughts will be forthcoming, but please post if you agree or disagree with the point I am trying to make here. Also if anyone has ideas on how to spot troubled students before things get out of hand that would be appreciated because I have limited knowledge of the human personality and the adolescent personality.