Mainely Middle Journal of the Maine Association for Middle Level Education Back to Table of Contents | MAMLE Homepage

Volume 10, Number 1 Fall, 1999 Author: Argy Nestor Middle Level Visual Arts Specialist at MSAD#40, 1995 Maine Teacher of the Year

Discoveries BACKGROUND On September 15, 1998 my husband, two sons and I headed south out of Maine on a cross country trek that lasted 98 days. We traveled in a Chevy Tahoe pulling a 25 foot travel trailer that quickly became our "home away from home". During that time we visited six middle schools in Ohio, Indiana, North Dakota, Arizona, and North Carolina. I went in search of answering the question: What makes an exemplary middle school? My teaching experiences in middle level classrooms over 22 years, my time spent reading about middle level education, and my interaction with educators during years of workshops, conferences and other learning experiences urged me to seek answers in a unique way. SCHOOL CONNECTIONS I didn't want this to be "just another learning experience". My goal was to bring the benefits of this experience to more than just myself and my family. I knew that this could be a learning opportunity for many students. After much thought I decided on culture kits as a way to get students involved. Each culture kit would be put together by students at schools and sent back to students in my school following the sharing of the Maine culture kit. My colleague Linda Pease, agreed to work with A.D. Gray 7th graders from Waldoboro and Friendship, Maine to be the "class back home". At the start of the school year I met Linda's students and began work with them. With Linda as their guide, they filled our "culture trap" as it became fondly referred to, (we used a lobster trap for our container). Some of the contributed items: Maine souvenirs, postcards, stuffed animals, shells, sea glass. Students brought items from their personal collections and memorabilia. The items that became the most important were ones that represent Maine's largest industries: a blueberry rake and other blueberry industry momentos, a pulp hook, and a lobster buoy, replica lobster trap and buoy were among the 64 items. We were bid farewell in the parking lot of the school with our bikes and canoe secured to the outside of the Tahoe on a bright, sunny day. We loaded the lobster trap, weights and all which weighed about 65 pounds and gifts from staff and students. Besides the A.D. Gray students receiving culture kits we planned to link them up with e-mail buddies in another part of the country. Students and teachers would have the chance to vicariously travel with us following our web site and tracking our progress on the U.S. map hung in their classroom. Linda's students would research the different parts of the country we were visiting or obtain information about a person or place we mentioned in our weekly e-mails. RESEARCH The most important segment of my research and learning was to take place while visiting the schools. Making observations, interviewing teachers, students, administrators and parents filled me with insight. I formally interviewed 14 students, 17 teachers, 8 administrators, and 6 parents. I spent about 45 hours interviewing these people. I sat in on four team meetings. I shared the culture trap with about 700 students. "This We Believe," the National Middle School Association's position paper, provided a lens for my research to be made clear. I looked at school environments, what was working and not working well through that lens. EDUCATORS COMMITTED TO YOUNG ADOLESCENTS Of all of the statements in This We Believe this is the one that was clearest in every school I visited. The passion in the educators voices as they told their individual stories about why they chose to be in and remain in middle level education sprung forth over and over. This passionate personality characteristic was shared by everyone. The reasons and comments that lead me to believe this include: Many teachers really care about kids, good modeling. "We don't want to be reactors, we want to be problem solvers." "The kids are definitely passionate. We must have this to meet their needs everyday." "We need to stand up and celebrate with them." "Need to know kids and subject." "We must have humor and be able to laugh with our students." "Integrity. Kids need to know that what he's telling me, he's telling the next person." "I am most proud of the way we take care of our special education students. Any school can take care of their gifted and regular ed. kids, the special schools are the ones who can take care of their special needs kids. Identified or not." Many teachers communicated about programs in place to support students and opportunities for their voices to be heard. They attempted to meet students needs through advisor/ advisee type programs, various teaming situations, guidance and support services, and through a wide variety of interdisciplinary units. Time was definitely a problem for staff to plan, and learn together. Some teams meet before school at 7:30, some meet during the school day two periods a week and some meet after school. ADMINISTRATION Each administrator I interviewed was a strong leader with a wide range of experience from beginner to many years of experience. Many of the administrators shared common goals with the teaching staff. A good many of them had a great deal of experience and understanding of the "middle level concept". Several had led their middle schools to outstanding success. These comments reflect their beliefs: "I want my school to continue to embrace every kid for all that they are and push them to that next challenge and get them through it. I want my school to be even more kid centered in the future than it is today. Kids will come back and say: "ya know what?, I remember that day we made a difference." Those human connections. Affective. I want teachers to feel proud to come to work. I want my school to be alive and hopping. Let's place the kid first and high academic standards for all." "Belief that today has to be a better day than yesterday as far as learning for our kids. Our teachers believe in that and than going to bat to try to find out what that means. Each team very different, their own personalities. Yet, all so strong because of that personality. Both bringing out the best in kids." "Rapport with staff very important. Feeling comfortable for a staff member coming to you. In today's middle level school you better be a leader of educators. No way I can go into a math class and know how to do something as well as the math teacher. But I better know instructional strategies. Be able to work side by side with that person. Walk with them, model, share a smile and may cry with them. Job description: hire good people. That will be my legacy. The only thing I will leave here when I move on is the people I hire. They impact the kids." FINDINGS AND OBSERVATIONS In most cases the administration works on one level, the teaching staff on another level and students function on yet a third. In many cases I found: Students are not aware of what teachers are attempting accomplish through curriculum. Students do not believe they have power or say in what they learn. The purpose of the advisor/ advisee situation is not clear to students. Students are appreciative of their education and what their teachers offer them. Students like to come to school. In all but one school, most classroom desks are arranged in rows (one school had only tables). Middle level research and information was clear to all administrators. Administrators could communicate what they believed and thought was going on in their school. They "talked the talk", but their schools weren't necessarily "walking the walk". Administrators have a clear vision for what they see happening in their schools in the future. Some schools had developed a vision with staff and teachers. None that I know of included student input. A large portion of the teaching staff had an understanding of middle level education The arts, physical education, technology, special education, guidance and language teachers positions varied a great deal from school to school. The schools where they were not part of a team their impact was visually non-existent, and their attitudes were that of second class citizens (sometimes bitter). In the schools where they were an integral part of the school, their programs were obviously vibrant. Every school struggles with getting parents and community members involved. Beliefs about the place for technology in schools today varies a great deal. THE SCHOOLS Pleasantville Middle School, Pleasantville, Ohio Pleasantville is a community of approximately 17,000 people. It is located about half way between two large cities in Ohio. Pleasantville is flat with old farmland rapidly developing into housing and shopping malls. Pleasantville's population has grown so rapidly they have had to build three schools in the past four years. The four year old middle school has grades 7 and 8 with about 450 students in each grade. (The school was built to house 1000). There are three teams in grade 8, with class sizes of 24-29. They are ranked 15th in the state on state tests. Four years ago they were recognized as a blue ribbon school, three other schools in the district received this recognition as well. Next store is the intermediate school (grades 5 and 6) which opened three weeks prior to my visit. On the other side is the new high school. The facility is very pleasant, bright, quiet with a feeling of calmness. While at the school I had a chance to visit the art room, technology lab, guidance and a 7th grade classroom. I ate lunch with my niece and her friends in the beautiful cafeteria. Everyone I spoke to was very proud of the facility, students, hard working staff and the program of study. They've had a lot of changes in a short period of time and appear to have adapted incredibly well. Everyone I spoke with made comments on their pride in the technology facilities and the program offered to students in this area. Jansy Middle School, Jansy, Indiana Jansy has a population of about 15,000. The school is made up of grades six, seven, and eight with 400 hundred students in each grade. There is one caring, creative, young and enthusiastic individual who serves as principal. She also oversees the first year alternative middle school in the district. There is an assistant principal and a guidance counselor for each grade. There are three, 130 student teams at each grade level, with a special educator on each team. The building was opened about ten years ago and at the time combined two junior highs. Students come together from six elementary schools in the district and go on to Jansy High School. Many parents teach at Jansy College, work for the RV industry, farm, or are factory workers that work at various industries in the area. On the second morning I was there the huge staff gathered in the library for a presentation on an annual fund raising project. Students sell all kinds of stuff from wrapping paper to jam to pottery. They raised $33,000 last year and were setting their goal at $40,000. The money goes directly into the school for various projects. The areas of pride that came out time and again from the folks at Jansy were: Scheduling Flexibility Reading program Meeting the special needs of students Gota Middle School, Gota, North Dakota The city of Gota's population is about 50,000. This is the 4th year Gota has been a middle school and followed the other middle school in the district in the transition. The school houses grades 7, 8, and 9 with about 120 kids on a team, 30 kids in a class. The principal was very knowledgeable about middle level, but many of the teachers are veteran so change has occurred slowly. A referendum was going to the public in November to build a new school. Gota has been a neighborhood school for forty years with two and three generations of families attending over the years. The new school would be built on the north side of town and most kids would have to be bussed. While I visited the school, the principal was busily advocating for the new school. A television crew was there interviewing and filming for the evening news. Prickly Middle School, Prickly, Arizona Prickly is part of Phoenix which has a population of 1.2 million, the 5th largest city in the country. Prickly Middle School was built ten years ago as a middle school. The superintendent at the time only hired staff that he felt were best suited to teaching in a middle level school. Because of this, the transition never had to occur from a junior high to a middle school. The building was laid out to fit the needs of teams of middle level students. Seventy five per cent of students receive free or reduced lunches. There are two, four and five person teams. Team make-up fits the needs of teachers and students. Eight teams totally in the school. Each team is on a different schedule, which sometimes causes a nightmare in the office, but it works and fits the team needs. The team I looked at closely has five teachers and 130 students, 30 students in a class. Each team member is very enthusiastic and dives in and takes on a responsibility for the good of the team. Field trips are taken; one each term that coordinates with an integrated unit. The principal spoke of a program that is part of the discipline which is called the Silent Witness Program. Students trust in this program so much that when anything major happens the school authorities have all the facts about the incident in a short period of time and can deal with the issue relatively easily. These students bring a great deal of pride to their school from home. Falls Lake Middle School, Falls Lake, North Carolina On the wall in the principal's office hangs the district's vision statement: Falls Lake Public Schools will ensure that all students achieve at their highest potential regardless of race, gender or socio-economic status. Each student will make continuous progress and be at or above grade level. And the mission of Falls Lake Middle School hangs in every classroom: It is the mission of Falls Lake Middle School to educate and guide students, addressing their cognitive, linguistic, physical, emotional, social, and moral/ ethical needs within a safe, orderly, clean and inviting environment. The principal had been in administration for nineteen years. When he came to Falls Lake Middle School five years ago there were many problems with drugs, weapons, fighting and lack of respect. The school was a low performing school. The school has been dealing with these issues. Last year they only had four knives, no guns, no alcohol or drugs. Fighting had been reduced by 70 per cent. Presently they are working on honesty and respect. They have become an exemplary school. This is means they have meeting 110% or more of annual growth in the area of reading, writing and math according to the state. As a reward for this each teacher received a $1500.00 bonus, and each teachers assistant a $500.00 bonus from the state. Falls Lake was the first demonstration site for Yale University and the Comer Governance Program. This program includes six critical pathways which are integrated into the curriculum to assist in the overall goal of improving student achievement (ex.: physical pathway). The principal believes this is the best way to bring about reform when a school has the type of issues Falls Lake has had in the past. There are 29,000 students in Falls Lake Public Schools with 840 at Falls Lake Middle School. There are 10 middle schools fed by 26 elementary schools. Adventurer Middle School, Adventurer, North Carolina Adventurer is the only charter school I visited. I can honestly say that it was the most interesting of all the schools. I arrived at the church being converted into a school to find the students scurrying off to morning meeting. The meeting was held in one of the chapels. The school has grade 6 and 7 students with 60 students in each grade. Last year the school opened with grade 6, next year the school will include grade 8. Students are selected to attend through a lottery system. There are many unique aspects of this school. Last year the teaching staff, four at a grade level, made most of the decisions for the school along with a board of directors. A head master was hired this year. The school is situated next to an 80,000 square foot museum, currently under construction. The focus is on global education at the school and the museum. The museum will be a place for learning as well as a place for students to share their knowledge. Students will actually teach when groups of students visit the museum on field trips from other schools. Interestingly, one section of the museum will be devoted to "culture boxes". The only text the school uses is a math text; last year they used none, but felt the need for it after the first year. Each student works independently in the area of math. Curriculum is delivered through thematic units. INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE My visit to each school was an incredible experience. I was welcomed into classrooms warmly, by students, teachers and aides. The administrators seemed genuinely thrilled to have me there. They each enjoyed sharing their schools, thoughts and beliefs about their programs. The parents eagerly shared their perspectives with me freely and honestly. The students nervously shared tidbits about their position as student. A lot of middle school LIFE existed everywhere. Other teachers during lunch times were curious about my families escapades and what I was learning. Some were curious about how their school measured up against others. Sharing the "culture trap" was the most fun part for me. Kids loved learning about Maine culture through the Maine items. Having a live lobster in each school to share was definitely "the icing on the cake". I was on the evening news in North Dakota and made it into local newspapers, state teachers' association newsletter and was interviewed for a student newspaper. Letters from North Dakota students made me realize the impact I was making through the fun I was having. At the start of the journey we struggled with technology. Our problems were frustrating and got in the way of communicating with the students at A.D. Gray. We had difficulties with the e-mail system and locating places that we could upload to our web site. After the first month and passing over the Mississippi River the difficulties became less. Once our major technology struggles were behind us we began communicating with the A.D. Gray students regularly. Under Linda's guidance students researched several topics and locations we were visiting. It was fun to read what they were learning about places like Niagara Falls, The Ford Museum, Mt. Rushmore, the Painted Desert and other locations. Linda's students received culture kits from the different schools that included many hand made items, products and artifacts from their part of the United States. This became an important part of the adventure for our rural Maine students. The fear that was obvious from the Arizona students about seeing a lobster that reminded them of their dreaded scorpions was an eye opener. I was reminded how diverse cultures of Arizona and Maine are and the importance of facilitating connections for our students. When I returned the culture trap to A.D. Gray and returned the contents to students, Linda said they were like vultures retrieving their personal possessions. She believes it was the piece of the trip that was special to them, knowing their contribution had made a trip across the country and was back again. I'd like to believe this was a meaningful experience for each of them and I hope they will remember one tiny piece. Everywhere I went I talked about the importance of following a dream. The idea for this trip came from my sons after listening to the book on tape: On the Road with Charles Kurault. If folks learned nothing else from me I hope it was the importance of following your dreams. Linda's daily e-mails were reassuring communications that let me know we were making an impact. For example while talking about the civil war in class a student made a connection with something I had said in an e-mail while visiting Franklin, Kentucky. When we were in New Jersey, about to depart and make the last leg of the journey home Linda let me know how sad some students were that we were returning. She said they felt strongly that it wasn't just over for my family, but it was going to be over for them as well. It was at that time I knew my goal of them traveling with us vicariously through e-mails and the web site was clearly met. Our trip cross country was an incredible journey for my family filled with all kinds of discoveries. I feel fortunate for the opportunity and just hope that it stays within the memories of others. Back to Top