“Everybody is a role model, it is an inescapable fact of life…. You are either a good role model or a bad one.” Bobby Bowden
Middle school is just different! It is different for both parents and students. For the past 6-7 years your child has been in elementary school, while there they have shared their parent’s identity for the most part. In middle school children begin their first steps toward becoming youths and teenagers and in this process they begin to create their own identity. Part of this process is the determination of a pecking order; their actions in this process both good and bad are heavily influenced by the one they see at home and in our community. As they begin to craft this identity, they also experience the first stages of puberty. So in middle school students are trying to figure out where and how they fit into a social climate, as their bodies go through drastic physical and chemical changes. All this while working hard to show mental growth. Is it any wonder why they say “middle grades are the toughest ages to educate”?
Understanding these realities does help, but our community is also unique in that we only have one middle school which adds to our challenge as there is no comparison. That is to say when these common middle school challenges arise, as they most assuredly will, parents are often surprised and frustrated. They question, “Why are our other schools in the county not dealing with this?”
The reality is middle school is just different due to what our students go through physically, emotionally, chemically, and mentally. Having been an administrator in two different middle schools, I can assure you that DMS shares the same challenges as other middle schools. (lower test scores, bullying, difficulties in teacher and student relationships, etc...).
The above information is not intended to justify the challenges of middle school but rather to create a forum and an environment where we as an educational community can begin a conversation. This conversation is intended to address the concerns and work together to find resolutions. As I said before it is our intention to create an online blog, not to highlight the difficulties of middle school or to post the scathing frustrations and opinions as are sometimes shared through social media such as face book. We ask you to use social media to help us cast a positive image on what is taking place in our school. Again, the purpose of this News letter is to begin a constructive dialogue. We want to discuss the difficulties of middle school and hopefully provide some insight and suggestions to parents while at the same time improving student culture improve student culture. We realize there will be challenges and issues with this approach and we know we do not have all the answers, but in pursuing a proactive approach we desire to create a forum where by parent and educator can grow forward together. An example of some of the topics we may deal with would include the following questions.
What is bullying?
Why does my child seem distant?
What about corporal punishment at the Middle School level? Middle School protocol and procedures
These and others that you suggest through your correspondence.
A follow up email with shortly be sent with questions for you to respond to.
(WE ENCOURAGE THIS)
Again this is not a “vent” but a constructive virtual dialogue.
Understanding these realities does help, but our community is also unique in that we only have one middle school which adds to our challenge as there is no comparison. That is to say when these common middle school challenges arise, as they most assuredly will, parents are often surprised and frustrated. They question, “Why are our other schools in the county not dealing with this?”
The reality is middle school is just different due to what our students go through physically, emotionally, chemically, and mentally. Having been an administrator in two different middle schools, I can assure you that DMS shares the same challenges as other middle schools. (lower test scores, bullying, difficulties in teacher and student relationships, etc...).
The above information is not intended to justify the challenges of middle school but rather to create a forum and an environment where we as an educational community can begin a conversation. This conversation is intended to address the concerns and work together to find resolutions. As I said before it is our intention to create an online blog, not to highlight the difficulties of middle school or to post the scathing frustrations and opinions as are sometimes shared through social media such as face book. We ask you to use social media to help us cast a positive image on what is taking place in our school. Again, the purpose of this News letter is to begin a constructive dialogue. We want to discuss the difficulties of middle school and hopefully provide some insight and suggestions to parents while at the same time improving student culture improve student culture. We realize there will be challenges and issues with this approach and we know we do not have all the answers, but in pursuing a proactive approach we desire to create a forum where by parent and educator can grow forward together. An example of some of the topics we may deal with would include the following questions.
What is bullying?
Why does my child seem distant?
What about corporal punishment at the Middle School level? Middle School protocol and procedures
These and others that you suggest through your correspondence.
A follow up email with shortly be sent with questions for you to respond to.
(WE ENCOURAGE THIS)
Again this is not a “vent” but a constructive virtual dialogue.