I went back to South Carolina this past weekend for a wedding and was able to catch up with some of the teachers I use to work with. This got me thinking and even though it may not be related to this week's readings, I thought it would be great to share to see what everyone thought.
The previous middle school I taught at was extremely overcrowded. We had many learning cottages (trailers) to accommodate the increase in population. While I was there a new middle school was being built. During construction it was assumed there would just be two middle schools (grades 6,7,8) and the students would be split into the different middle schools based on there home address. However, the High School was also becoming overcrowded and there was talk of having students bused to other area high schools to compensate for this. However, an alternate plan was made in that the new middle school would take on 6th and 7th grades and the old middle school would have 8th and 9th grades. I have heard all about this from my previous colleagues. The 9th grade teachers were not happy to leave the high school and become a middle school teacher. The 6th and 7th grade teachers were not happy to be split from the 8th grade and become their own new entity. In the end I believe a good decision was made for the students, but I think at times it is easy to forget that. I wondered what you all thought of having the 9th grade with middle school again? I posted articles and a news report below, sorry for the link I was having problems embedding it.
http://www2.wsav.com/news/2010/aug/13/new-bluffton-middle-school-brings-changes-ar-704732/
http://www.islandpacket.com/2010/01/19/1107002/school-board-approves-bluffton.html
Wow! That is such an interesting split. I guess the biggest problem with "young adolescents" is that they are hard to define as an age group. do 8th and 9th graders share more than 7th and 8th ? Do 6th and 7th make sense together? I think it sounds kind of interesting. Having taught both 7th and 8th, I kind of can see the connections with those age groups. I can also see some benefits of taking 9th graders out of high school. Hopefully this doesn't offend anyone, but, even as a high schooler, I was always a little creeped out by the 14 year old freshman and the 18 year old seniors being in the same social circles and dating etc. Ok, when I was 14 I was creeped out but still was psyched to be in high school!! :)
ReplyDeleteI wonder how this split influences the transitions students struggle with from middle school to high school that we talked about last week in class. Many of you mentioned "freshmen academies" that are being created at your schools to help students with the different style of education between middle school and high school. Does the 9th grade being with the middle school better prepare students for high school in 10th grade, or are the 10th grade teachers still struggling with the same issues that the 9th grade teachers previously struggled with?
ReplyDeleteHow have your friends who work at those schools think it is going?
The 9th grade is an "academy" to help prepare for high school. So far I think everything is going well. The new school got lots of fancy new technology equipment and I haven't heard many complaints. It will be interesting to see what happens after a year. I will let you know if I hear anything.
ReplyDeleteI understand what Ms. Rubin say when she is creeped out by 14 year olds among the 18 year old. But I also feel uncomfortable with 11 year olds around 14 year olds. I think the difference between 11 and 14 is larger then 14-18. What is the solution? When I attended junior ,some odd years ago, it was grades 7-9. The high school was 10-12. I'm not sure 3 years of high school in enough to feel connected. I like the idea of 4 years.
ReplyDeleteHmmm...I'm not a big advocate of two-grade schools (no matter what grades they include). Think about this...every year, half of your population is leaving and the other half is brand new to that school. How do you achieve any sort of consistency, pride in school, or long lasting relationships?
ReplyDeleteAnd I particularly don't like these two grades...yikes. I understand that a Maine coastal community is also considering such an arrangement. The 8/9th combo is particularly unsuited for this age group. First of all, the 9th graders are earning Carnegie units toward graduation, so their curriculum must be set. The 8th grade curriculum can't be connected in any way to the 9th grade because 8th grade doesn't count toward graduation.
Most importantly, from a developmental growth point of view...those years are volatile and putting together only these two grades is not the best thinking for this age group. Ninth graders should stay in the high school.