Running Head: The Middle School Mess

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The Middle School Mess Emma Starre Franciscan University

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If you love bungee jumping, you are the middle school type according to Diane Ross (Meyer 2011, p. 40). Kids in middle school are crazy, hyper and very bi-polar. They are going through one of the most drastically changing time in their lives, both physically and psychologically, which would lead some to believe that they are in their own sphere. It takes a very patient, understanding, but creative teacher to educate these developing individuals. Middle schools or teachers specializing in middle school were not always in operation, considering that normal education used to be a one room classroom with one teacher. However things change over time and the education system is no exception. The middle school is a particularly interesting topic in the evolution of education, considering why it was created and the affect it had on the students, both good and bad. For over a hundred years, the notion of a separate school for young adolescents was never even considered. Then a man named William Alexander gave a graduation address to a teachers college in the 1960s about the need for separate schools for the developing adolescent and how it would be to their advantage for preparing for high school (Meyer 2011, p. 42). The idea was very appealing and soon many were considering it as the best fit for this age group. Educators and citizens were receptive to creating schools that respond to the needs of young people (Meyer 2011, p. 42). This makes sense considering the time period, America was trying to gain some control and this area was available and needed assistance. By pushing math, science and more homework, the hope was to beat the other countries in the race to the top and the perfect place was the newly implemented middle schools where the curriculum was still up for grabs (Meyer 2011, p. 42). So the modern middle school was born into a country whose greatest goals were revolved around being best in space technology and they were, according to Hough, linked to

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programmatic characteristicsnot to student outcome measures (Meyer 2011, p. 43). However there have been some advantages to middle schools. First of all, the age gap and maturity level between middle schoolers and other grades is often considered a good reason to separate them. The whole intent for middle schools in the first place was to give them more freedom to move, appropriate physical and health classes, and more opportunities to explore new activities and for them to be able to manage their activities (Meyer 2011, p. 42). Young adolescents have a lot of energy and are standing on the threshold of adulthood, so the best place could possibly be a school of their own. While many would argue that these middle schools are not working, there are some that are exceeding by leaps and bounds. These are the ones that do not exactly run like a typical middle school, but rather have overcome the tough challenges of preadolescence by proper pedagogy and academic focus (Meyer 2011, p. 44). They are improving their test scores, especially in math and reading, because they are placing an emphasis on improving student outcomes, which is essential to any great school (Meyer 2011. p. 44). With most discussions there are always two sides to the story and many people have been rethinking the concept of these in-between schools. Many decades have passed since the birth of middle schools; many professionals have begun taking a deeper look into the success of these institutions, especially since the excuse of still in transition is no longer accepted. As one teacher told a mom, that her job was to just help the students through puberty, by holding them and keeping them safe (Meyer 2011, p. 43). This should not be their only job, when kids education is so crucial for later success in life and here it is not even the main goal. Hard fact evidence has shown that these middle schools are not helping but rather hurting. It was found in a study conducted in 1995, students who had yet to enter middle school fared better than those

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who had nearly completed those grades , while according to Cheri Yecke, middle schools are where academic achievement goes to die(Meyer 2011, p. 42-43). It is no surprise then that America has fallen behind the rest of the world in education, with its middle schools not progressing on previous years of school and then falling behind in high school. Growing up in a place where middle school was the only option, I never even considered why they were or the disadvantages to them. However after reading this article, by Meyer (2011) I can definitely see the advantages for not isolating middle school age students from other age groups (p. 40-47). The immaturity of fresh freshmen in high school, always greatly annoyed me. They eventually learned how to not talk at the top of their voice or run down the hallways or stand in groups in the middle of a crowded hallway. When you think about it, that was what everyone did in middle school, because there was no older students to imitate or younger ones that looked up to you. However not only would the elimination of middle schools greatly help their maturity and possibly moving through puberty smoothly, but also academically. While it might be damaging to have older students in the same school as little ones, because of foul language and rebellious behaviors, the opposite is occurring. These elemiddle schools, which are grades K-8, have shown to have better attendance and less violence (Meyer 2011, p. 46). No one wants the little kid who looks up to him, to be disappointed in their performance or to get into trouble because of following their role-models lead, which is one possible explanation for the decreased violence in these schools. Many school districts are opting for this merger so to improve academics, along with other aspects associated with school environment.

The Middle School Mess To conclude, this idea of elemiddle is catching on all around the country. Some

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districts may find this challenging due to the fact of their limited budget to build a bigger school to house K-8. If there is a will there is a way and compromises might have to be made. It is quite obvious that the current middle school is not top notch and improvements need to be made. I do believe not leaving the middle age group of young scholars out on their own island is best. For their best interest of their maturity, academic success and for having a spotless school record, a different school configuration than present, is shown to be needed. Do we really want more middle schools, when only a very small portion of them will have what it takes to succeed (Meyer 2011, p. 45)? No, let the old be thrown off, things do change and evolve and it is time that education system does again.

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References Meyer, Peter. (2011). The middle school mess. Education Next, 11(1), 40-47.