Amazing Middle School

Like many Secondary teachers in NSW, I have really enjoyed teaching students in Year 11 and 12. Students at this age are almost adult, seem human and are committed to the joint goal of doing as well as possible to enable them options as to their post-school careers. At various times in my career however, I have found myself in Middle School (For us in NSW, Australia that is Years 7 to Year 9.) Kids at this stage are much more difficult to manage, as they seek to deal with adolescence and all that entails. Relationships with each other, with their parents, with teachers and their own self-images are all in a state of flux. What is very apparent to me though is that this is an incredibly important stage of life, in which a tailored, carefully designed approach can make a big difference. Social, emotional and academic support through this pivotal stage can make a huge difference and have a positive impact. Middle schoolers need positive role models and people who understand them, they need a place and space to feel secure and they need classrooms in which they can develop appropriate skills and learn in a way that makes sense to them.