My Philosophy Of Middle School Teacher

I decided to interview a friend of mine who just started her second year of teaching. She works for a Middle School in Westchester County, teaching 6th and 7th grade math. I asked her a series of questions about her whole experience on becoming a teacher. I was relieved to hear what her first few days were like being a new teacher, because that could be nerve racking for any new teacher. She explained to me that she was shocked on her first few days, and overwhelmed with the respect she immediately received from her students. They greet her in the hallway, and thank her as they leave class. I could just imagine how good that would feel to get that reaction from your students. When I asked her why she decided to teach the grade that she is in, she explained to me that she chose to do middle school because it is a crucial time for development in an adolescents life, and also a challenging time.

The attitude and characteristics of a middle school teacher greatly influence student learning, behaviour, confidence and sense of community. Middle school teachers should be aware of the physical, social, emotional and cognitive developments of middle year students. It is very important middle school teachers come prepared and design effective engaging lessons to impart knowledge to students. Teachers must develop vividness and interest of students using creative and innovative ways of learning strategies. They should also develop the capacity and flexibility to negotiate and plan the curriculum around students’ needs, interests, and learning styles. Effective teachers motivate students with a positive attitude

Throughout this last semester, I have been student teaching at Shawswick Middle School where I was able to take a critical look at myself as an educator. Though the teacher and I did not see eye to eye, this disagreement helped me to better form my own pedagogical beliefs and establish confidence in myself as an educator.

The Association for Middle Level Education 's list of Middle Level Teacher Preparation Standards focuses directly on the knowledge and skills needed to teach young adolescents successfully. Middle Level Teacher '€™s use their knowledge of major concepts, principles, theories and research to improve their practice. The AMLE Standards provide a guideline to assist in curricular decisions, preparation and planning and providing a safe and effective learning environment for the Middle Level Students. Standard One; Young Adolescent Development is imperative for being an adequate educator for this age level. In order to successfully fulfill these standards, it 's important to understand the transitional years 10-15 year olds are experiencing at

“A middle school is a school organization containing grades six to eight that, first provides developmentally appropriate and responsive curricular, instructional, organizational, guidance, and overall educational experiences; and second, places major emphasis on 10-15 year olds’ developmental and instructional needs” (Teaching in the Middle School, 6). The researcher has a great point for the fact that a middle school should be focus on the needs of diverse young adolescents. All young adolescents are in a special time in their lives that require extra guidance during this crazy change. Middle school students test out the boundaries and want to learn about new activities and interests during this stage. It takes a special person who wants to teach these diverse students who need the extra support from their teachers to show them what’s out there for them and to introduce them to new things.

One of the most important things that we need to remember as middle level teachers, is that every young adolescent is different, and because of those differences, we need to make sure that our lessons and activities reflect this aspect of young adolescents. The middle school age student is extremely complex. On one hand, they don’t fit into the elementary age of little kids, yet aren’t quite as mature as high school aged students. At this age, it is imperative to create lessons that are unique and captivating. Often the biggest problem about teaching middle school aged children is that they need motivation to do their work. In high school, students are worried about not doing well enough to get into college, while in elementary school their

Each and every student plays a vital part of the classroom as a whole. The classroom acts as a community of learners who respect and care for one another. We are all different, but yet all alike, and that is what makes us very special. As a future teacher I strive to foster a class that will become a family whom trusts and maintains relationships with each and every other person. All will feel acknowledged and heard. This leads to a safe and warm environment that will develop into a fun learning experience. When I think about teaching in grades preschool to third, I greatly look forward to making a significant impact early on in every student’s lives. I hope to instill interest and motivation in the students and have them appreciate the joy of learning. I believe Montclair University’s P-3 MAR program will further enlighten and assist me to better understand all the standards within the portrait of a teacher.

As the readings so often portrayed, the transition into middle schooling can be quite the rough event for students. Despite this, I was quite surprised to find that in a study conducted by Waxman and Huang (1998) of the three education groups—elementary, middle and high school—middle schoolers were actually identified as harbouring the most negative classroom perception. This semester’s Education readings have repeatedly shown that the more independent structure of middle schooling can overwhelm students who are transitioning from their tight-knit elementary classes. Compound these school structure changes with the onset of puberty and it quickly becomes clear that there are challenges to be had in educating the middle school student. (Tilleczek, 2010 p. 5) After participating in this semester’s Education topic, however, I have to come to the conclusion that an effective educator can thoroughly minimise the risks associated with middle school students through the development of holistic teacher—student relationships.

This paper will reflect on the content explored within the topic EDUC 1223: Middle Schooling Philosophy and Pedagogy. The key ideas learnt within this topic will be linked and explored in three overall topics; integrated and negotiated curriculum, approaches to teaching resilience and approaches to teaching higher order thinking skills. Each topic will then be applied to personally to my future career in teaching mathematics.

According to the Association of Middle Level Educators (2010), the middle school years are the most important years of a child’s life. During this time, many aspects of a child changes. Their body is changing in ways they might not understand for many years to come. They are also changing emotionally. The changes that occur affect the teachers that are charged with teaching these young students. A teacher must understand how the students are changing and the best practices for effectively teaching them. For students at this age, it is arguably more important to shape them mentally and socially rather than only intellectually. The key is to incorporate all aspects of development into a student’s education. In today’s changing society, it is arguably, more important than ever to provide students with an education that meets their needs (This We Believe: Keys to educating young adolescents,

In education, the experience of being in middle school can be difficult for many students. Similar to most years, students receive new teachers and the have a curriculum that is different. The middle school years are more than just learning. The students also are starting to go through puberty and are learning about their own individuals. For most students, they do not understand the changes they are going through both physically and mentally. In This We Believe: Keys to Educating Young Adolescents, one can see research that shows how this is a crucial time for middle schools, and how teachers can effectively guide their students through this time.

When entering the middle school profession, it is important to remember who we are there to serve, the students who are there to learn. When looking at this I cannot help but think of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, and more importantly how as an educator, I can serve those needs more effectively. With students growing up more rapidly than ever before, teachers must strive to understand their swinging emotions, test their moral boundaries, and challenge them in their learning. It is safe to say that these needs will take time and effort to meet. I believe that as an educator, I am responsible for meeting these needs through challenging coursework, making time to allow my students to socialize, and allowing my students to trust that I can help them emotionally if they require it. These are just a few steps that I can take to advance my philosophy.

Middle School is a time in a child’s life when everything seems so confusing and difficult. It is such a crucial time period and students need to have the proper role models in their life. That is the job of the middle school teacher; to be the role model students need at this rough stage in their life to guide them to the best path for them.

Adolescents are often seen as a risk or perceived to be at risk (Carrington, 2006). Like many, I, too, have acquired such perception.Therefore, there is an urgency to replace the old with new fresh perspectives. In order to engage adolescents, a teacher must explore various learning needs based on the characteristics of adolescents. MYSA (2008, p. 1) defines middle schooling as “an intentional approach to teaching and learning that is responsive and appropriate to the full range of needs, interests and achievements of middle-year students in formal and informal schooling contexts.” The challenge of being able to understand and engage adolescents is significant.

As children, we absorb information and learn from experiences that mold us into who we are. Many individuals impact a child’s life, but the most powerful and influential role lies in a devoted teacher, a teacher provides growth to students as a gardener would to a garden of flowers. Each child can bloom into a thriving flower so long as you water their garden with optimism, love, patience, and guidance. Throughout my educational experiences I was lucky enough to have educators who poured their knowledge and optimism into me, and now I would like to reciprocate that back to students who are in the position I was once in. Balancing life and school is hard enough for a student, but a powerful and caring teacher can steer you in the right direction. In this autobiography you will read about my educational background, experiences that influenced my decision to become a teacher, and what I believe the role of a teacher should be in a student’s life.