- Vygotsky (quoted in an email posting by Beverly Maddox to the MiddleTalk listserv dated November 8, 2006)
I had the good fortune of attending the National Middle School Association's annual conference this past week. Over 10,000 middle level educators converged on Nashville for four wonderful days of exchanging ideas, growing and learning, feeding off each other's energy and striving always to become better teachers for the sake of our students. As I listened to some of my friends and middle level colleagues, I couldn't help noticing that some of them were increasingly frustrated and isolated by the stultifying teaching culture in their schools. I couldn't help wishing for them what I have here. For example, last Tuesday...
"I just had the most awesome class!" said Kara as she burst into the middle school office. Her Humanities 8 class was studying the verdict in the trial of Saddam Hussein, and got so caught up in discussion that they lost track of time. Besides sharing their opinions, they were making connections to their middle eastern unit and, as Kara noted, something they had feared would be dry and boring had completely caught their attention and swept them up. Meanwhile, Catherine's Math 8 class had hit a temporary roadblock - a number of students walked in and said "We just can't do this." Catherine simply but firmly retorted "Oh, yes you can!" and before long they were all hard at work and did not give up until every single student was on the right track. Next door to Catherine's class, my Humanities 7 students had been so completely caught up in the day's installment of the morning reading book Jacob Have I Loved that they had begged me to read another chapter until I finally acquiesced. Later on in the day, I recounted our conversation to Peter; he nearly jumped out of his seat waiting for me to finish, and said "I had a day like that too!" His Humanities 8 class had been discussing the elections, and by the end of the class, several of them had said they were so excited to find out what would happen they were going to stay up late and watch the returns.
Catherine, Kara, Peter and I are always exchanging ideas, talking about something that went well or something that needs tweaking, seeking new ways to reach and inspire our students. The climate of that learning community, which extends beyond our office to include other middle school teachers, can't help but spill over into the classroom - indeed, that is the goal of many of our discussions. Immersed as we are in our learning, so are the students in theirs. In "This We Believe," the National Middle School Association states that "lives are shaped less by direct instruction than by 'wayside teaching,' those small individual actions, probing questions, subtle reminders, earned commendations, and personalized challenges. Teachers in successful middle schools skillfully interweave the planned curriculum with the unplanned, ensuring that interactions with students are positive, all students are valued, and all students are treated equitably." (p.20) We can't expect that every single day will bring that intense a level of engagement simultaneously in so many classes. But we can certainly maximize the chances when we model our own intense engagement in our ongoing learning. And indeed, on almost a daily basis, I am stunned and touched by what these students are capable of.