This We Believe

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The authors of This We Believe share a common thought with the authors of Meet Me in the Middle and Turning Points 2000: students at the middle grade levels are going through vast and rapid changes in their school work, peer interactions, bodies, and recognition of the world around them. This We Believe recognizes several ways that student’s lives are altered during this time period (mostly outside of the classroom). We as middle grades educators need to be aware of the underlying circumstances that come as a package deal with the demographic that we work with. While we can’t control all the things that happen outside of the classroom we do have control over how we handle them in our classroom.



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It is no longer enough for middle school teachers to be the “cast aways” of the educational system; educators should not teach middle grades simply because they couldn’t find a job in their desired elementary or secondary positions. Teachers of middle grades must show a passion and understanding for the specific dynamics of the age group that they will be working with.

A quote from these pages that I really enjoyed was “The team is a home away from home, the place where students work and learn together with teachers and classmates with whom they identify.” I think that out entire educational system should adopt philosophies such as this. I believe that it is a much-needed change from the original advent of public schools and their missions that we have stuck with for so long. School should no longer be physically based on prisons and mentality behind them should no longer be based on keeping kids from being public nuisances during the day. A “home away from home” and center for collaborative learning is a much different way to approach education.

This section begins with the statement “ Successful schools for young adolescents are characterized by a culture that includes…” I find it interesting that out of the 8 characteristics listed after this 6 out of the 8 can be directly controlled by the teachers or the school officials. Only two of these characteristics introduce variables such as students, their families, and the community. This sends me that message that if I am committed then I can make it work.

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I think that creating curriculum that encompasses all of the demands that This We Believe sets forth is challenging, exciting, and terrifying. While I agree that all of these characteristics need to be met I feel as if a teacher meeting all of these requirements is akin to that of a parent met with the challenge of providing well-rounded, wholesome, organic, nutritional meals at a price that they can afford to pay while working two minimum wage jobs. I think that in order for all teachers to be able to meet these standards for curriculum major changes within our societal and financial systems need to take place. I don’t feel as if MOST teachers are provided sufficient funding or tools to make their curriculum what it should and needs to be. I am not in opposition to the statements made in This We Believe, I am more in opposition to the massive road blocks preventing teachers from providing students with the best education possible.In the midst of government budget freezes and financial cuts it will be hard (not impossible) to find the support that teachers need to create successful curriculum.

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I think that the “call to action” is important and should be embraced on a grass-roots level. I don’t think that trying to make anything happen on a national or state level would have as much impact as a localized single-school oriented effort in a community. I believe that schools can make a difference in a community as most everyone has ties to the school in their community (no matter how strong those ties are).

I think that it is very important for middle grades educators to be aware of the characteristics of the age group that they work with. I think that it is also important to not stereotype the students that you work with. Although This We Believe has conducted extensive research to understand the characteristics that encompass middle grades students I believe it is even more important to view each student as a unique individual.