10. & 12. It kind of got out of hand. (:

It kind of got out of hand (:

This we believe (AMLE, 2010).

·        *Organizational structures foster purposeful learning and meaningful relationships. Organizational Structures
          *Every student’s academic and personal development is guided by an adult advocate. Adult Advocate 

This we believe (NMSA, 2010) identifies sixteen characteristics that exist in exemplary middle schools. This blog addresses the tenth and twelfth characteristic and is part of the section that addresses leadership and organization, as well as, culture and community.

I was talking to a teammate who shared that when her students completed their final research paper for the STEAM projects, she decided to have a ceremony in which each one of them one-by-one brought their paper to the front of the room and in ceremonial fashion laid their final product in the basket. The students cheered for each student. The teacher turned the lights off until the student was at the front of the room. While all the hoop-la was going on, the children got louder and louder.

The teacher next door came in to check and see if everyone was all right. The children were disrupting the entire wing of the school.

Oops.

But wasn’t it fun to celebrate!  (: This teacher created a spirit of celebration and advocacy for her students.

Middle schools students are not high school students. They are silly. They want to play. They want to get loud sometimes…. So how do we give them what they need without losing control of them?  Children need to move; they need ways to get their energy out… to stimulate their brains! They need structures in place to stimulate high expectations and advocacy.

Advice

1.     There is always the “silent yell” where students can jump around in their own personal space with no sound.

2.     I have a keyboard in my classroom that has a 'demo' feature. We have started class with a line dance to the demo music. It is a way to bring students into the class and allows them to move around. Different students lead.

3.     Students who want to perform a song, singing or playing their instrument do this at the beginning of class. We then cheer them on.

4.     On Fridays, if students have gotten along well with one another, we spend 30 minutes at the fitness station.

5.     There are videos that allow students to move. Consider letting them spend the first few minutes moving around.

6.     If you are in a ninety-minute class, consider giving them three minutes in the middle of class to move around, stretch, and socialize. I have seen this work very effectively. It allows students a chance to move around and then get back on track.