6. Your Story Matters

6. Your story matters. Consider the past, the present, and the future.

This we believe (NMSA, 2010).

*A shared vision developed by all stakeholders guides every decision. Shared Vision

Over the course of this journey, I realize how difficult it is for teachers to maintain their vision. Teaching takes a lot of physical and mental energy and sometimes we forget our calling, our purpose. We spend hours planning, implementing, assessing, and communicating with children, teammates, and parents. In addition, each year, schools are engaging in new technologies, new teaming configurations, new instructional designs, new initiatives, new grants and district tasks, that are often school-wide. How is it then, we can gain new knowledge about emerging strategies and practices, while meeting the needs of our students, planning authentic lessons and units, and creating our own professional development plans? I believe our passion and hope is not lost when we have time to reflect on what we are doing, on what has been done in the past, and to use our knowledge of the present to dream more about what we will do in the future.

More than 60 years ago, Dr. William Alexander, fondly known as the father of the middle school movement, addressed educators at “the 1963 Cornell Conference, …He prepared a speech proposing a new school called the middle school. His address, The Junior High School: A Changing View… provided a comprehensive rationale and program guidelines for the establishment of developmentally responsive middle schools” (Smith & McEwin, 2011, pgs 4-5). In 1973, the National Middle School Association was formed; and in 2011 outreach expanded to serve an international body of educators who serve students ages 10-15, currently known as the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE). Our focus continues to address the need for developmentally responsive middle schools.

Our strategies, our outreach, our research, our support has expanded significantly; but our focus, the AMLE mission, has remained consistent: “The Association for Middle Level Education is dedicated to improving the educational experiences of all students ages 10-15 by providing vision, knowledge, and resources” (AMLE Mission Statement, 2014).

This spring, I have been in touch with former presidents of NMSA/AMLE asking them to share advice and inspiration. Their wisdom is heart-warming, caring, and hopeful. From their words, they share the following:

Our call, as middle-level educators, is to remain true to the history of middle-level education, which speaks to why we serve this age group differently. Our call is to tirelessly advocate for young adolescents and for those who work for and with them; and to enjoy the opportunities to collaborate with one another as we remind others of the strategies, the value, the research, and the importance of serving this age group.

Our work as middle-level advocates is extremely important. I look forward to continuing to share the passion and stories of why we do what we do, and to share what is working in middle schools around the world.

Advice

1)   Keep a journal of your experiences to reflect upon. Share your stories of success, and hope, and passion.

2)   Find teachers in your school who share a positive approach to working with young adolescents. Allow them to be your mentors.

3)   There are a lot of resources available to you regarding middle level education; use the resources from amle.org, nassp.org, and stw.org to help you develop your philosophy of serving middle level students and stakeholders associated with them.

4)   Teaching is a journey. Listen to the past, be open to the future, and remain true to serving young adolescents.