Transforming The Middle Level Experience

Last night we had the opportunity to meet with the parents of our incoming 6^th grade students. Many of them have had older children come through our doors, but the majority of them were first-time parents to the middle school. Some of them are just as nervous about making the transition to the “Wonder Years” as their children are. Hopefully after last night they are a little less nervous and excited about the experiences and opportunities that await their children as we prepare them for their future.

A focus of our presentation was on everything that is right about education today and where we are going. When you block out the negativity surrounding Teacher and Principal Evaluation and State Assessments and focus on what matters most – the daily instruction and learning experiences of our children – you realize that this is the most exciting time in education probably in the last 50+ years. There is a transformation that has been underway and continues to build momentum in classrooms and schools throughout our district, State and country. The transformation originates from teachers and leaders willing to make decisions and present a vision for what schools can be that strays from what ‘school’ has been for the last 100 years. There isn’t a master plan coming from someone in Albany or Washington. As it has throughout history, meaningful change comes from groups of passionate, dedicated individuals who roll up their sleeves in the trenches day after day and get it done. The transformation of middle level education at West Genesee is underway and you could see the excitement on the faces of our 6^th grade parents last night as we walked them through our vision.

 The transformation really starts with us looking at WHAT we teach and HOW we teach in 6^th grade. We have created some flexibility within the schedule to allow teachers to work more collaboratively in instructional planning, helping us break out of our content silos and allowing teachers to move and group students based on what they need, when they need it, rather than trying to meet needs within the constraints and limitations of the traditional schedule. Authentic literacy and opportunities to read and write will be a larger part of each school day; there is nothing more important than building in time to read and write throughout the day. Our teachers have already started receiving professional development around Project Based Learning and are designing meaningful and engaging learning experiences for students that will challenge and engage them in ways that they have not experienced. In addition, we are changing some of our courses at the middle level and offering electives to meet the needs of our students today.

As we think about what our students truly need in order to be prepared for their future our focus is on skills rather than stuff. Our students need skills that transcend all content areas, all situations, and can continue to evolve and grow as they develop as young men and women. Leadership, digital literacy, communication, emotional intelligence, entrepreneurship, global citizenship, problem solving and teamwork are the essential skills that our students need for their future; whatever that future looks like.

The most dangerous phrase in the world is “we have always done it that way.”  We are fortunate at West Genesee to be surrounded by passionate, creative individuals who are willing to think differently about how we do things, to try new things and to make decisions based on what is right for kids.  

As the world continues to change at an ever increasing rate, we need the courage to think about doing things differently. Here we go.

Continued Success,

Steve Dunham

sdunham@westgenesee.org

@Sdunhamwgms