Ask any educator, parent, or psychologist, and you will find agreement that the adolescent years present one of the most significant periods of change in a person's life. Read the educational research, and you will find the same conclusion. The National Middle Years Council, in their 1995 position paper This We Believe... states in the introduction that "Young people undergo more rapid and profound personal changes during the years between 10 and 15 than at any other period of their lives" (p. 5-6). Attempt to chart this change for just one class of 25 students, and the erratic spikes and dips of your chart will indicate the extreme variability between individuals. What can be predicted is a range from A to Z... what can't be predicted is the vagaries of any one particular journey. The challenge for a middle school is to meet the unique social, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and physical needs of these young adolescents... no small task.
So how does a school organize itself to educate these children, and how do the key components of an effective middle school come alive in a Christian setting? Researchers and educators agree that teachers who love to be with adolescents are the key indicator of a successful middle school. The love, commitment, and energy of these teachers is the essential beginning, with structure and programing flowing from this imperative. Typically, middle schools will be characterized by a more flexible structure that provides opportunities for students to grow in all areas of their being. This can be summed up as a student centered approach. The WMEMS Middle School realizes this philosophy in the following ways:
- committed educators who love and care about their students
- core subjects are taught by the home room teacher
- differentiated instruction and authentic assessment practices
- many opportunities for social interaction among peers
- sports programs are inclusive... all who want to participate are given the opportunity
- evenly dispersed, short breaks in the day
- daily intramural program
- varied academic opportunities, including practical arts
- opportunities in the arts (band, choir, art)
- leadership opportunities (student council, athletic council, yearbook committee)
- service opportunities in school and community
- daily devotions and weekly chapel services
- special events (fun and wacky times)
- a student lounge
- annual 3-day outdoor education camp
- high level of teacher contact and supervision
