Middle School Is A Period Of Transition For Adolescents

Transitioning from middle school to high school now college. Hardships and victories I have experienced it all. I have gone from the shy student to one of the most involved and active student in my school.

In 2015, I wrote about my personal philosophy of the gifted learner. I stated in my paper that, “Giftedness is not a one, set definition. The definition of gifted must encompass intellect, ability, creative talent as well as emotional awareness. It cannot be micro-managed and be a “one size fits all” definition” (Dauber, 2015). People, who are gifted, need differentiation and opportunity to express, demonstrate and show their giftedness. Educators must be able to provide opportunities for the gifted learner to express his/her abilities and/or talents. Gifted students learn differently and require special educational experiences in order to grow academically and achieve their highest potential. Therefore, the education field must be able to understand not only the cognitive side of a gifted learner but the affective or social/emotional aspects too.

The transition from elementary into middle school was tough, in fact I did not do well the first semester of that year. During these school years was unbeliebable the amount of people I met, especially my best friend. We used to play soccer a lot and ride bicycle all day long. Unfotunally, within those cheerful years my brother came to the US, which at the time felt like the worst thing that could've happened to me.

Some low-income parents do not have the confidence in their own ability to help their children, especially when more advanced concepts are introduced during middle and high school (Marchetti, Wilson, & Dunham, 2016). Finally, low income parents may not have the resources to hire tutors or extra help to assist with homework (Marchetti, Wilson, & Dunham, 2016). At-risk students may find it challenging to draw upon their personal strengths to muster adaptive responses to academic setbacks (Caleon, Wui, Chiam, King, Tan, & Tan, 2016). These barriers listed are more the reason why when a student does try, it should be reviewed as a strength. As at-risk students, must overcome more challenges to even do what is viewed as minimal effort.

Middle school was a lot of fun for me, I met a lot of new people and lots of new girls. It was also kinda tough in the beginning with switching classes and things and having so many different teachers and lots of homework from different classes and having to remember the room numbers of each class but eventually I got used to everything.

One of the difficulties in identifying the needs of low-income students is the profound cultural barriers which exist that prevent their strengths and deficits from being identified. Children from low-income homes frequently have poorer vocabularies and a weaker basis of the type of knowledge that is frequently considered 'intelligence' on most forms of assessment. A low-income child's IQ may be high, even though he lacks a framework of accepted middle-class knowledge. "In January 2003, the National Academy of Sciences released a report on the seeming overrepresentation of minorities in special education and underrepresentation of those students in gifted education. The NRC reported that, nationwide, 7.47 percent of all white students and 9.9 percent of Asian students are placed in gifted programs. Meanwhile, 3.04 percent of African-American students, 3.57 percent of Hispanic students, and 4.86 percent of American Indian students are classified as gifted" (GT-minority identification, 2003, ERIC Clearinghouse). The discrepancy, the NAS believed, could not be solely explained by talent alone but was at least partially rooted in the methods of identifying students labeled as gifted. Biases in standardized and other tests identifying student strengths, combined with prejudices, however unintentional, amongst educators and administrators lead to under-identification of the gifted

It has been seen that gifted children have different coping mechanisms, as they are likely to face different problems than their peers. This usually means them being overlooked by staff as they are not seen to need the same assistance as other students. It is often found that gifted girls may learn to hide their abilities in order to blend in with other children whereas gifted boys are usually considered immature and are unable to socialise with children their own age. These children usually have different learning methods therefore teaching staff may find it hard to work with their needs. This may lead the child to feel bored in class when the work is not differentiated to their

The students within Northern Secondary School’s 2014-2015 Gifted Program graduating class slid into AP and gifted classes like they were made for them. Since the beginning of their middle school careers, these gifted high school students have been spoonfed a thought-provoking and comprehensive education. At Wong’s public gifted elementary school, Cummer Valley, the faced-paced and in-depth curriculum not only stimulated his intellectual capacity and unlocked his potential, but “compelled him to achieve higher academic standards and established a strong foundation to build upon for high school.” Wong claims that he entered Earl Haig, a non-gifted public high school, with a knowledge base practically a grade higher than the majority of his subordinate

[Students who are gifted] give evidence of high achievement capability in areas such as intellectual, creative, artistic or leadership capacity, or in specific academic field, and who need services or activities not ordinarily provided by the school in order to fully develop those capabilities. ( No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 [NCLB], 2002, p. 526)

Motivating gifted students can present a challenge for any teacher. Many children are coming to school with very little enthusiasm to learn, especially the gifted child. Although

Another reason children might be expressing defiance could be in result of the transition to the middle school. Middle schools are typically much bigger than their elementary schools. The transition to a new or a bigger school can be difficult for children as well. "When adolescents transition to middle school, they tackle a series of new social and educational demands that place some of them at a greater risk for the development of behavioral problems" (Wang & Dishion, 2012). This is a time in their educational careers where they typically start to have more teachers than they previously did in elementary school. There is less of a personal connection with their teachers and there is now a even greater emphasis on social groups. Schools

There is a certain potent quality to the transition between middle and high school; many make it through this transition. I apparently, wasn’t good enough for that transition, and I didn’t get in. I also didn’t even apply for the spot, so this not getting in thing made no sense to me on the first day. However, later on, I discovered that it mattered a lot more than I had first thought. Mostly because it basically sealed my fate for the rest of my life. Suffice to say, I am the single unluckiest person in this whole school. Unrivaled by anyone, I win the nonexistent title by a landslide every single year. And I absolutely hate it. But don’t be mistaken, it’s not that I don’t enjoy being alone, I absolutely do, it’s just that they constantly tease me for it like I actually care. And everyone should know by now that I don’t care. Aside from school, I really have no reason to unhappy. But that’s just it, I am always unhappy. And maybe that’s why the kids at school pick on me so much. Either way, life has dealt me a pretty pathetic deck of cards. And today is no different from any other day, it’s exactly the same. I wake up with a frown on my face, completely and perpetually uninterested in every little thing that I have to do that morning. I weave around my family, all bustling and happy, half-asleep and all smiles. And then I drive to school. A school surrounded by trees and fog. It was as gloomy as my mind was. And so I get out of my car. And then I go to class. And then the

Adams County public school system’s current program doesn’t seem to recognize any minority or poor students who could be considered gifted. Educators in this district and committee members seem to lack any motivation to include diverse learners in their program. The fact that Adams County only recognized three out of four hundred thirty-eight over a five-year span is appalling. I feel Adams County need some major changes to extend their idea of giftedness. It needs to start with intensive and in-depth teacher training along with community outreach and awareness programs to help educate parents about giftedness. For instance, parent could learn ways to better support their children and help identify their child’s areas of giftedness.

Gifted students should be provided advanced opportunities to be challenged, to experience both success and growth, to develop higher level study, creativity, and productivity. To develop their interests and talents their individual characteristics, needs, learning rates, motivations for learning, cognitive abilities, and interests must be taken into account. Differentiation can be included in the curriculum by incorporating acceleration, complexity, depth, challenge, and creativity. Students can also be given fewer tasks to master a standard, use multiple resources and higher-level skills, conduct research, develop products, make cross-disciplinary

An additional life changing experience such as a school transition can cause more distress in the students’ lives (Blythe et al., 1983; Gonzales et al., 2004). Low income underrepresented students are two times as likely in reading, and three times in mathematics, to underachieve when compared to their wealthier peers (National Assessment of Educational Progress, 2005). Researchers have shown that these students’ academic achievement in reading and mathematics declined after transitioning to middle school (Alspaugh & Harting, 1995; Midgley et al., 2002). Ultimately, transitioning from elementary to middle school can result in negative academic and societal outcomes for low income disadvantaged students during and beyond middle school if