Reflection On Middle School Education

During the months of September and October this semester I spent time at two different schools in four different classrooms. Being able to observe different classes and teachers at Westside Junior High and South Live Oak Elementary was a very new and exciting experience for me since I can’t say I’ve always wanted to be a teacher. My experiences at these schools gave me a better insight into the differences between schools, classrooms, and teachers. The purpose of this field experience was to get 10 observation or tutoring hours in an elementary or junior high setting. I chose to observe a

As a future middle school teacher, I know I have much to learn. I have to learn how to effectively make engaging lesson plans that meet the academic standards of my content, I have to educate myself on how to efficiently and promptly determine all of my student’s different learning styles and motivation, and I have to learn how to professionally build classroom management and a safe classroom environment, while still developing a sincere relationship with my students. However, of all the things I still need to learn, there is just as much that I have already learned which has helped build and strengthen my beliefs on what I believe a middle school teacher is and my responsibility as such.

In this paper I plan to discuss the developmental stages of adolescence. Adolescents are also referred to as "teenagers" or "young adults." Adolescence begins after the childhood stage and ends right before adulthood. The years of adolescence range from 12 years old to 21 years old. The years of adolescence can be quite a roller coaster ride. Young people in this stage encounter a great deal of changes in their life as they prepare for adulthood. I will discuss emotional, intellectual, physiological, and social domains of development and how it relates to adolescents. I will also discuss some helpful tips for teachers to aide in communicating effectively to adolescents and understanding their

children, adolescents, adults, older, adults, women/men, travellers, refugees, people with mental health difficulties, people with physical disabilities and unemployed people. The development throughout life depends on the individual, some may be quicker at adapting and some may be delayed at adapting. The physical development of the needs of adolescents includes the start of puberty. Girls starts menstruation, develop breast, grow public hair and their hips widen. For boys the physical development includes the penis and testes growing larger, they grow pubic and facial hair, muscles develop, chest and shoulders broaden and the voice deepens.

“The development of children ages 12 through 18 years old should include expected physical and mental milestones. During adolescence, children develop the ability to: Understand abstract ideas. These include grasping higher math concepts, and developing moral philosophies, including rights and privileges; and Move toward a more mature sense of themselves and their

An inevitable part of being a senior is the question “ What do you want to be when you grow up?”. Luckily for me, i’ve been sure of what i wanted to do since I was 6 years old. I’ve never doubted for a second that teaching is my future. I picture myself ten years from now, and I see myself standing in front of my class, a presentation queued up, and a steely look of determination in my eye.

This paper is will focus on the influences of physical and cognitive development in adolescence from 12 to 18 years of age. This part of the developmental stage has many factors that affect the physical development as well as the cognitive development in adolescence. In addition to influences of physical and cognitive development this paper will also focus on the hereditary and environmental influences that make up this stage in life.

This was the moment I had been waiting for the entire summer. My first moment as a “real teacher” in charge of a class full of students. Even more exciting was the fact I was teaching kindergarten! As an incoming first-year Teach for America Corp member in Las Vegas, we had heard about the Achievement or Opportunity Gap all summer and I felt that I was given a special opportunity. I determined in my mind that my students would not be behind but be ahead by the time that they finished kindergarten. I spent hours preparing seating arrangements, organizing my library and centers, going over the standards and lesson planning with people on my grade level. There was no doubt in my mind that the students in room 29 would accomplish great things.

In that class, the student learns about different teaching methods and how to care for children. As part of the curriculum, we volunteered at Long Elementary as teacher aides. Working with 4th grade students and observing an everyday class room was such an awe-inspiring experience. I had a completely new perspective about teachers. I have so much more respect as before. Teachers put so much time and effort into helping children for their benefits. I knew from the first day I helped with Ms. Williams’ 4th grade class, how much a teacher is a positive influence on children. There is an overwhelming feeling when you help a student with a problem and in return they give you the most heart-warming smile. The experience at Long Elementary helped me make my final decision on whether I wanted to teach elementary or secondary school. As much as I enjoyed helping elementary students, in my heart I knew secondary school was the path God had in store for me.

There are five characteristics that all adolescents have. These characteristics are biological growth and development, an undefined status, increased decision-making, increased pressures, and the search for self. The brain and the endocrine system control biological growth and development. During the early stages of adolescence, individuals experience growth in height and weight, changes in the body, the development of sexual characteristics, and skin problems. For example, I started getting curves in my body when I hit puberty. My body started to develop changes. Our society’s expectations for children and adults are clear, but for the adolescent, expectations are inexplicit. Some adolescents are treated like children, but some are treated like adults. There is an undefined status. For example, my parents pay for my lunch, but I have to have a job so I can support myself.

development, not just one side14. The adolescents are bound to get changes in both psychological and physical aspects. To be more specific, they begin to

Adolescence is the distinct transitional stage between childhood and adulthood in human development, extending primarily over the teenage years and terminating legally when the age of majority is reached (Rathus, 2014). However in some instances, this biological, cognitive, social and emotional maturity may not be reached until a later stage and may be dictated by gender. Adolescence is characterised by rapidly changing and unpredictable behaviour (Freud, as cited in Rathus 2014), heightened and unstable emotions (Hall, as cited in Rathus 2014), disturbances in identity, the gradual development of one’s moral reasoning (Kohlberg, as cited in Rathus, 2014) and the gradual establishment of one’s independence. Several of these changes may occur at differing phases in adolescent growth. This development is categorized into three separate stages; early adolescence, middle adolescence, and late adolescence. Early Adolescence, commencing from the ages of eleven or twelve until the age of fourteen, comprises of several features such as rapid biological development and maturity, heightened stress levels and limited coping capabilities. On the other hand, middle adolescence, from the approximate age of fourteen to sixteen, involves the gradual cease of biological change, an increase in coping strategies and declined stress levels. Furthermore, late adolescence, commencing from the age of sixteen until the age of eighteen or nineteen, encompasses physical maturity, whereby the

Upon receipt of an email from Ruth Ann Ponten, a 7th grade math teacher, Maya Thomas, the district staff development and instructional consultant, immediately took action to help support the struggling teacher. Ruth Ann was located at a school within a rural community that was undergoing a major transition. The community of farm workers and working class families was transitioning to a community of educated professionals that were being attracted to the community’s strong, tight-knit feel and impeccable older homes. With the change of families, new expectations regarding education started to emerge as well.

understanding as well as their growth rate of body size their comprehension of this natural process becomes difficult to comprehend. Psychologist Jean Piaget (1896 – 1980) reflection about Cognitive development sparked an interest between a child’s “nature” and “nurture” behaviorism. Having observation of children, both his own and those around him, be believed that children’s capacity to have reasoning and thinking process consist of distinctive stages. Piaget proposed four stages of Cognitive Development: The Sensorimotor Stage, Preoperational Stage, Concrete Operational Stage and Formal Operational Stage. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_development, 2016)

As children, we absorb information and learn from experiences that mold us into who we are. Many individuals impact a child’s life, but the most powerful and influential role lies in a devoted teacher, a teacher provides growth to students as a gardener would to a garden of flowers. Each child can bloom into a thriving flower so long as you water their garden with optimism, love, patience, and guidance. Throughout my educational experiences I was lucky enough to have educators who poured their knowledge and optimism into me, and now I would like to reciprocate that back to students who are in the position I was once in. Balancing life and school is hard enough for a student, but a powerful and caring teacher can steer you in the right direction. In this autobiography you will read about my educational background, experiences that influenced my decision to become a teacher, and what I believe the role of a teacher should be in a student’s life.