Chapter 1

Turning Points 2000 Chapter One

I thought that chapter one laid down the groundwork for not only the importance of middle grades education but also showed not only the ways to change the schools but also how to interpret and understand the changes. As the chapter points out, the United States Educational system is in a bit of disrepair given the problems with tests scores in reading, writing, and most glaringly math. I also felt that the book talked about the need for adequate funding but it also hinted at the notion that some things cannot be solved by money but instead fixed by broad changes. The chapter also does a good job of also explaining and pointing out the fact that these problems affect all students but especially those students who are from lower SES levels or are minorities – I feel like that is one topic that gets overshadowed here because of the lack of diversity at the college and in the surrounding areas.

After reading the chapter, I really began to think about how the middle school years are usually the ones where students are most interested in learning and want to come to school – then you reach the high school level, and students try to do everything that they can to avoid school and work. I also felt that one area of concern that many students and educators either do not know about or flat-out ignore is that being an adolescent is a tough “job”. As the book points out, an adolescent’s body changes more than any other time, other than infancy, and students are faced with new emotions (such as love and lust) along with seeming incredibly uncomfortable in their own skin. I think in order for teachers to effectively teach their middle grades students they need to know about these things and make sure that they can make adjustments to emotions and other things in their classrooms. If a student freaks out and starts to cry or gets really angry, the teacher should be able to handle the situation and just talk to the student. Overall, the only way for the system to get better is for more money, that is directed to the right places, and for teachers, students, and parents to want more out of their kids and to want to strive to be the best; unless there is a shift in society’s view on school then it will take a while to adjust or make any changes to a broken system.