Middle Phase of Learning
Children’s success in the first years of primary school depends on a background of rich learning in their preschool/prep years. When moving through the first few school years, a parental interest in their school activities is vital for children’s success.
The Coleman Report (1966) emphasised the need for continued parent support throughout the school years. Even so, researchers continue to observe that parental involvement drops off as children reach middle school years. Academic achievement often reflects this for two reasons. Firstly schools are unable to compensate for parents withdrawal. Secondly children may understand their parents’ lack of involvement as an indication that school is not important. When children perceive these attitudes their success at school is put at risk.
“Parental interest is a more potent influence on children’s learning success than parents’ education background, parents’ occupation, parents’ cultural background or family income level.” (Snodgrass, 1991).
One of the reasons our boys have great academic success at this school is the interest that their fathers’ show in their schooling, their attendance at school functions and the work they do around the school. This demonstrates to their sons (and daughters) that education is important and valued.
There are many ways in which parents can show their children that education (and schooling) is important.
Activities may include:
- supporting the teacher in the classroom
- attending parent evenings
- attending courses held at school
- involvement in “working bees”
- involvement in support groups (eg history, sport, music, IT, grounds, marketing, WH&S, Road Safety)
- involvement in fundraising activities – very important to enable us to provide special activities for all our students.
Involvement in these activities has the potential to influence positively children’s learning success.
The Middle Years
The early years of adolescence can be a turbulent time for teenagers and their parents and teachers. These are the years when early adolescents are striving to become full members of their peer group. This is, of course, a peer group heavily influenced by pop culture which includes, for young girls, the pressure to look sexy without actually being sexual. Schools that come down hard on outward signs of belonging, like hair products and piercings, can easily misinterpret their significance. Just like little children dressing up to look adult, young teens adopt symbols of contemporary older adolescence without necessarily adopting their behaviour too.
Seeing such signs as rehearsal rather than rebellion will help schools and parents cope.
Characteristics
- Social life is the most important part of their lives but hobbies, sports and family also stay important.
- Their friends determine their clothes, their choice of music, their language and even the subjects they choose at school.
- Talking on the phone, texting, sending notes, chat rooms and emails are vital everyday forms of communications even with friends they have just been with.
- Their hormones and growth spurts mean they can act like children one minutes and adults the next. They veer from being a delight to seeming like monsters.
- Their brain development and neurochemistry mean they can seem disorganised, untidy, impulsive, unreasonable and imprudent.
- Even the most rebellious teenager will usually return to the values their parents brought them up with.
- They love their parents and want their approval but parents are also agonisingly embarrassing.
- They have crushes but their friends are usually more important to them than actual dates. They are more likely to socialise in groups.
- They are cliquey, exclusive, and desperate to be accepted.
- They are ultra-sensitive to others being nasty to them but don’t realise how nasty they can be themselves.
- They need both boundaries and space.
- They want to be cool and fear being excluded.
- They love teachers who are entertaining, humorous and kind.
Great Things About Middle Schoolers
They enjoy learning.
They do as they are asked.
They are keen to help.
They are keen to participate.
They respect and like their teachers.
They are full of fun.
They are enthusiastic.
They have lots of energy.
They want to do their best.
They can hold an intelligent conversation.
They love to show how responsible they can be.
They soak up new ideas.
They have a social conscience.
They still have a lot of child in them.
They are not heard to please.
They love a joke, even a silly one.
They are open and honest.
Each one is different.
They share their feelings.
They reflect adult behaviour back to us.
They see the world in simple terms.
They are idealistic.
They expect a lot of the adults in their life.
They love whatever’s cool.
(Principal’s Digest Volume 10 Number 8)
