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I taught science in grades 3-8 in low income US schools. The main difference between 3-5 and 6-8 is puberty. These humans are undergoing the most radical shift
by Dumblydorr 7y ago
I taught science in grades 3-8 in low income US schools. The main difference between 3-5 and 6-8 is puberty. These humans are undergoing the most radical shift in their hormones and behavioral regime in their entire life. They go from caring what their teacher thinks to caring what their peers think; the kids get louder, stronger, less respectful of authority, more likely to join gangs or do drugs. Everyone gets a lot more talkative and disruptive. Middle schoolers are simply the hardest age group to teach.
- tbyehl 7y ago> Middle schoolers are simply the hardest age group to teach. But how much of that might be structural? Under ideal circumstances, a K-5 student has one teacher each year, in a class largely composed of students they were in a class with the previous year. We throw them into 6th grade, now they have what, 5-6 teachers for 40-50 minutes each? In my district, two elementary schools feed each middle, so their grade size has doubled and even many of the students they shared an elementary school with will be unfamiliar. That's a whole lot of social upheaval to subject 11 y/o kids to. Puberty is just icing on the cake.
- __s 7y agoYou can look at areas where teaching varies. My experience at a Canadian school didn't have a different teacher per class until 9th grade at a new school
- tbyehl 7y agoI'll add, my partner's children enter middle school next year and thinking about all of this is concerning. My partner points out that this is where children start to "slip through the cracks" -- teachers' ability to provide individualized attention is greatly reduced by the reduction in class time and increased number of students to educate. The difference in structure has a big impact on both sides.