If we want students to be successful in middle school, we must be aware of and respond to the changes in their development, understand the changes that lie ahead of them, and listen to what they say… Both academic and behavioral success were more likely in places where teachers and administrators bought into the value of basing their work on the principles of child and adolescent development.

— You want to be what–middle school teacher, Brown Knowles, 2007

Basically, I learned three most important advice for middle school teachers. The first is to be patient and listen to what students say. It happens a lot that a teacher jumps to the conclusion so quickly that she ignored what the student really wants to say or she even doesn’t listen to the student. This is very important to build up the teacher’s authority and leave students the impression that the teacher is trustworthy. There are situations that the student may be too emotional to have a conversation, especially when they are bullied. Patience is critical in this situation.

The second advice is that the teacher should understand that middle schools students are in the “special period” so she should try to take students’ perspectives but not still treat them as kids who need strict management. In my observation at Essex Street Academy, I observed one teacher asked the boy who made a loud noise to step out of the classroom. I am not sure if it is an appropriate reaction since boys in this period have a quite strong self-esteem. If the teacher could take this student’s perspective, I assume there would be a more proper solution.

The last advice is never focusing on the content but on the students’ developmental and academic needs. In the classroom, it’s essential that the teacher should address students’ needs from different aspects in the curriculum, and not only for most regular students but also focus on those who are far way ahead or behind. Only when students’ developmental needs are satisfied, could they make progress in their academic and behavioral performance.