Pages 33-42

This section focuses on the culture and community characteristics brought to life on the chart on page 14 by the NMSA. The subsequent section of this particular characteristic includes the school environment, adult advocates, guidance services, family involvement and community and businesses at large. I personally feel that this characteristic is the most important in forming a well-rounded person out of the young adolescent they start out as in the middle school. We must teach them to be respectful, confident and competent citizens, role models and individuals. In doing this they must know that they can confide in us and the community, we are there for them, we have their backs. Maybe, I realized it more in my school because it was so small, but our middle school “team” worked and ran like a family which made communication and questioning easy. The students always knew their place in the school and that no question was a “dumb” question, most teachers were always pleasant and friendly, always willing to help as well as the presents of parents, who were constantly volunteering, chaperoning and willing to help out and change things when needed. Our school ran like clockwork with the help of everyone contributing, it was never a one-man act, which is the type of school I’d love to work in. I love the quote on page 41 that says, “Schools do not presume to educate children alone,” the school is not and should not work as a separate entity of the town. In my high school, unfortunately for block scheduling we could not do it in middle school, we had the opportunity to have a school to career. Our guidance counselor would set us up around town in jobs we wished to have after graduation. It would last for a full 9 weeks and we could go anywhere that was willing to help and advocate for us. I was placed in a 2nd grade classroom for 9 weeks and a Freshman English class for 9 weeks. It was a great opportunity to see the different age groups and figure out where I wanted to go in life. Some students went to the hospital others to construction sites, etc. but this “apprenticeship” helped build us as citizens and community members as well as allow the community to help in our education. These characteristics overall help form a school as well as a community and I feel they are very useful in the “real” world.