Emily Driver

This We Believe - Analysis of Faculty Interviews

Our first question was about communication and how teachers model it to their students.
Each person we asked had a different idea of communication. The first interview, with a social
studies teacher, spoke a lot about communicating with the parents of the students, talking about
conferences and keeping up with email to make sure parents are informed. He spoke more of the
community of the school, talking about school events as well. The second teacher, a science
teacher, spoke less about the community of the school but about the community at large. She
spoke about how they do a lot of community outreach, from a program where the classroom
raises trout to release into a river to recycling to a stream survey. All of these activities are
supported by groups in the communities. Finally, the principal speaks about primarily
communicating with parents and using the new technologies in place of newsletters. He
mentioned that many of the parents were not great fans of the all at once newsletter, so they
moved to a bit by bit approach with emails. He comments that many parents still want more
communication, so he has set his goals to make that a reality.
So far, from what I have seen, in conjunction with the answer to our first question and
others, there is a very strong drive to open communication all around. With the many activities
the 8th grade teacher has planned they had to keep communication open with the parents and with
community members and organizations in order to get everything up and running. I also saw this
use of communication during an IEP meeting when the parent commented that they trusted the
teachers to not only do what was best, as they had been, but to keep communication open, as
they had been.
Professional development was met with a more universal response. Both of the teachers
had a positive outlook on professional development, and both had gone and taken part of
multiple conferences on their own. The science teacher went into detail about how they have to
pay for their professional development since the budget was cut. They still find it important
enough to take part in, both having had about three events during the past year. What surprised
me though was that the principle took part as well, as I do not usually think of professional
development as something the administration does, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that he
took it as seriously as the teachers.
From what they have said, and again using information from further questions, all the
teachers, as well as the principal, have a very positive opinion of professional development.
They all see it as being a bonus and help with teaching or helping teachers. The teachers spoke
positively of their own experiences, commenting about how they helped the classes they taught.
It shows that even for senior teachers and administration, professional development is ongoing
and important.
AMS educators seem to be united in the belief that students steer their own educational
experience when they are properly motivated by teaching that is designed to excite students

interests and which gives students choice. Several educators mentioned that the school focuses
on teaching kids about career opportunities as well. However, one teachers answer was unclear.
He mentioned that it is important to teach kids that how they perform tasks in school will reflect
how they will function in the real world but he did not cite specific ways that he holds students
accountable. Another teacher was more specific, saying that she uses art and technology in her
science classroom so that student are motivated to steer their own educational experience.
Similarly, the third teacher alluded to some aspect of choice that students are given in school,
thus encouraging them to make choices and control their learning.
Overall, I think the school is aware of the importance for students to take control of their
own education but it needs to be more purposefully implemented or reflected on. AMSs use of
the arts, technology, clubs, and career education are good ways that student responsibility is
encouraged but I believe that teachers could emphasize this point more effectively within their
relationships with students. From my observations in the classroom I do think that the students
generally feel a sense of agency and ownership over their education but more creative, hands on,
and project based learning could be implemented so that they truly feel like that are cultivating
their own learning. There also do not seem to be planned opportunities for students to express
their needs and preferences (TWB, p. 16). So although the school offers students choice, it does
not seem to give them

a voice in what choices are offered. As This We Believe calls them,

hands-joined opportunities do not seem to be abundant, that is, opportunities where students
and teachers develop learning together (TWB, p. 16). AMS is in need of student inclusion in the
creation of learning in order to promote student self-advocacy and implement the middle school
concept.
Depending on the role of the educator, their contributions to a relevant, rigorous, and
relational school are different. The two content teachers touched on relevant teaching through
inquiry and creativity. In content areas, rigor is encouraged because teachers know that students
will be tested on the material, thus they push students to meet these standards. Yet, teachers have
standards of their own that they also want students to live up to. Although standardized testing
might not be the best way to encourage rigor, one teacher responded that it helps her to raise
expectations. The principal responded that his motto for AMS is a school where every student is
known, valued, and inspired and that this point is stressed to teachers in staff meetings. He also
stated that because Avery follows an arts integration program, students are challenged rigorously
to apply their learning creatively. The Special Education teacher stated that she follows the
curriculum exactly and adjusts it for her students. This means that she is holding her students to
similar standards as less differentiated learners, making the coursework rigorous, but also
making it relevant to the particular students that she instructs.
I think that AMS practices rigorous education, but I think that it could be more relational
and include more relevant instruction. The educators interviewed were not able to articulate the
ways in which they are supportive of students. The principal indicated awareness of the
importance of knowing and valuing students, but he did not specifically say how this is done.

Expectations for teachers to create relevant learning was also not explained very well. I think that
if testing is what makes these teachers raise their expectations, then teachers are not
independently enacting an atmosphere of high expectations, or learning, that is relevant to more
than a test. I do not think that AMS is united in the ways that they enact this mission. This We
Believe states that, In some exemplary middle level schools, curriculum is often carried out in
units or projects that involve complex tasks and focus on major issues (TWB, p.17). The type of
learning believed to be rigorous and relevant, according to the middle school model, is described
as project based learning, a description that AMS does not hold true to. I believe that if project
based learning was implemented, students and teachers could also work closely together to refine
projects, thus cultivating supportive relationships as well.
AMS Educators are pretty united in the idea that the school has a lot of improvement to
do in terms of providing students with nutritious food options and educating students about
health. Teachers and administrators referred to the progress that the school has made in terms of
offering healthy options and feeding a larger amount of students that are in need. However,
several teachers also explained that the options are still poor. Both the principal and teachers did
not seem to know much about the extent to which education about nutrition is taught; they all
stated something like, We have PE and Health classes to educate students on wellness. No one
seemed to know what the quality of the health education classes are. There are also not
opportunities for students to explore health related issues outside of health class.
In order to meet the developmental needs of students, a middle school should include
extensive health education and express the importance of health to students. If the school is the
place where students are exposed to unhealthy foods and limited health education, then students
will not understand their bodies and how to care for them. AMS has a lot of work to do in this
department in order to become a truly developmentally responsive middle school. They will need
to improve their health education and the food that they offer in order to support their students.
Additionally, the ideal middle school puts An emphasis on health, wellness, and safety [that]
permeates the entire school, with faculty members sharing responsibility for maintaining a
healthy school environment (TWB, p.38). At AMS, the educators interviewed did not generally
seem to take responsibility for the health and wellness education of students, instead they
referred to the PE teacher, saying he takes care of that. Wellness definitely does not seem to be
a priority for this school although responsive middle level schools help students develop and
maintain healthy minds and bodies (TWB, p.38).
AMS has counseling services that are very open to the students. All the educators that
were interviewed stated that all a student has to do to see the guidance counselor is ask and they
can then go and meet with her any time of the day. Some students eat lunch with the counselor
every day or go to see her and/or her interns for check ups every morning. The counselor is
actually a qualified social worker and because of the small school size and the abundance of
interns, students are very well served by the counselor. Additionally, teachers can refer a student
to counseling or a student can self-refer.

Because the counselor is regularly available for students, is well qualified, and very
supportive, I would say that guidance and support services of the school meet the needs of young
adolescents. The fact that there is only one counselor may present a problem if a student is not
comfortable with her for one reason or another. The fact that interns are not consistent may also
present a problem if a student becomes attached to an intern that is no longer available. The
model of counseling services presents some potential problems but because of the size and
closeness of the school, the counseling services are a strength and an asset. The counselor may
fulfill a major role of advocacy for students. However, not enough information about the
particular practices of the counselor were shared to understand the degree to which her advocacy
may be effective. The fact that the counselor performs hygiene checks for some students every
morning proves her to be an asset to the health and wellness of students as well. As This We
Believe advocates for, the guidance counselor at this school is readily accessible to students and
is specialized to care for students. Critically, All staff are aware of appropriate referral services
and procedures at AMS (TWB, p.37). Not enough information was gathered from these
interviews in order to determine if the counseling services meet all the qualities listed in This We
Believe. Some of these qualities include: support teachers in advisory programs, demonstrate
and conduct classroom group activities...sponsor peer mediation...meet with parents..etc (TWB,
p.37).
AMS seems to be good at varying instruction for students of all levels. Teachers use
multiple methods to reach their students, including visual, auditory, and kinesthetic methods of
learning. Visual learning can sometimes involve images, videos, and songs to remember various
lessons, and ties in with auditory learning to some extent. What is surprising is the use of
kinesthetic learning in the classroom; teachers tend to use games, labs, and other activities to
cement ideas in students minds. In addition, teachers will sometimes allow students to work
together to explain things to their friends, and this helps learning immensely. Students tend to be
more willing to listen to their friends than they do their teachers. The Special Education teacher
notes that her entire class goes at a slower pace.
It seems to me that the school is doing a good job of differentiating learning styles to
accommodate learners of all levels. This situation appears to meet the learning needs of
adolescents, and I feel that the learning opportunities available provide the best possible learning
environment given the schools resources and staff. The only problem is, given the presence of
only one teacher per content area in each grade, learning may be difficult for a student if they do
not mesh well with that teacher. In addition, the content area teachers we interviewed are science
and social studies, two fields which lend themselves to differentiated instruction, and we did not
gauge the differentiation in content areas such as Math or English. However, the teachers we
surveyed felt that they and their colleagues did a good job at varying instruction based on
learning styles.
The individuals we surveyed were all originally from other fields or age groups. One
teachers original certification was in grades 1-8, but the others came from high school

backgrounds and preferred high school students to begin with. One teacher noted that she had
majored in high school sciences, got a job in a 7th grade classroom straight out of college, and
she cried every day, and struggled, until she remembered that as teachers, we dont teach
subjects, we teach students, and their learning what they need to know is more important than us
teaching what we want to teach. Every teacher who said they began in another age group said
that once they got into the middle grades, they found that they preferred that to their original
level. Part of this, they said, was the unique spirit and needs of middle grades students. They all
noted that middle schoolers are in an interesting spot in their lives; they still retain their sense of
wonder and their childhood excitement, but theyre not children anymore, and theyre beginning
to mature and understand the world on broader terms. Teachers are able to really make a
difference and guide their students to be better people, whereas in elementary school theyre not
going to be guided to anything, and in high school the students tend to be shut-off to adult
interference.
I found the teachers understanding and consideration of the unique needs of middle
school students to be very comforting. Its obvious, talking to these individuals, that they truly
care about their students and want them to be the best they can be at the age they are now,
without focusing on the grade levels they trained to teach. I also found it interesting that almost
every teacher we interviewed did not even major in a program that included the middle grades,
much less focused on them. The fact that these educators not only actively choose to remain in
the middle school, but also understand and work to support the psychological and developmental
needs of their students, shows me that the educators at AMS truly are committed to and
knowledgeable about middle-grades students and how best to help them succeed in their
academics.
At AMS the teachers put a lot of focus on giving students the opportunity to show their
mastery of the material in several ways. Most of the teachers brought up their use of project
based assessments that allow the students to have a better chance to show they know the
information. One teacher talked about the differences in students and how some students are
much better at showing that they learned the material through the arts or through a project. While
some students may be better suited to taking a long multiple choice test as their assessment.
There are even students who are better at writing an essay to either of these options. By allowing
for projects, essays, and art more students are able to succeed. The only teacher with a different
view on this was the 7th grade Special Education teacher. Since her focus was more on the
students in her classroom she talked about having assessments that were more on the level of the
students with disabilities. An example of this would be giving fewer possible answers on tests or
giving an alternate assignment.
I think the way the school approaches differences in the way students show their mastery
levels is well suited for young adolescents. There are many students who find that doing a long
test is so stressful that it becomes useless to even attempt. Therefore having the teachers allow
students to do other types of assessments that arent these tests is in line with the middle school

concept. I like that the teachers talk about all the ways that they allow students to show their
mastery. For instance, having the options of writing, a project, art, or doing a test helps students
feel more at ease when it comes to working on their assessments. When they are less stressed
about the work, they will show their true knowledge of what they are doing.
There are a few groups of students that the teachers at AMS try to advocate for. For
instance, one teacher said that he wants to be an advocate for students who are having issues at
home. This can include students who are going through a change at home (ex. divorce). He
thinks that students at this age have a much harder time with dealing with these big changes in
their lives. A couple of the teachers talked about being advocates for all of their students. All
middle schoolers are having trouble and teachers should not try to exclusively advocate for any
one group. A great quote from one educator was, I want to think I advocate for all of them.
That's what I think is challenging, I have a group of 29 students, how do I reach all of them. The
special education teacher wants to advocate for students who are on the low end of the
socioeconomic ladder. She also wants to be able to advocate for students who dont have support
at home.
A school that tries to advocate for all students at the school is obviously one that is there
to help the young adolescents at the school. Young adolescents need good adult role models and
teachers can fill do this easily. I think it is a good sign that there are teachers who see that they
should be advocates for all students, especially when there are so many students who have no
advocacy and fall behind in school because no one is paying attention to them. By being there to
advocate for all students, everyone in the school will be better at what they do. Teachers will be
able to get information across to the students more effectively, students will be more willing to
learn the information, and more students will succeed in the academic setting.
AMS embodies a middle school with their dedication to faculty collaboration to ensure
all student needs are addressed. AMSs special education teacher mentioned teamed meetings,
faculty meetings, and shared learning opportunities as a few instances of faculty growing the
community of AMS. A seventh grade teacher commented that learning is achieved in his
classroom through play. This We Believe supports adjustments to learning styles, in order to
ensure an equitable education. Through the A+ program, highlighted by an eighth grade
educator, students are motivated to succeed in school, as students are given a chance to find their
talents, outside of the core content instruction; engaging students, again, to unlock their potential.
Further, the principal of AMS shares responsibilities with his teams, as to ensure invested
stakeholders of all faculty members.
These interviews have shown AMS successfully provides equitable opportunities for
student success in accordance to This We Believe. Students are challenged through multiple
teaching styles, including play as learning. Further, learning opportunities are heavily influenced
by the arts, allowing students to have their understanding of humanities deeply enriched.
Beyond proving opportunities for students to be challenged, AMS remains dedicated to

advocating for all of their students; every student is given a voice through teamed meetings and
school wide faculty meetings. AMS achieves a shared vision for all stakeholders.
AMS seeks to provide relevant and challenging curriculum through constant revision.
Individual instructors spoke enthusiastically about revising lesson plans in order to meet student
needs, thoughtful reflection was mentioned by an eighth grade educator as being instrumental to
her revision process. A seventh grade teacher remarked that common core had changed the
classroom, a view echoed by the Special Education instructor stating, It changes when the state
says to, in response to queries on curriculum revision. The seventh grade teacher goes on to
press that high stakes testing is less than ideal, reflecting that varied assessment allows students
to be challenged, and meet expectations of excellence. AMSs principal seeks revision in teacher
parent communications, in order to encourage active guardian participation in their childs
education. He stressed that the teachers websites be standardized throughout grade levels, in
order to streamline the process for parents.
Teachers express sentiments that align themselves with This We Believe requirement that
assessment is varied and ongoing, in contrast to end of grade high stakes tests. Active and
purposeful learning is achieved through lesson plans being tailored through thoughtful reflection.
Further, the administration increases student resources outside of school by making school
resources more accessible not only to students, but their parents as well. Within the school,
administration encourages exploratory learning through technology and arts, with a stress for
hands on learning assignments. Again, stressing varied learning opportunities, as well as
exploration within the classroom. Outside the school, administration has encouraged parent
involvement by making it easier for parents to access student assignments, and communicate
with their childs teachers. In these ways AMS reflects the equitable, challenging, and
empowering attributes of all responsible middle schools.
AMS Faculty supports the growth of its students as lifelong learners through various
means. Students experience clubs and enrichment (exploratory) activities led by teachers, which
shows students that even teachers have interested that may not match their content area. The use
of clubs and enrichment allows the adults at AMS to be positive role models for the importance
of lifelong learning. AMS faculty also shows student that they are active learners as adults as
they struggle at times to work the technology at AMS. Students see that teachers are learning
every day of their lives. AMS shows students that the adults at the school are lifelong learners
through the passion and excitement for their subject. AMS also facilitates the growth of students
as lifelong learners through opportunities like science fairs.
AMS faculty engages with students outside the classroom through attending sporting
events, coaching sports, volunteering in the community, supervising dances, and through after
school clubs. The faculty participates in many activities that foster deeper connections with
students outside of the traditional classroom atmosphere. Faculty works to foster purposeful
learning and meaningful relationships just as This We Believe states.

Minor conflict is managed by teachers within the classroom, but major conflicts are
handled by administration. Teachers and administration both work to figure out the cause of
discipline issues to find ways of helping the students find resolutions. AMS focuses heavily on
trying to find ways for multiple personalities to co-exist peacefully and productively. When
things get more serious the resource officer steps in. The resource officer works with the teachers
to prepare them for potential situations they may encounter. The resource officer is used as an
educational tool for teachers, students and administrators.
AMSs structure follow the guidelines in This We Believe in term of safety in the school.
This We Believe dictates that school environments should be inviting. safe, inclusive, and
supportive of all. AMS stresses this in their policies on school safety. This We Believe touches
on the need for healthy peer relationships. AMS addresses the needs of its students by fostering
those positive peer relationships in a safe and welcoming atmosphere.
AMS was described as being a caring, playful, fun, and embracing of diversity by its
faculty members. The students at AMS are welcomed with a positive and playful attitude which
drastically brightens the atmosphere of the school. AMS also uses its news program to highlight
the diversity of the school. The students are given the opportunity to expand their understanding
of the cultures of their peers. One teacher said we play around with them, we joke with them,
but they know that we-we care. This really encompasses the overall atmosphere of AMS.
AMSs classroom culture and school wide culture embodies This We Believe in many
ways. AMS follows most of the guidelines, but we see AMS working most prominently toward
being a Developmentally Responsive middle school. Through the atmosphere they have created
regarding curriculum, safety, relationships, and advocacy AMS has been able to develop a school
culture that assists in the development of its students into lifelong learners with unique passions
and identities.