MS Student Life
Relationships that are developed are among the most important components of the middle school experience. Teachers and students develop these relationships inside and outside of the classroom. Throughout the year, we provide a variety of venues, activities, and structures in which students and teachers can get to know each other. The following quote from Linda Crawford and Scott Tyink captures our thinking:
“When the doors open in September, if there aren’t any structures to support healthy, inclusive communication and relationship-building, they won’t happen. Community and trust don’t occur just because we all came to the same school and everyone is following the same schedule. They are built deliberately, piece by piece, out of every encounter between one person and another.” Guidelines for Responsive Designs for Middle School 1
One of the primary means used to develop supportive and positive relationships among students and between students and their teachers is the advisory. Each student, each year is assigned to a teacher who serves as the advisor for that student. The role of the advisor is multi-faceted: mentor, guide, advocate, encourager. The advisory, consisting of eight to 12 students, serves as a connecting point for each student as bonds are developed, a sense of community is instilled, and a compulsion to encourage is ingrained. As students seek to gain the increasing degrees of independence for which we hope, the advisor serves as a partner with parents as they navigate these difficult years—providing perspective, insight, and information.
Other dimensions of student life include: