The Power of Middle School Maximizing These Vital Years [Paperback]

Evaluating his experiences with middle school students and his perspective on the big picture of the middle school years with his unique bridge/maze analogy, Dr. Babbage's latest is a must read for anyone working with middle school students!Dr. Babbage captures the voice of the middle school student.?He has spent time getting to know the unique mindset that develops during this difficult period of adolescence.?He understands the fears, hopes, and anxieties that they face, and how administrators, teachers, and parents can help guide them through these middle years.?This is an important read for anyone who has a middle school student in his or her life.This book describes what middle schools can be if teachers, administrators, and counselors base their services on a comprehensive understanding of the unique and multidimensional characteristics of middle school students. The book maintains that effectively teaching and supporting these students involves maximizing the middle school moment (i.e., using students' own distinctive zeitgeist as the touchstone for instruction). Babbage bases this advice on his own 28 years of experience as a teacher and administrator and on a qualitative survey given to knowledgeable veterans who have successfully worked with students at this age level. This results in a highly readable book, filled with suggestions that make good sense and are contextualized within many vignettes about actual students. Although not recommended for research libraries, this would be a satisfying read for parents whose children are facing middle school or for beginning education students who might be considering a career with this population. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers and lower-division undergraduate students.The middle school years are a maze of academic duties, human growth and self-development, discovering self identity, and increasing social interaction with other people. This maze can be an adventure of achievement and opportunity, orlC™