Teaming Reflection

Teaming, the idea of teachers collaborating together to serve the wide-ranging needs of young adolescent students, is what sets the middle grades structure apart from the junior high school system. Traditionally, students of that age group attended and approached their middle years of education just like they would during their high school years, which is now proven to be misappropriate when it comes to fulfilling their needs as human-beings, as well as students. Teaming allows for students to grow more personal relationships with the teachers, which encourages greater student involvement and participation within the team community, as well as the school community. Teaming brings a sense of belonging to student, for they are able to identify with a team and this allows them to be reassured they are a part of something meaningful. When students at this stage in their development feel as though they have a basic sense of acceptance within one particular community, they are more likely to broader their horizons and participate in other activities within the school, as well as making a difference at a young age in their respective communities. This is just one way that teaming can promote life-long learning at a young age. Students in the middle grades structure, when implemented successfully, feel more comfortable to learn and grow independently because of the reassuring sense of community they naturally feel by their peers and teachers when they are interacting within the team community on a daily basis.