Giving Students a Voice
Once when I received recognition for my work as a principal, one of my teachers had her students make me a congratulations card. I was basking in the glow of comments such as “you’re the greatest”, “we’re proud of you”, “we knew you were the best”, etc. when all of a sudden I was brought back down to earth by Kevin’s comment. Knowing him quite well (he had premier level frequent flyer status in the office), I couldn’t quite be sure if he had just not been paying attention or if he actually knew something the other students hadn’t figured out. Kevin’s remark? “I hope you get well soon!” Sometimes I do think you have to be just a little bit “not well” to love working with middle level students on a daily basis!
One of the things I miss most about being a middle school principal is the daily contact with the students. Even though, as in the case of Kevin, I would often wonder at their thinking process, I enjoyed the daily conversations and camaraderie that occurred with them during supervision times and informal classroom visits. Once thing was certain, they were rarely afraid to speak their mind!
By this time, NASSP middle level members should have received the results of the NASSP/PDK middle school student poll in the mail. If you didn’t get it or aren’t a member you can find it at www.principals.org/mlpoll. I found the results fascinating to read – probably because they validated much of what I believe about young adolescents. To me, one of the most telling pieces of information was the confirmation that middle level students want to be heard; they want a voice in their school. The poll showed that students who felt they had a voice in their school gave their school a higher grade, and as they looked forward to high school, they rated having a voice in their school as their number two desire, second only to a safe and secure environment. It was also interesting to find that girls, more than boys, felt this was important. Students whose parents have less than a college degree also felt the chance to speak their mind was an important part of their schooling, more so than students of parents with college degrees.
In today’s climate of high-stakes testing and accountability, it’s easy to forget that we need to listen to our students – but it’s critical as middle level leaders that we find ways and time to do so. Please comment so we can learn from each other - what are ways that your school is giving students a voice in their education?
You can also help us out by taking this brief survey on the poll
