AMLE's This We Believe Affect on Teaching Philosophy

 

How does the knowledge of This We Believe affect your teaching statement and philosophy?

 

“The middle level concept is people-driven, not policy-driven. It began and has stayed alive out of a burning desire to do what is best for this unique age group” (Berckemeyer, 2020).

              I believe the above statement is at the center of what I want to do as a teacher. Put our students first and tailor the learning environment and application of standards and curriculum to meet their ever-evolving needs. What is unique about this age group, maybe more than any other, is that the abilities and needs of each year’s class could vary widely because of the individual nature of this stage of development. Meeting the students where there are is a critical component to classroom preparation.

              I also found the following structure of how to think about Middle School’s goals from Dr. Vars really profound – We must consider the “Nature of the learner, nature of society, and nature of knowledge.” (2013) It’s first about meeting the students where they are but also preparing them for societal demands based on the best and more recent information. If all three things aren’t considered, he says, “We are losing a generation” (2013).

As I examined the 18 characteristics of the AMLE “This We Believe” framework, one specifically stood out to me in the year 2025: “Leadership and Organization - A shared vision developed by all stakeholders guides every decision.” (2021) I am worried we are at a point societally where a shared vision feels like an uphill battle. We are demanding that people in general conform to certain beliefs and practices that we deem as “American”… how in the world are we then going to create a “…school environment is welcoming, inclusive, and affirming for all.”? (AMLE, 2021) How do we create a curriculum that is “…challenging, exploratory, integrative, and diverse”? (AMLE, 2021) (Diverse being the key question from that characteristic.) I found it interesting that in the article, “Do We Still Believe?” by Jack Berckemeyer that he was already asking the question “I’m shaken to note that we seem to be slowly losing ground on many of the key indicators of successful middle schools. Is this happening because we are now afraid? Is it too hard to keep fighting for what is best for young adolescents?” (2020). This was originally written over ten years ago and feels like a foreshadowing to a force that is not only dividing our middle schools, but our education system, and our society as a country.

But if I return to the question at hand, how does the AMLE “This We Believe” affect MY teaching philosophy? I believe it gives me a true framework to follow that aligns with what I believe to be the right way to approach education at the middle school level. The essential attributes alone are a call to action for me – “Responsive, Challenging, Empowering, Equitable, and Engaging” (2021). My dad embodied these characteristics perfectly as a middle school principal. I was able to see it second hand as his daughter as well as first hand as a student who attended his school. He really got to know students... He was listening to Dave Matthew's Band when they came on the scene so he could relate to students through their interests. In a school of over 1,000 students, he knew almost every students name that walked through those doors. He developed relationships with families and staff alike. I luckily never ended up in his office for disciplinary reasons, but peers of mine who did always told me that he was fair and listened before he judged. At his retirement luncheon, a teacher who had worked in the same building as my dad for several years said this about him: "For someone who is interested in the types of shoes people are wearing, he never looks done on that person." These are the qualities I am hoping to emulate as a middle school teacher and embodies the type of leader I would like to work with as a principal. 

I am very much looking forward to being in a middle school placement in the upcoming school year to learn more about what these attributes look like in practice, meeting the students where they are!

 

References

AMLE. (2013b, November 6). Founders of the American Middle School . YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcuKYXQ_H80

AMLE. (2021, January). The successful middle school: This we believe. https://www.amle.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/AMLE_SMS_Summary_Color.pdf

Berckemeyer, J. (2020, June 2). Do we still believe?. AMLE. https://www.amle.org/do-we-still-believe/