R&L Education
Pages: 186
•
Trim: 6¼ x 9½
978-1-61048-702-3 • Hardback • September 2012 • $99.00 • (£76.00)
978-1-61048-703-0 • Paperback • September 2012 • $50.00 • (£38.00)
978-1-61048-704-7 • eBook • September 2012 • $47.50 • (£37.00)
Keen Babbagehas twenty-eight years of experience as a teacher and administrator in middle school, high school, college, and graduate school. He is the author numerous books including Reform Doesn’t Work (2012) and The Dream and Reality of Teaching (2011).
Preface
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1 – The Unique Possibilities of Middle School
Chapter 2 – The Essential and Unique Work of a Middle School
Chapter 3 – Middle School Teaching and Teachers
Chapter 4 – The Administration of a Middle School
Chapter 5 – Middle School CounselorsChapter 6 – College Preparation Programs for Middle School Educators
Chapter 7 – Middle School Students
Chapter 8 – Middle School Curriculum, Academics, and Extra-Curricular Activities
Chapter 9 – Why It Is So Important To Get Everything Right in Middle School
Chapter 10 – Middle School Stories
About the Author
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!
— Jim Thomas, retired principal, Bryan Station Middle School, Lexington, Kentucky
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.
— Chad Peavler, middle school teacher
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.
— Choice Reviews