Morgan County Middle School 

      I try to take a realistic view at life. And there is nothing more real than the fact that the older kids get, the more difficult they can be. Just mention the word “adolescent” (a term invented in the early nineteen hundreds – during the same period Sigmund Freud decided how weird every one really is) to a parent and watch them cower behind their easy-chair. I’ve seen successful men and women - Generals and CEO’s – humbled by their adolescent teens.  

      These are the students Morgan County Middle is required to teach. In my opinion, they teach them quite well.  

      Morgan County Middle is a lot better than the middle school I went to. For one thing, there’s more organized sports, and clubs, and activities than I can even keep track of. (I’ve counted at least 13 girls and boys teams and seven clubs.) The parent coordinator is absolutely phenomenal, the band and drama programs are great - they even have a special academy (Project Recovery) for struggling kids. But what encourages me most is the focus on academic rigor. 

      Life is getting harder. The world is getting smaller. Our children have to be smarter than you and I. The learning they do has become more about higher order functions, being able to demonstrate their understanding, and projects. Students have to be comfortable making oral presentations, using glitzy power-point graphics that frankly make my head spin.  

      The new principal tells me his focus is on increased rigor and I believe him. The administration has made aggressive steps to “raise the bar” on student knowledge. Part of this is being driven by the new GPS (Georgia Performance Standards) that are mandated by Atlanta. The other part is a commitment to get their student ready for high school. 

      It’s great to hear that the new GPS curriculum was ranked fifth in the nation. Experts say it will fill in the gaps of the old curriculum, and according to Education Week it was the best in the entire nation in the use of technology. But we must realize all these changes put an incredible strain on our teachers who must incorporate these new standards into their lesson plans. Teachers are now required to teach both to between Johnny’s and Jill’s individual strengths and weaknesses all while standardizing grading practices to ensure an “A” in one class is the same as another.  

      And then there’s the dreaded testing… 

      Middle school kids in Georgia take a lot of tests. Everyone has to take the CRCT, there’s a GA mandated writing test, a federal reading test, and the Algebra students have an end of course test as well. Many parents complain we have too much testing, and in theory, I agree. But unless you test, you do not know. If we truly want to leave No Child Behind we must measure what kids have learned – and the only way to do that is with testing.  

      The Middle School is doing a great job transitioning students from the Elementary School and then to High School. They’re doing a much better job coordinating their classes to what the High School actually needs, especially in the area of math.  

      One of the most positive things about the Middle School is the parent involvement coordinator. When my first daughter was entering 6th grade, the drop-off in parent participation from the Elementary school to the Middle School was dramatic. Jennifer Childers has certainly turned that around, organizing a robust PTO, Band Booster program, Career Day, and dozens of other programs to keep parents involved. All the schools have vigorous parent groups, but in my humble opinion the Middle School has seen the biggest gains. 

      Middle school is extremely challenging. It’s getting even more challenging due to the new standards mandated by the state. Morgan County Middle School is meeting those challenges head on in a way we can be proud of.