Pages 1-62

Pages 1-26:
In these first few pages there was a lot of information covered. In the very first pages they covered why they believe that middle grades is the key time for kids to be influenced. They discussed young adolescents as a group, the changes they go through and the risks that they are open to trying. It also has a list of what they consider a "fully functioning, self-actualize person" which is what they are trying to make the young adolescents. Through all of that I still found the chart on page 14 was the most illuminating thing in this reading. This chart really broke down their goals in a manageable way even though they have many goals for their middle schoolers. They broke it down really well in the four different sections: Essential Attributes, Curriculum, Leadership, and Culture.
Pages 27-33:
These pages cover a variety of topics. It goes from talking about visions and mission statements, to the type of leaders that are needed in middle schools, to who needs to be involved to make the vision of the school happen, to keeping teachers up-to-date with research and education, to making teams within the schools. This, needless to say, was a very important section in this book. One of the parts that impacted me the most was on page 29 when it said "The entire staff is involved in creating a learning community that places top priority ont he edu. and healthy development of ever students and adult within the community." I've always thought that this was one of the most important thing that a school could do. I do have one issue with how it is written in this book. I beleive that it is just as important to have students involved in this process as the adults. If these changes are going to impact the students then they should also be involved. The other part of this section that made me want to cheer about was when it said that the pricipal needs to advocate for the students. All of us teachers need to advocate for our students because in some cases we are the only ones who are.

Page 33-42

This section was all about how building a community based school helps make the students more likely to believe in education, and stay out of trouble. Almost everything they say in this chapter I agree with. In the very beginning they say "Interactions among staff members and between students reflect fairness and mutual respect." I really believe this and have been told numerous times that I'm dumb for believing this. When you demonstrate what you expect and truly believe that is what you will be shown. This chapter writes this again when it says "The school emphasizes lifelong physical activities such as aerobics, dance...In such schools every student has an increased sense of well-being, which, in turn, increases the likelihood of his or her academic success." Although I agree most defiantly with the previous things the most important thing that they write in the chapter is not about the comfort of the school, but of advocating for your students. This is the most important thing we as teachers can do for our students.

Page 43-62

This last section of the book was completely designated to the research behind This We Believe books. It covered Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment, Leadership and Organization, and Culture and Community. It also recapped the way that the different changes that are occurring to young adolescents changes their behavior. One thing that I really liked in this section was when it said that all of the dimensions are intertwined, each affecting and being affected by the others. The rest of this section is the specific characteristic of physical development, cognitive-intellectual, moral development, psychological, and social-emotional development.

Final Recap:

Out of all of the education books that I've had to read in my education classes up to this point in my college career this one has been my favorite. I feel like this book has been the most relevant to me, as well as the most accurate. When I was reading this book I didn't feel like it was old retired teachers, or heads of departments writing for the students, I felt like it was an accurate representation of the students. The combination of the science that is behind how young adolescents mature and the research that the This We Believe community has done makes this book ring true. I also very much believe that the way middle schools are being run needs to continue changing to form their own communities based on the needs of the students. The best part of This We Believe is the fact that they continue to do research on young adolescents.