I’m a little fascinated by the quieter kids in the Middle School classrooms. Peter, Paul, and Mary (names are changed – you will not find many Peters or Pauls or Marys in today’s Bay Area) are three of these students. Peter is very focused on his studies, rarely converses with other students, and is polite and responsive when I talk with him. But not a lot of chit-chat. Paul sits down, pulls out his assignments and begins studying even before the class officially “starts”. When I speak with him, he is polite but his responses tend to be quite short. Often just a few words. Mary is perhaps the quietest of the three with classmates. With me, though, she is more talkative than the other two, and she seems to like to show me what she is studying.
This could all be a simple matter of seat assignments in the room. Perhaps they are not sitting near their friends in my class, and in other classes they are much more sociable with their peers.
Or perhaps they are just quiet or introverted middle school kids. What does this mean for their future development? What is the relationship between sociability and academic learning at this age, and what is the relative importance of each for these kids? Is this a concern, or not at all? Truthfully, I don’t have a clue about any of these questions. Which is fine. I’m surrounded by teachers and other staff who know these kids very well and who have the training and experience to ensure that these students receive a healthy learning environment in all respects.
I occasionally think about all these kids, and wonder how they will fare in life. It’s true that life is what we make of it, but it’s also true that fortune plays a significant role. Will each of these kids remain healthy enough to pursue their dreams? Do they have a healthy family environment? Will they select friends who enhance or diminish them?
The promise of America from our early days is that we give our children a good public education – FREE – and this gives them the opportunity to learn and grow and have a healthy and rewarding life. I look at these little middle school students, with their eager and beautiful faces, and I wish for them that they get the opportunity to be happy and fulfilled in life. That is why I support our teachers and schools. And it’s why I’m spending my days with these young students. Talking to every child every day.