Mr.McNamar posted some excellent points at The Daily Grind regarding the struggle of freshmen as they transition to high school, and Graycie has a thought-provoking post of her own on the same subject entitledTransition Years.
This subject has been of great interest to me, since I was a middle school teacher for many years. Anyone who has been following this blog from its inception knows that while I adore middle school kids, I am no fan of the “middle school philosophy.” I don’t think we help our kids get an education by allowing them to coast academically for several years while they try to get their heads on straight– I don’t believe that should be the primary goal of education.