Monday, March 30, 2009
Middle School and Junior High School
What are the differences and similarities between middle schools and junior high schools? What came first middle schools or junior high schools? Why did educators feel the need to create middle schools? What was your experience - did you attend a middle school or a junior high school? Provide examples.
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Junior high came first. The first junior high opened in 1909. A junior high is an imitation of high school with grades 7, 8, and 9. There is a focus on academic discipline, while there is little attention to the students' developing needs.
In the 1970s, middle schools began to become popular. Educators chose to move away from junior highs and toward middle schools because there needed to be a fundamental change in the focus of the school's curriculum and focus. A middle school consists of grades 6, 7, and 8. Middle schools help students through the many changes associated with early adolescence. The curriculum is focused more on the students and their development. The learning in middle schools is less like high school and more student centered.
I went to Ben Franklin Middle School. I attended 6, 7, and 8th grades there. I remember being disappointed that we were not given more freedom in middle school. I thought that middle school would be a lot different from elementary school. (Maybe I would have liked it better if I would have gone to a junior high!) Although we changed classes for each period, activities and instruction were very similar to that of fifth grade in elementary school.
I attended two different middle schools. I started out in my home town of Rosholt Middle School in Wisconsin and than moved to Chesterton Middle School. I thought there was a huge difference between middle school and elementry school because the teachers expected a lot more from me and discipline became a lot more real. In elementry school if you got into trouble you got a "green slip" that was sent home. You did not lose recess, it was the parents responsibility to deal with the problem. In middle school, there was sudden detentions and sespensions. The students also learn how to be more sneaky and get away with more. They want to test their limits.
Junior high can before middle school in 1909 and since there was vertually no attention put on development middle schools were created in the 1970's.
I attended Lake Jr. High School in Gary, Indiana. It had 7th, 8th, and 9th grades. I have many great memories of those school years and made a wide variety of friends there, too. It really did help to prepare you for high school. Junior highs were like mini high schools. The first junior high opened in 1909. Middle schools became popular in the 1970's. They were designed to help students through the "early adolescence" period.
Junior High came first. Junior High is just a smaller version of high school. The junior high atmosphere consists of grades 7, 8, and 9. Middle schools became popular in the 1970's. There was a change from jr. high to middle schools becuse of a desperate need to change curriculum. Middle schools consist of grades 6, 7, and 8. Middle school is student centered. I went to a christian school which had a jr. high but only consisted of grades 7 and 8.
Junior high came first. It was supported just like high school and did not focus on the developmental needs of the students.
I went to a middle school even thought older people still considered it a "junior high". It consisted of 6, 7, & 8 grade. It was develpoed around acedemics, but also focused on students developmental needs like being able to socialize. It was less like the high school I went to.
Junior high school came first in the early 1900’s and was intended to serve as a bridge between elementary school and high school. In order to create an atmosphere designed to help more with the developmental and emotional issues of 6th, 7th, and 8th graders, educators decided to design middle schools in the 1950’s.
In general, some of the similarities between junior and middle schools is that they are both set up like mini high schools with the student having to rotate between many different teachers, and having a new schedule to follow each semester. The main difference between the two is that middle schools are often targeted to 6th, 7th, and 8th graders and is set up like a school within a school; they delegate students and teachers to a “team” and the students rotate through their schedule with the teachers and students assigned to the team. Junior high schools are typically dedicated to 7th, 8th, and sometimes 9th grades, and are more like a transitional high school; they toss all the students together and give them each an individualized schedule.
When I was in my middle school years, the school district I was in was experimenting with both middle and junior high schools, so I was lucky enough to attend both. The middle school was intended to be for 7th and 8th graders, but was switched to 6th and 7th, so after my 7th grade year I went to the junior high which was 8th and 9th (basically what the school system wanted to do was elementary schools k-5, middle schools 6 and 7, junior high 8 and 9, and the high school 10-12. That has since changed). Both my 7th and 8th grade years had a “team”, and my 9th had everyone tossed together. I really disliked having the teams because of course my bestest friend in the whole wide world was NOT on my team, which meant that I wouldn’t have any chance at all to see her. Overall, not a fan of “teams” for that reason.
A middle school is focused on students and collaboration, whereas a junior high school is more focused on the subject and competition. Middle schools also focus on creative explorations and experimentation of subject matter, whereas junior high schools focus on mastery of concepts and skills separately.
I attended Fegely Middle School in Portage. I remember having "teams", where the students were studying and learning the same topics together, and all the subjects were tied in to one another. The other team might be doing something slightly different, or at a different time in the school year. I also remember having a home room, which is where we met once a day for attendance and for other special occasions. Having a home room is an example of middle school being a sort of upper elementary, where the students are still together as a whole class.
There are many differences between junior high schools and middle schools. Junior high schools came first in 1909 and they consisted of 7th, 8th, and 9th grades, while middle schools became popular several years later and consisted of 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. Junior high schools were more focused on the subject matter and mastering all of the material, while middle schools were more focused on the students needs. I attended Willowcreek Middle School in Portage and I have nothing but great memories from it. It gave me the freedom that I wanted, I was able to socialize much more, while still making if fun for me to attend school. I found the curriculum to be very effective for me because each grade had different groups. If you were in one group, you had the same four teachers and their curriculum all intertwined with the other classrooms to tie all of our learnings together.
Junior Highs came before middle schools. The first junior high was opened in 1909. Junior highs consist of 7, 8 and 9th grades, while middle schools consist of 6, 7 and 8th and occasionally only 7th and 8th. Middle schools were created to help students transition to high school. The curriculum taught in middle schools is more focused on the students developement. Where as in a Junior High the curriculum is more formed towards a High Schools Curriculum. I attended both a Junior High and a Middle school. I lived in California up to 7th grade, and there i attended a Junior High. Once I moved to Indiana, i attended Chesterton Middle School.
the first junior high opened before the first middle school. junior high was for the students in 7th, 8th and 9th grade. the middle school was later started for 6th, 7th and 8th graders. this made a better/smoother transition for students going from elementary and entering high school. i attended north judson jr. high although it was 6th through 8th. during my last year there, we had a new principle who told us the differences between a jr high and middle school and stated that we were a middle school, not a jr high. that year, the school changed the name to north judson middle school.
I went to a middle school. I went to Hebron Middle School which was also connected to the high school and Elementary school. Even though they were connected there was a huge different styles. We switched classes with each period and did not have recess like we did in elementary. I feel like my middle school prepared me very well in the transition for high school.
Junior highs came first and were established in 1909.there main acadmeic goal was discipline and to prepare students for future classes.
I attended a middle school from 6th - 8th . I actually loved middle school although it was a big transition to go from elementary to middle school. I actually loved our middle school, we were the first grade to ever get to use the brand new middle school.
The first junior high school opened in 1910 in Berkeley, California. This school included grades seven through nine. The opening of this school led to a great expansion of the popularity of such developments. Junior high schools were invented to aid in better preparing students for the high school setting.
Middle schools were introduced during the 1950s. These new schools included grades six, seven, and eight. Middle schools were separated by junior high schools because they tended to focus more so on interdisciplinary education and individual student development.
I attended Krueger Middle School which included grades six and seven before moving onto Michigan City Junior High School which was a school solely devoted to eighth grade. I enjoyed the atmosphere of the middle school I attended. This environment allowed me to make a slow transition into the high school type atmosphere. My class was the final class who was able to attend a single school that taught only eighth grade. I loved being able to attend junior high. I feel I benefited from this because it allowed all the students of one age group to come together and meet one another before entering the large high school setting. I was able to meet more members of my class and interact with them without the added pressure of making the transition into high school.
Middle schools are student centered. They foster collaboration of students. Affective and cognitive growth are emphasized. It focuses on creative explorations and experimentation of subject matter. It varies length of time students are in courses. It offers high interest exploratory coursework. Advisory program = teacher-oriented guidance. The athletics are organized around intramural concept
With junior high schools, they are more subject-centered. It fosters competition of students. Cognitive development is first priority. It focuses on mastery of concepts and skills in separate disciplines. Offers subjects for one semester or one year. Provides highly structured activity program after school. Study hall = access to counselor upon request. The athletics are organized around interscholastic concept.
Junior high schools came before middle schools. Middle schools were created in order to shift the focus of the students.
I attended middle school. In my opinion, it did seem like it was more student centered. There were many intramural sports in my school, and students collaborated together in different clubs. I enjoyed middle school.
Junior high schools came first in 1909. The middle schools didn't come around until the 1970's. Junior high schools were made primarily to help students transfer into high school. Their main focus was on discipline and students' development. Middle school was more student-centered. The focuses more on collaboration. I attended harrison and Pierce Middle Schools in Merrillville. I enjoyed it for the most part I liked that there was a lot of different clubs available and I liked shifting from class to class.
Junior high schools were designed originally in the early 1900’s to offer early adolescents with a unique academic curriculum. Junior high schools focused on a subject centered, competitive environment, while middle schools focus on both affective and cognitive growth in an environment that fosters collaboration. The first priority of the Junior high school is the cognitive development of the students. After school programs in a Junior high school are very high in structure. Subjects are typically offered for either a semester or the full year, while coursework in middle school varies in the length of time.
I personally attended a middle school. This was a shock for me after attending private school throughout my elementary years.
My school was a blend of what I have read of both middle and Junior high schools. We were allowed to choose some of our classes, but were always expected to complete all of the classes within the time period of attending the middle school. We were definitely a part of a competitive environment. From athletics to academics our school competed with the other local middle school. Depending on who our instructors were would depend on whether or not affective or cognitive growth was emphasized, and at times it was a little bit of both. I do not know if it has been too long ago, but I honestly do not remember anything pivotal from middle school. In my experience, it served as a transition to high school, which is exactly the purpose for which they were created.
The differences between middle schools and junior high schools are that they focus on different age groups. Junior high schools get you ready for high school and have the higher grades such as 7, 8, and 9 while middle schools get you out of the elementary schedule but also get you ready for high shcools. Junior high schools came before middle schools and middle schools were only created because to fill the gap between elementary and high schools.
I attended a middle school and loved it. It got me acting older because I wasnt in elementary anymore and it also at the same time got me ready to go to high school.
The differences between junior high and middle school are pretty exstensive.Junior high schools apperared on the education scene amost 70 years before Middle schools which were formed as part of a need for change in the curriculum. Middle schools focus more on the development of the students, where as in junior high there is little focus on a students developing needs which is very important in the life of an adolescent. When I was in middle school I did not see much change from elementary school because the teachers still kinda held your hand while you were doing things and they kinda babied you. They say that middle school or junior high was supposed to prepare you for high shcool but personally going to a middle school I do not feel that I was prepared for high school as much as I could have been.
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