On May 27, River Otter students and teachers transformed a Springwater classroom into the hip Sundollar Café for their first "Coffee House Poetry Night" celebration. Tables and chairs normally occupied by sixth and seventh graders were overflowing with rows of baked goods, hot cocoa and tea, and dozens of parents who gathered to enjoy an evening of performance. One by one, each student rose to share one or two poems they had written and honed over previous weeks in class. Some spoke about taking care of the planet; others described emotions stirred by certain colors. Many students recited their version of "Where I'm From," offering wonderful insights to the their varied interests, personalities, and lives. Even the staff got in the act. River otter teacher Troy Frystak shared a poem about one of his own grade school teachers, principal Deb Odell read her ode to the school community's renovation of the garden, and student teacher Aaron Levinson used poetry to sum up his experience working at Springwater this year. 

In addition to poems, several students performed a favorite pop song for the audience. Aaron's after-school student improv group also took the stage with a hilarious alphabet skit. Prompted by an audience suggestion to set the skit in a science lab, members took turns contributing a line to a wildly-evolving scenario - the first line starting with "A", the second with "B", and so on. 

Autobiographies provided by each River Otter further reflected their experience. For example, Jenika Flynn's biography noted "I have been writing poetry ever since I was little. During this poetry unit, I feel that I've learned so much more about poetry than I did before." And when the Sundollar Café closed shop for the evening, the poetic spirit within the school walls remained.

Aaron Levinson isn’t the only student at Springwater who looks forward to Friday field studies…but he’s the only one old enough to vote! Aaron is a student teacher enrolled in Lewis & Clark College’s Masters of Arts in Teaching program. He has been working with River Otter teacher Troy Frystak this year gaining hands-on experience, and this trimester, Aaron takes the helm in Troy‘s middle school classroom. Supported by Troy’s mentoring, Aaron is excited to put his training into practice. “I love all the cooperative and place-based learning we do here, how current we are on the best practices I am learning about in my classes at Lewis & Clark, and how we utilize the multiple intelligences in our everyday teaching.” 

Aaron grew up in Fair Lawn, New Jersey - about 20 miles outside of New York City. When he was 16, he became a counselor at an overnight summer camp. “I decided then and there that I wanted to become a teacher,” he explains. “Working with those kids and seeing the difference I was making in their lives, I realized I had found my calling in life.”  Aaron’s interest in working with children led him to other jobs running youth groups, after school programs, substitute teaching…even the 'rough' job of working on a cruise ship as a youth counselor. He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Middle grade students are unique.  No other grade span encompasses such a wide range of intellectual, physical, psychological, and social development, and educators must be sensitive to the entire spectrum of these young people’s capabilities. For many students the middle grades represent the last chance to develop a sense of academic purpose and personal commitment to educational goals. Those who fail at the middle grade level often drop out of school and may never again have the opportunity to develop to their fullest potential.

Caught in the Middle, Education for young adolescents in California Public Schools, 1987, Middle School Task Force, California Department of Education  

As our first class of graduates at Springwater edge closer to their graduation, parents of many students at Springwater are wondering about the Springwater experience versus a traditional middle school. How well are our students prepared for high school? What about the bigger school environment? Aren’t they missing out on all the other things bigger schools can offer? What about changing classes and having multiple teachers?  Those are legitimate questions.  Springwater will never offer the same experience of a traditional middle school, but what makes our program a strong fit for middle school age students?

In 1989, the California Board of Education published the landmark report, Caught in the Middle, where the Middle School Task Force outlined their recommendations for a radical shift in the way education would be structured for middle grade students. The premise of the report was that students in grades 6-8 were significantly different than those in elementary schools or in high school, and so required schools that were not the typical junior highs so many of us attended.  Junior highs were essentially high schools with younger students—teachers had high school credentials and their teaching methods were in line with most high school teachers.

But these schools were failing many students. The students were not connecting with their experiences and were bored with their experiences. They were being challenged, but not in ways that interested them. To the outside world, they looked like they only cared about their friends and their teachers did not understand them. Essentially, the students were “caught in the middle” of two educational systems. Neither one was designed with them in mind. Their unique characteristics were not being addressed and so they got lost in the shuffle of big schools, complicated schedules, and a myriad of demands.