We Learn and Grow Together

This I Believe . . .

I have chosen to be a middle level educator; for I recognize that the years of early adolescence are pivotal and abound with individual potential and opportunity.  Therefore, I will care for these students personally, listen to their voices, respect their concerns, and engage them in meaningful educational experiences that will prepare them for a promising future.
(This statement is based on the position paper from the National Middle-School Association, NMSA)

Middle school is most definitely an exciting and challenging experience for the average adolescent.  Those of us who choose to be middle school educators do so because we believe that middle school students are unique, and we build our program around an educational concept that the adolescent learner needs a special learning environment which is developmentally appropriate for this age group.  To that end, we use a rotating block schedule affording our students that all-important extra learning time, we divide students into teams which establish small learning communities giving them a "home base" and a sense of belonging, and we have implemented an Advisory program that provides each child with an adult advocate.

Learning is the focal point at AIS-R.  An important aspect of middle school development is that students take increasing responsibility for their own learning.  Creating an atmosphere where students are able to take healthy risks as learners, make mistakes in a safe environment, and gain insights from their mistakes in an important middle school goal.  In addition, emphasizing understanding rather than final grades helps our students meet with success and gain a life-long love of learning.

The objective of AIS-R Middle School is to construct an effective learning environment.  This is accomplished by fostering a holistic education that focuses on academics, exploration, health and fitness, and character development.  This can only be done by establishing an open partnership, including students, parents and teachers, which creates a positive learning experience for AIS-R middle schoolers.