Education Week - November 23, 2022 - 17

In short, Jackson said, he " wanted
to sustain the work " he was doing in
the lower grades.
" I saw there was a need for sustainability
and a need just to make a difference
in the young folks' lives, as
far as producing productive citizens,
being an advocate for them, and providing
guidance to them so that way
they can make the right decisions and
be successful, " Jackson said.
He said he welcomed the opportunity
to " model how to build relationships
with students, be personable
with them, teach them how to advocate
for themselves, and teach them
how to become critical thinkers and
deal with adversity. "
Getting to know your students
Nix, who taught at middle and
high schools before taking on middle
school leadership, said middle school
was ultimately a better fit for her.
Part of working successfully in a
middle school is knowing and appreciating
that students are at different
maturity levels and responding to
them with that in mind.
" Middle school kids look like high
school kids sometimes, but they act
like elementary school kids sometimes, "
she said. " You just have to
know how to treat the kids. ... You
have to be OK with having the little,
little kid who can't open a locker-
they don't know how to walk to a class
the right way-and also in the same
building having the kid who's too cool
for school. "
After three years in her position,
Nix's favorite part of school remains
spending time in the cafeteria with
students.
" It's a completely different conversation
at each table, " she said. " At
6th grade, they love you. They want
to talk to you the whole time. If you
would sit and eat lunch with them,
that would make their day. In 7th
grade they're like, 'Uh. They're OK.
Administration.' In 8th grade, they are
almost too cool for you. But they still
want to talk to you. ... I just love it. You
get to see the kids in their element. "
Beth Houf, the principal of Fulton
Middle School in Fulton, Mo., wasn't
quite sure she'd like middle school-
she described her own experience as
" awkward " -but she said watching
kids grow up and become leaders
is one of the biggest joys in middle
school leadership. They're ready to
take the reins, she said. Adults have to
give them opportunities to do so.
" The kids want to belong, " said Houf,
whose students participated on focus
groups to help make decisions tied to
the school's themes. " They want to
know you care, but it has to be on their
terms a little bit more, too. They are
growing up. They want that freedom,
but yet they want to make sure that
you're there and you care for them. "
While elementary school students
are quick to say what they need and
what's on their minds, it takes extra
effort to develop trust with middle
schoolers, Houf said. Students are also
navigating minefields that their principals
didn't experience growing up.
" I think back to my own middle
school, I am glad there is no social
media or video evidence, " she said.
www.lemelson.org
www.gatesfoundation.org
Our Funders
We wish to thank the following foundations for their generous support of our editorial projects and general operations. For a full
listing of what our funders support visit edweek.org/about/our-supporters. Education Week retains sole editorial control over
the content of articles and other work underwritten by our donors.
But while principals say they
wouldn't trade their middle school
jobs for the world, there's a little bit of
heartbreak: they don't get to see their
students head off to the rest of their
lives, whether it's to college or a job.
High school principals get big
graduation ceremonies, sometimes
in large stadiums, with hundreds of
people in the stands. Even elementary
principals have transition ceremonies.
" That's probably the hardest part of
middle school: there's not a definitive
end, " Nix said. " There is no closure. If
they don't come back, I don't always
know what happened with them. "
PHOTO GALLERY:
Additional photos
appear in the online
version of this story.
> edweek.org
Middle school principal
Felipé Jackson says the
role offers the chance
to sustain the progress
students made in the
elementary grades.
www.allstate.com
www.mott.org
www.oakfnd.org
www.jkcf.org
www.spencer.org
www.joycefdn.org/programs/
education-economic
www.wallacefoundation.org
www.carnegie.org
www.chanzuckerberg.com/
education
www.waltonk12.org
www.mmt.org
www.hewlett.org/programs/
education
www.nmefoundation.org
For additional details about the work our funders support visit: edweek.org/about/our-supporters
EDUCATION WEEK | November 23, 2022 | www.edweek.org | 17
Dustin Chambers for Education Week

http://www.edweek.org http://www.edweek.org/about/our-supporters http://www.allstate.com http://www.mott.org http://www.oakfnd.org http://www.jkcf.org http://www.gatesfoundation.org http://www.spencer.org http://www.joycefdn.org/programs/ http://www.wallacefoundation.org http://www.carnegie.org http://www.lemelson.org http://www.chanzuckerberg.com/education http://www.waltonk12.org http://www.chanzuckerberg.com/education http://www.mmt.org http://www.hewlett.org/programs/ http://www.nmefoundation.org http://www.edweek.org/about/our-supporters http://www.edweek.org

Education Week - November 23, 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Education Week - November 23, 2022