Daniel Day and David Koetje

Let's visit New Christian Middle School, a school of 150 students in grades six, seven, and eight.

Scene One. Anticipation has been building for weeks for one of the annual school- sponsored skating parties at Oscar's Roller Rink. Students have always looked forward to these events since they occur somewhat infrequently and there are few other organized school activities. Sue is a student in grade eight and, although she has few friends, she has generally enjoyed school. The skating party is scheduled for Friday night.

On Monday Sue tells her mother she is not going. Her friends have all been called by others. Sue has not received a single call. Her mom insists, however, that Sue attend the event because "You'll meet some kids there who you can skate with."

Sue us not eager, but she does attend the party. The first organized "couples only" skate is announced. All of her friends are paired off, and Sue is left to the sidelines. The evening unfolds with many of the other popular parts of the skating events announced. With each passing announcement there is more isolation and loneliness. Sue is able to leave the skating party by 8:15 without anyone noticing. She comes home to tell her mother, "This is the last time for me!" Both mother and daughter spend more than a few minutes in tears.

Scene Two. The tardy bell was still echoing in Mrs. Dobrowski's third hour music class when Mario blurted out, "Mrs., Dobrowski, I forgot my notebookl"

"Sit down quietly, please!" instructed Mrs. D.

"But my outline is in it," exclaimed Mario.

"Simply recopy it from a friend," coached Mrs. D.

Mario mumbled something under his breath as he slouched in his chair.

No more than ten minutes had gone by when Jenny Swainson grabbed Mario's hand shouting, "Give it here!"

"Wbat's going on?" inquired Mrs. D.

"Mario took my pencil," Jenny quickly responded.

"Please give it to me," Mrs. D said as she looked sternly Into Mario's eye, holding out her hand.

With a flick of the wrist, Mario flipped the pencil toward Mrs. D's hand. The pencil hit her palm and fell to the floor.

"Mario, please pick up the pencil," demanded Mrs. D.

Five seconds went slowly by. Mario gave no indication that he was going to pick it up. Seven seconds passed . . . ten seconds. Mario remained seated.

Scene Three. Daryl has come to history classroom with the textbook and his notebook but no assignment. Mrs. Mersma wasn't surprised; that was a familiar pattern for Daryl. In fact, Mrs. Mersma had faced the same situation with Daryl in her first hour English class. In frustration, she followed Daryl to his locker. Sure enough! There the assignment lay, half finished, on the bottom of his locker, alongside a half-completed English assignment.

These scenes are repeated with variations in Christian middle schools throughout our continent. And with hundreds of situations like these occurring in a school week, it is difficult to be sure that there is an ethos of caring in a school. Can situations such as the ones that were described here be eliminated or is that asking for the impossible?

If it is true that students learn better in a safe, warm, caring environment and if it is true that the Christian school community as a whole is an image bearer of God, then we must work to eliminate negative situations. It is absolutely necessary that the spirit that pervades the school is a positive, Christian spirit. This does not mean that we are calling for a superficial type of niceness. It simply means that teachers and administrators must establish a positive environment. In Helping Children Grow: Healthy Emotions Mary VanderGoot (1987) writes movingly about what students need from teachers in this regard.

One way of establishing this type of environment comes in the form of an advisor/advisee program. This chapter will describe some of the characteristics of such a program and how it can work in a Christian middle school. An advisor/advisee program has several elements, each attempting to address individual student needs while weaving its way through the total school program. The needs include spiritual, academic, emotional, and social, and therefore the program must display the following characteristics.

Building partnerships. Perhaps the most important part of the advisor/advisee program is the intent to meet the diverse needs of middle school youth. Coping with stress, uncertainty, peer pressure, spiritual doubts, and emotional strain is a common part of students' lives at this age. The sensitive Christian middle school will structure ways to build supportive partnerships between students and their peers as well as between students and teachers.

Building ownership. Middle school students need to develop a sense that school exists for them. They are not simply cogs that work their way through the maze called curriculum. They are a vital part of the total school program and they should be involved in making decisions, offering advice, exploring opportunities, and developing a sense of ownership.

Discovering se!f. Every Christian child faces the question "Who am I?" The answer to that question comes from a process which includes openness and caring. Students need to feel the desire of teachers and administrators to listen to their concerns and questions about their place in the community of God's people.

Building partnerships, building ownership, and assisting students in their self-discovery journey are desired characteristics that need to be developed throughout the entire school program. What follows are some key elements of that program.

Homeroom. The homeroom experience is an important part of the Christian middle school experience. Having daily devotions together helps to underline biblical principles. Eating lunch together as a group helps to build partnerships. Arranging for students to report to the homeroom for the last ten minutes of the day gives the entire class a chance to review assignments that are due the following day. It also allows for homeroom teachers to check individual student assignment sheets and to check notebook organization.

Teacher /Advisory Program. With a teacher/ advisory program, each teacher/advisor is responsible for approximately 20 students within a grade level. All teachers, including librarians, coaches, and special needs teachers, serve as advisors. Advisory groups meet at least weekly to develop a feeling of unity and trust. Some schools set aside one period of each day to provide time for exploratory courses, independent reading, and grade level activities. When this is the case, advisory groups could meet during that period.

The most important responsibility of the teacher/advisor is to get to know the student on a personal basis. Advisors should know their students' school progress, learning styles, aptitudes, interests, and family and health background. They should know how their students get along with peers. They are the ones who have conferences with parents In order to discuss the student's progress in school.

Most of the advisory time is spent in group activities. The advisees are actively involved in planning these activities which range from talking about getting along in school socially to helping each other organize notebooks. During these sessions students can explore concepts of self, conflict management, human relationships, decision making, goal setting, listening, or creative problem solving. Descriptions of several teacher/ advisory programs can be found In Advisor-Advisee Programs: Why, What and How by Michael James (1986).

MentorlTutor Program. Mentor/tutor programs are designed so that a student who underachieves academically or who lacks social skills is matched with an adult who serves as a mentor. If a teacher/advisory program is in place, the mentor/tutor program would become part of it. The purpose of this program is listed below.

1. To establish rapport between teacher and student in order to increase acclimation to school and school tasks, including helping with adjustment and organization difficulties. It will also allow student concerns to be articulated and resolved.
2. To provide monitoring of the student's performance in academics and social and emotional development. This can be done through the use of assignment sheets, tutoring on specific tasks and concepts, communication with classroom teachers regarding regular performance, and communication with parent(s) and guardians.
3. To provide tutoring in specific class assignments such as reports, reading assignments, test preparation, oral testing and retakes, and completion of written assignments.

It works best when teacher/mentors arrange for one-on-one time with their students at least once each week, outside of the advisory group. Touching base with students and their teachers would occur more frequently than that, but It Is important that a regularly scheduled weekly meeting be planned. Methods and frequency of communication with parents will be worked out between teacher/mentor and parents.

Student Council. Too often student councils have been student fundraising groups consisting of a handful of popular elected members. The Christian middle school student council could be an all-volunteer group working with a faculty advisor. The student council operates under the following assumptions:

1. Student council will be an arena where student leadership and organizational skills can be nurtured and developed. The advisor serves as a leadership/mentor, guiding each council member as he or she develops personal organizational skills.
2. Student council will develop systems, procedures, or methods that will instill in the student body a sense of ownership in the school program. Possibilities might include organizing special days, providing input into school discipline policy, arranging student "gab sessions" with the principal, organizing student Bible study groups, or structuring community service projects.
3. Student council will develop methods and activities that will build school pride and a positive identity. Possibilities might include organizing service projects, selling t-shirts, or planning fundraisers for certain building or classroom improvements.

Open Door Policy. A significant amount of informal advising takes place in the morning before school begins. Keeping the doors locked before the opening bell prevents that important interaction from happening. In addition, a warm "good morning" is a better way to start the day than "Stay outside until the bell rings." Take note of which students congregate in the classroom or in the media center before school begins. Often these are the students who perceive themselves to be on the fringe of most social groups.

There has been significant growth in the use of advisor/advisee programs in recent years. In 1968 there was no record of such programs existing. However in 1988, 40% of middle schools surveyed were using some form of advisor/advisee programs. Surveys of teachers involved in these programs show that the majority of them feel the program assists them with the ability to better respond to student needs and allows them to have more confidence in working with students. These teachers perceive themselves as good coaches who motivate and care for students.

In a survey of 3,400 middle school teachers completed in the late1980s, Putbrese draws the following conclusions concerning the benefit of advisor/advisee programs.

1. Advisory programs improve teacher/student relationships. The advisory process is one that fosters relationships, and those relationships can be characterized as warm and nurturing.
2. Advisory programs give students more of a feeling of control over decisions. Students are part of a process that can help change or shape school policies and programs.

1. Advisory programs promote an atmosphere of equality. Students made statements such as, "There are no favorites at this school. Everyone gets treated alike."
2. Advisory programs provide opportunity for group work. Students in schools with advisory programs learn to work in groups more effectively than those in schools without advisory programs.
3. Advisory programs improve the sharing of feelings between students. While this was more true for girls in the advisory programs than for boys, there was a significant increase in the sharing of feelings in schools that had these programs.
4. Advisory programs help to maximize the altruistic nature of early adolescents. In Christian schools it would seem that this would be a natural outcome of a caring, open staff-and- student relationship.
5. Advisory programs appear to make teachers more aware of and attentive to student behavior. It was clear from the study that teachers took the initiative more frequently and that they took responsibility for social behavior of all kinds. There was an atmosphere in which the staff felt free to intervene at an earlier time than without the advisory program.

A Christian middle school that values an ethos of caring, responsibility, and justice might be well served by planning for an advisor /advisee program.

1. What kind of advisor/advisee program would help fulfill the goals of your school?
2. Which grade levels should be included?
3. Should advisors volunteer, or should advising be a required part of every teacher's duties?
4. How should advisory groups be formed? Should the principal make the advisor/advisee assignments, or should students be allowed to select their advisors?
5. Will you plan for teacher/mentor assignments?
6. Is a student council an important part of your school?
7. Should a middle school have a guidance counselor, or would the advisor/advisee program take the place of that? What are the advantages or disadvantages of either arrangement?
8. How should the scheduling for group meetings be arranged?
9. How will you inform parents about the program? What fears and concerns might parents have about this matter? How can you work to allay those fears?