More
Comments about MiddleWeb
and the MiddleWeb Listservs
Gary Hopkins
Editor in Chief, Education World
www.education-world.com
Anne Jolly
Staff Developer/SERVE
1994 Alabama State Teacher of the Year The MiddleWeb Listserv has literally transformed my view of listservs for several reasons: We've established a genuine, online learning community where we can meet and share our ideas in a risk-free atmosphere of respect and acceptance. The amazing thing is the size of that learning community! In a face-to-face environment, a learning environment would be limited to far fewer people, and chances are that not everyone would have a chance to be heard and participate actively. On our MiddleWeb list we can all participate and interact as frequently as we like and as a result we amass a greater number of ideas and more knowledge than in a traditional learning community! High standards for the professional conversation are the norm on this list. Teachers in this online community obviously regard one another as professionals and the nature of our dialogue reflects that. Divergent thinkers are welcomed. Risk-takers are welcomed. New ideas and ways of thinking are valued, analyzed, and often adopted. When members disagree, they do so with a degree of professionalism not normally experienced in face-to-face conversations. The volume of information this list has generated far surpasses that generated on other listservs and in traditional learning communities. I am constantly amazed by the fact that I can ask almost anything related to education . . . "Who wrote 'The Sound of Thunder?'" "Does anyone have an inquiry-based lesson plan for teaching oxidation numbers?" "How can I individualize my instruction to include kids who can't read?" "What kind of action research are you doing to show that your students are learning?" . . . and several people will have an answer for me by the next time I log on! Teachers here regularly share their classroom materials with one another just for the asking. Given what we know about the importance of teacher quality, and confusion that currently permeates the education establishment about how to increase teacher quality and expertise, I don't know how we could do without this listserv. I know of no better way to get quick peer support and mentoring, quality information, in-depth discussions of topics such as curriculum design, help for ratcheting up the quality of instruction, and insight into ways to base our teaching on results than this listserv. The quality control and catalyst for this listserv is a highly knowledgeable educator (although he describes himself as a free-lance journalist) named John Norton. Under his constant watch, this list has turned to gold, educationally speaking! And the gold is not just shared among list members; our best conversations are edited and archived at the MiddleWeb site to be read and pondered by many thousands of middle grades educators and advocates each year. The MiddleWeb Listserv not only needs to be continued, but replicated!
Ann Barysh
Vice Principal
Fuller Middle School
Framingham, Mass As a brand new VP with considerable background in teaching and staff development, I have found Middleweb to be invaluable on a number of fronts. First, at the Listserv discussion, I have an opportunity to read the thoughts and concerns of new teachers, "mid-level" teachers and veteran teachers. By reading about these topics I have had the proberbial fly on the wall experience. By listening and reading colleagues from all over the world take part in on-going discussions about any number of vital topics, I have been developing the ability to listen to what concerns teachers the most. By listening to these "cyber" conversations, I have been able to apply lessons learned to the "real" community of teachers I work with. By definition all middle schools share similar concerns. Schools in New Zealand share a great deal with schools in Framingham Mass. For example, all of us struggle with issues of engaging children in learning. We worry about how to reach out to parents and how to creat adult communities that are truly learning communities. The range of conversations that I have enjoyed is staggering. I have read conversations that address the range of topics that are the stuff of real life teaching. What are some of these topics? Well, they range from prediciatable discussions about good booksfor a language arts course to poignant and heart-breaking conversastionsregarding chronic student under-achienvement and depression. Although some of the discussions move me and others do not, they are all authentic in that they provide insight into the real lives of middle school teachers. In a profession where teacher isolation is the norm and where professional development is the first to get "cut" Middleweb is a vital life line to those teachers who are out there "all alone." Aside from the listserv, Middleweb.com has served me in many other ways. John Norton has done a splendid job of collating converstation strings and posting them in the archives. Consequently, one can turn back at any time to read a discussion about any number of vital topics. For example, in my school many of my teachers are struggling with the definition and use of homework. When I printed out the strand on homework, it served to diffuse any defensiveness the teachers I was working with might have felt. Somehow, by having distant colleagues write about a similar issue, the teachers in my school were able to read these reflections, critique them and move on from there. Although I made this strand available in early November, teachers still refer to it in May. I also must say that the MiddleWeb diaries are also a wonderful way to address educational issues from another perspective. By having educators write about their lives, those of us who watch and read can identify similar issues and grow with the writer. Beyond these features, the sheer number of resources at the MiddleWeb site is simply unmatched by any other education site on the Web. In sum, Middleweb is money well spent. It creates a community of cyberlearners who can share wisdom in a way that even the most expensive on-going professional development cannot do. And, becuase it is created and generated by educators the topics discussed are genuine, the advice is appropriate and the tone is a model of collegiality.
During a discussion of goals for the new school year, first-year teacher Karen wrote:
I have such visions about the kind of teaching I want to do, the kind of teacher I want to be; the challenge is finding ways to translate that into effective instruction. This is my goal, and challenge, for my first-year teaching.
I want to thank you all for your sharing on this listserve. I've learned so much by reading your postings, and am so excited with the discovery of powerful instructional strategies. I feel humbled to think I am joining this community of dedicated, inspiring professionals who envision great things for our kids in school.
The Power
of a Cyber-Community
This final letter is not an endorsement letter, per se, of MiddleWeb. Instead, it's an example – perhaps a sad example – of how we are able to provide a place for teachers to talk about powerful feelings when they cannot have such conversations in their own schools.
Listserv members responded to Kelly's broken-hearted message with an outpouring of support and good advice.
Dear Friends, I know that I have not met anyone on this list "face to face," but by following all of the wondrous conversations, ideas, disagreements, and heartfelt discussions, I feel as if I am among a special community. I wanted to write to you, because of the feelings that you have expressed about your students. I feel that we have an affinity that I am having trouble finding right about now. I just came from a viewing for a former student. I have not seen him in two years; I had him as a 7th and 8th grader, and he was 16, going to be a junior in high school this year. Two days ago he shot himself. I remember him as such a bright light in my classroom. He was smart, funny, confident, and a total joy in class. I called the administration and other teachers at my school to inform them what had happened, and got responses ranging from lukewarm to cool. I was and am devastated. Other teachers have said things like, "Well, we never know what goes on with them" and "Oh really." No one expressed any interest in going to the funeral or even an interest in talking about the situation at all. I'm really feeling adrift. I keep thinking of our recent conversation about the first weeks/months of school and how we present ourselves to the students. Rick's words especially rang true with me. I run what some folks in my school think of as a very strict classroom, but I have always thought that at the same time I have really worked to make a personal connection with my kids. I feel so strongly about them, but do they know it? Did this child know just how much I cared about him? I told his mother today what a joy he was, but did he ever know? How do we teach and help our students learn what we want and know they need, and at the same time show them that we really care? I have around 150 students a year? Which one will I hurt because I'm having a bad day, or they were just really annoying. And will they take that to heart? Will they think that that is how I really feel about them? I'm sorry for the rambling, but I feel that there are kindred souls here, and you might not make it better, but at least offer a kind ear.
