Comments
about MiddleWeb
and the MiddleWeb Listservs
COMMENTS ABOUT OUR LISTSERV DISCUSSIONS
MiddleWeb began sponsorship of a daily listserv discussion about the middle grades in the early fall of 2000. We now have about 600 subscribers. Most are teachers, with a good representation of staff developers, curriculum coaches, principals and APs, university faculty and pre-service teachers. We have quite a few "lurkers" -- folks who listen but don't participate. They include some parents and leaders of community groups and non-profits. We offer honoraria to a select group of participants (about 15) who participate regularly and help guide and enrich the conversation. Many of our listserv members are active writers. Here's a bibliography we've begun listing some of our members' work.
We archive selected conversation "strings" from our daily discussion.
Example: My Most Successful Lesson This Year
We support projects developed by Listserv members at a special Projects listserv. Last summer we worked on an integrated curriculum unit. This school year, there's a year-long discussion about working with struggling readers, led by a teacher/coach in Long Beach who's spending a year in "Reading Workshop" with students who were held back from sixth grade. The teacher keeps a weekly journal about her work and posts many of her working papers.
Example: Juli Kendall's Journal - "Literary Understanding"
We sponsor discussions of important books and articles on our companion Booklist listserv.
Example: Reinventing the Middle School
Example: Turning Points 2000
Example: I Read It, But I Don't Get It
In its research review for Prisoners of Time (1994), the National Commission on Time and Learning noted research suggesting that most teachers spend no more than a few hours a month working on improvements in curriculum and instruction. Teachers in our online listserv community spend at least a few hours a week discussing best practice. More often than not, they take this precious time from their own personal store – after school, before school, and in the evenings.
These comments from listserv members are typical of dozens we see every month.
[May 2003] I remain in absolute awe of this MiddleWeb group of educators. This is Memorial Day Weekend, and from Friday through tonight, people are having discussions about essential questions, depression era books and the best thing that happened this year to your school and/or classroom. There are not many careers where intellectual discussions about one's profession continue unabated through a time that is typically thought of as vacation time. We are always searching for renewal, for a better way to do things, for new thoughts. This is truly a noble profession, and I'm glad to be a part of it. Thank you.— Jack Wallace, Eighth Grade Social Studies Teacher, Brunswick Junior High School, Brunswick, ME
I too have grown professionally by our collegial conversations. In my 27 years of teaching, I have never collaborated to the extent that this forum has provided.
I believe I'm a much better teacher now than I was three years ago because of this group.
I'm not taking any classes during my first year of teaching (except MiddleWeb, which is a class in itself!).
I can't count to number of posts and references I've forwarded on to my teachers, colleagues, parents and the school committee. Every question I've asked, without exception, has been replied to in thoughtful, constructive ways.
This web list has become the first stop in finding solutions, in asking questions and in validating the work that we do.
I can honestly say that I don't think I'd be teaching today if it weren't for (the) MiddleWeb (listserv conversation). It has had an enormous impact on my life.
I wanted to take a little time to thank each one of you for helping me think critically about my practice and for being the best mentors any teacher could ever want. I have never had anyone to mentor me on-site (in my school), and I feel so lucky to have found such dedicated, talented educators through MiddleWeb. My students and I owe you so much.
The responses have been thoughtful, and inspiring, really. Is there any reason I couldn't stay on the listserv? (Washington Post columnist Laura Sessions Stepp)
[After a vacation] I wanted to send this message because I missed you, my friends. I know it sounds corny (but remember I am from Kansas!) but the ideas that are discussed and tossed around help to keep me sane.
This service continues to be such an incredible gift for educators. I wrote a grant and got funding for Professional Study Groups in our schools. Finding the time is the #1 problem we face. The information about using time creatively really hit the spot! Thanks! I hope you'll continue this service. [Betsy Dyches, Language Arts Coordinator, Richland County School District Five, Columbia, SC]
I wasn't sure I'd make it to the end of the year. This group helps energize me. It gives me an opportunity to connect with other professionals. We all know there are teachers and then there are professional teachers. I gain so much and do so much mental stretching from being a part of this community. I'm constantly telling others "I learned this from a listserv!"
I find that teaching can be a lonely profession. This might be due to the fact that I have spent the majority of my 30+ years working in smaller schools This listserv is valuable to me in that I can hear minds at work. I often get feelings of affirmation from you and that makes the day less alone. Thanks for being there.
Welcome to to the best list on the entire net; and I mean that seriously. You'll find highly talented, creative and committed teachers at all levels here and a focus on good works, improving the lives of students and broad professional learning. [Teacher educator Tom Dickinson to a new listserv member]
I want to thank everyone on this listserve. Each day I am inspired, reassured, and delighted by your posts. It is so nice to be part of a community of educators that never stop questioning, growing and improving for the good of students! I start the school year tomorrow and thought it appropriate to thank the many people who mentally prepared me for the first few days. My head tends to "spin" with ideas at the start of every new year - you all helped me focus a little more this year! I look forward to experiencing this next year with all of you.
In June 2002, we invited MiddleWeb Listserv participants to comment on their experiences. Here are some of the replies:
The MiddleWeb Listserv has been a lifeline for me. Teaching can be a lonely place. Classroom walls tend to isolate individuals, and when one is seeking growth and support, it is often difficult to find. As a National Writing Project fellow, I know the importance of camaraderie, of teachers teaching teachers. In an ideal world, members of a school staff would collaborate, seeking answers to instructional dilemmas together in a collegial fashion. In the real world, sadly, isolation is rampant. One who questions (or bucks) the status quo is often out there alone. Middleweb has been a source of inspiration for me. When I am looking for strategies to improve instruction, help in finding new ways to reach (and teach) my students, and/or support for my efforts, the MiddleWeb community is there. I have used ideas from the list in my own teaching and to support colleagues with needs I could not respond to, even from my own 30 years of experience.
As a public school educator (28 of those at the middle level!) and in my current role as a teacher educator at the university level, I have benefited from the shared expertise and generosity of the list members. I have found an incredible sense of support and a truly amazing breadth and depth of knowledge from the list members. I cannot imagine going back to the days before MiddleWeb and teaching without it.
Pamela M. Buchanan
Western MIchigan University
SW Michigan
Quite honestly, participation in the MiddleWeb Listserv discussion has been the best professional development I have had in my five years teaching. On a listserv, you can have long, ongoing discussions about topics that you never have in a school. Time is rushed, at school and the opportunity to hash out ideas, throw around suggestions, play devil's advocate, etc. -- all of those things that really cement your beliefs on a topic -- go by the wayside as we do all of those things we "have to do." At the listserv, everyone is allowed some "think time" before a response and is able to articulate what we really believe. I love having the chance to ponder what people are saying about a topic before I say -- "That's it! or "Where is this person coming from?" I think all of us involved have grown professionally in so many ways. How else am I, a novice teacher in Colorado, able to talk to Rick Wormeli [author and listserv member] about differentiation? If he came for a conference, time would be limited. I feel closer professionally to many people from the listserv (who I think know my heart as a teacher) than I do to people who teach down the hall from me. Amy Heinsma
7th Grade English and Reading
Windsor Middle School
Windsor, Colorado
I can't say enough positive things about the Middleweb listserv and the effect that it has had on my teaching. I do get tons of email because of it, but the conversations are so thought-provoking, so professional and so intelligent, that I don't know what I would do without it anymore! In my day to day conversations with colleagues in my own building, we get bogged down with the petty problems and never seem to be able to have really great conversations on middle school kids and how they learn. I have never been close to losing my passion for teaching, but Middleweb definitely made me realize that that passion is strongest in the middle.LeeAnn Moore
8th grade literature
Morley Stanwood Middle School
Michigan
The Listserve has been extremely beneficial for me as an educator in a district that is going through a great deal of reform. Being in such a large district (San Diego USD), we tend to only hear about the reform efforts within our "Institute for Learning." While there are some great things going on in our district, the Listserve has given me a venue to post/respond/read about the efforts that are going on throughout the country (and world for some members). I have found that my eyes have been opened to the vast differences of middle school education, as well as comforted by some of the similiarities. This Listserve is like being in an online course for educators working on a degree in middle school philosophy.
Rick Selby
Teacher/Staff Developer
There is extreme value in the Middleweb list. The ideals that flow and resources that are shared are a perfect example of teacher collaboration. Questions are asked, and from many points of view ideas are shared. The collective thinking solves problems and is able to bring up other questions that might not have been thought of. It is a valuable resource for teacher improvement and student learning.Lynda Belt
Integration and Best Practices Specialist
Puyallup School District
Puyallup, WA 98371
I cannot imagine life without MiddleWeb Listerv. It has been the source of so much of my professional growth since I became involved with the community. I teach grades 5/6 in a small, rural school. I have no other teachers at the same grade level with whom I can collaborate. The MiddleWeb Listserv has filled that void. I can honestly say most of my true professional colleagues at this time are members of this list - people I have never met face to face. Participation in MiddleWeb's lists have helped me in two specific areas this year:
First, being a part of the Reading Workshop Project has improved my performance in the classroom. Last summer I took a course in reading comprehension but I would have found it very difficult to implement what I learned without this electronic community. I felt like I had the support of my "virtual" colleagues as I tried out new learning in my classroom. I had 12 students this year. Nine of them mentioned in an end-of-the-year survey that they had improved their skills in reading. I truly believe there is a direct correlation between my participation on this list and that improvement. Differentiated instruction is another area I am working on in the classroom. The conversations on the list kept it at the forefront of my thinking. I wasn't able to brush it aside. Differentiated instruction is hard but I want to learn to do it well. The people in this community are helping me do that. This list is an awesome!!! Kathy Renfrew
NBCT
VT Presidential Elementary Science Teacher 2000
I have been a member of the MiddleWeb listserve since the beginning and logging on is part of my daily routine. I can unequivocally say that this listserve has helped me grow as a Middle School Head. Working in a school can be a lonely job and this listserve, with its ideas, suggestions and eye on student learning, makes me feel part of a group of professionals that care about children and the educational process. That feel goods!
The listserve has put me in touch with others - all over the country and Canada - to share, discuss and plan school programs. To name just a few, I have learned about professional portfolios, student led conferences, assessment, scheduling and teacher frustrations about management. All of these topics are valuable to me in my planning. In fact, I have implemented many new programs on the basis of the 'tried and true' responses from other listserve meembers. So, each evening, my own homework is to go to the MiddleWeb and read and learn.
Myrna Rubel
Atlanta, GA
I can honestly say that I would not be the teacher I am today without all the creative ideas and sound suggestions offered on the MiddleWeb listserv, from educators hailing from all over the earth! Every time I've asked for ideas on a topic or theme, the educators on this list have come through. I feel like I am among friends!
Donna Thomas
Teacher/Principal
The North Star School of Creative Learners
Orlando, FL
In 2000, by happy coincidence, MiddleWeb began just as I switched from high school to middle school teaching. What I wanted and needed was a place to feel safe to discuss questions about how best to reach this age group; what I got was much more.
Beyond the always-professional and stimulating conversations on the listserv itself, I have participated in Booklist discussions including nationally known and respected educators on the cutting edge of middle school philosophy which have revolutionized my teaching. Teachers at my school have become excited about books I've read, such as Reinventing the Middle School, or ideas I've implemented, such as student-led parent conferences. Indeed, it has become quite common for me to say "Thanks, I'm glad you liked the idea, I got it from this listserv I belong to."
Besides improving my own teaching and helping my school, MiddleWeb has helped me grow in self-confidence as I see my own ideas taken seriously by others. And on those inevitable down days, I can turn to my virtual colleagues for rejuvenation. I have fallen completely in love with middle school teaching, and my students and MiddleWeb share most of the credit.
Bill Ivey
Pine Cobble School
Shelburne Falls, MA
I have been placing all of the MiddleWeb Listserv postings in a file on my home computer this summer. I have been going through a lot in the past week. I just had to thank everyone for the interesting threads and many great ideas. I find myself forwarding quite a few to my school email to have on hand there when the school year starts.
So many explanations in varied topics and subject matters; so much food for thought. I thank each of you for sharing your professionalism and insights. Many of you put a great amount of thought into your postings, and your efforts take up valuable time. You make a big difference in the lives of many teachers and principals; which helps countless students. I do not know how many people are signed up on this listserv, but the compound impact on the students served must be impressive!
I have explored a few other chatboards and mailrings over the summer. MiddleWeb stands above all of them. Why? The topics cover such a wide expanse -- there is something for everyone. There are guidelines for members to follow, and I do like to know where my perimeters are for my comfort zone. Post a question or problems, and there are usually ample timely responses that prove helpful.People share their own personal experiences (not always pleasant ones, so I can't imagine it is easy to do) from which others may learn. Responses posted offer such a rich blend of opinions, yet people do so in such a way that heads may be held high with dignity. Also, this group has a known moderator with a private email address. You do such an excellent job, John, and I can't imagine the amount of time you put into this for our benefit.
I find myself lurking much more than the past spring. You are such a distinguished group, I sometimes feel intimidated to join in as a 45-year old, fifth year teacher. Keep up the quality postings!
Sincerely,
Carole Hurlbut
Resource Teacher
Eastland Middle School (Illinois)
