Ch3 of Atwell

I just finished reading Chapter 3 of Nancie Atwell's In the Middle. I really enjoyed this chapter, not only because of Atwell's fantastic writing ability, but the content itself. Atwell pointed out all the reasons why some people are afraid or just don't want to teach middle school students. (I know many of the reasons are my own.) It really resonated with me that instead of fearing middle school students' changing behaviors, we should embrace them.

Atwell pointed out that middle school students' changing attitudes and behaviors give them different topics/ideas/experiences/opinions to write about. Atwell has really made me realize the importance of workshops in the classroom. Workshops give students the opportunity to improve their skills, but they are able to express themselves at the same time. Atwell said that workshops get students involved "and once they're involved, middle school student can become genuinely excited about finding out things they didn't know before, thinking about new ideas in new ways" (Atwell 76). So far I am learning a lot about how effective workshops, whether it be reading or writing, are in a classroom.