Every day, millions of
diverse, rapidly changing 10- to 15- year-olds make critical and complex life
choices and form the attitudes, values, and dispositions that will direct their
behavior as adults. They deserve
an education that will enhance their healthy growth as lifelong learners,
ethical and democratic citizens, and increasingly competent, self-sufficient
individuals who are optimistic about the future and prepared to succeed in our
ever-changing world.
The above is the first paragraph in the new release from the
National Middle School Association, This
We Believe. The Utah Middle
Level Association echoes that same concern for early adolescent students in our
state. UMLA is in harmony with
NMSA and is working to bring Utah middle level educators together to
collaborate on how we best meet the needs of our students.
Across the state, we have many different grade
configurations for the middle level learners. The term middle level education has come to put the focus on
the level of education that serves young adolescents rather than the particular
school organization or grade plan.
These learners have unique characteristics and needs that do not match
their elementary or high school counterparts. UMLA is an organization to help Utah educators understand
those characteristics and better meet their needs.
The organization is celebrating its thirtieth year. We invite all to celebrate and learn
with us at our annual conference on March 13, 2010 at Butler Middle
School. We have scheduled our own
national quality conference by having the three most sought after speakers from
NMSA: Jack Berckmeyer, Judith
Baenen and Debbie Silver. They are
all entertaining, informative and downright inspiring. I hope you will join us on March 13th
for a wonderful day of “middle level education.”
Sincerely,
Cathy Jensen