Turning Points 2000: Chapter 8

I believe creating a healthy learning environment within each classroom is doable. Each teacher has his/her expectations of each student and everyone has a common understanding of the consequences for not meeting those standards. However, I believe the difficulty lies within the whole school culmination of these sub environments. Having inconsistencies in policy from one class to another can make the lines of appropriate behavior quite ambiguous to the young teenager and thus easy to overstep. In order to create this ultimately positive atmosphere, all teachers, faculty and staff must have a common understanding of what is to be requested of students. But that only addresses the behavioral portion of the healthy environment - there are many other factors that contribute to the overall well being of the school community. Such things as eating habits, social and cultural barriers as well as experimenting with sex, drugs and alcohol all contribute to the attitude of the school. All things are matters which need to be discussed and addressed as a middle school unit.