Supporting Young Adolescents: Transitions to and from Middle School
According to The Successful Middle School (AMLE), young adolescents need educators who value them and who are prepared to teach them. In addition, they (and their families) need and deserve effective and amazing transitional programs to and from the middle level. This session will provide you with the tools, ideas, and examples you need in a remote or blended/hybrid environment to make this happen for every student in your school. We will Identify the stakeholders in the transition process, determine their concerns, develop strategies to address those concerns, explore strategies to strengthen relationships, and ease the anxiety for students (and their families) in grade-level transition. There will also be a "blueprint" to create your own "transition camp" for incoming middle grades students.
About Dr. Dru Tomlin:
Dr. Dru Tomlin is the principal of Heritage Middle School in Westerville, Ohio, and is proud and passionate to serve his students, staff, and families every day. Dru was formerly the director of middle-level services for the Association for Middle-Level Education, and in that role, demonstrated a commitment to educational improvement and a passion for teaching, learning, and middle school. He began his work in the middle grades as a young adolescent at Lynnhaven Junior High School in Virginia Beach, trying to fit in with other kids while also playing tuba in the marching and concert bands. In 1994, Dru began his formal career in education as an English teacher at Harrisonburg High School in Virginia, and then, in 1998, he discovered the joys of middle school in Georgia as a language arts, reading, and social studies teacher and then as a school administrator. He has also been a school system staff development trainer and a faculty member for AMLE's Leadership Institute, believing firmly in the power of professional learning. For his work, Dru has been recognized as a school system Teacher of the Year and as Georgia's Middle School Assistant Principal of the Year. He holds a Ph.D. in Teaching and Learning and an M.S. in Educational Leadership from Georgia State University, a B.A. in English/Secondary Education from James Madison University, and a Certificate of Perfect Attendance from Lynnhaven Junior High School.