The Truth About Middle School Students (Ch.17)

Abstract
This chapter is a conclusion to the author's thoughts and concepts throughout the book. He uses the conclusion to make a powerful and lasting statement about middle school students being denied positive reinforcement in public media settings. The chapter reinforces the idea of the misconceptions that the public and media have about middle school students and their lack of development and even importance. The points made in the chapter revolve around the idea that these students are just as important as all others and are making incredible achievements each year. Added into the final plea for more positive reinforcement for these kids, are quotes from the kids themselves that are randomly written on the author's classroom bulletin board. These quotes, jokes, and sentences are simple reminders that the students are still growing and learning, but are intelligent and funny; they are worth our time and effort is the message of the chapter.

Reflection
I found this chapter to be really moving. The passion that the author has for the students comes out in his voice throughout the different chapters. This particular chapter showed him really fighting for the help with extra effort to recognize the kids that deserve it and to treat all of these students with respect and care. Like chapter 2, I appreciated the extra feature of the kids' voices and quotes. Those additions always help me remember the character of the students in question and make me laugh. They are intriguing and give the subject matter a strong example and reminder for the reader to take them seriously while laughing. This chapter was pretty inspiring and it made me want to get to know the age group and these different and special kinds of children. That is a pretty incredible thing for an author to get the reader to be interested in.