GIS Middle School: A Teacher's View

GIS Middle School is a Special Place

Imagine walking into a middle school during breaks between classes on some random day and hearing kids speaking English, German, French, Spanish or Chinese. Imagine seeing seventh graders showing fifth graders how to hold stick bugs. Imagine kids playing foosball, gaga ball, table tennis, walking on stilts, playing word games and putting together puzzles. 

And kids reading books, all the time, everywhere, kids reading, not looking at their phones. Imagine seeing kids laughing, playing, talking to teachers, doing homework, and, yes, reading every time they have a break between classes. That is truly what happens at the German International School middle school, every single day. 

Everything I value as a teacher can be found at GIS — true community, total teacher collaboration, flexible spaces, small class sizes, and thoughtful scheduling. For example every other Wednesday, students have an experiential learning day for research, field trips, service projects, and much more. 

Every day in the GIS middle school starts with “morning circle,” where students share their feelings, hopes, dreams, and frustrations, compliment each other, and laugh together. Morning Circle is a way for students to connect with each other, share their thoughts, and to support and empathize with each other, all of which foster a sense of community.

Each day ends with kids going to soccer, cross country, or basketball practices. They’re engaged in regular classes including, of course, math, English, history and social studies, and science. They also get to take digital media, band, choir, art, environmental studies, IB inquiry class/research methods, sports, and more.

In my 33 years of teaching, I’ve taught at international schools around the world, and at independent and public schools in Portland and Denver. I’ve taught for years in the IB Middle Years Program (MYP) in international schools. I now teach at GIS and know what middle school should look and feel like. I know that students should be asking big questions, doing hands-on research, reading, writing, and thinking critically, and interacting with their peers in authentic ways. Many schools try mightily to do what GIS does every day. But no school where I’ve taught has ever done it right, until now …