MACON MIRACLE: Educator on Realigning Grades | News

13WMAZ's Candace Adorka sat down with former Dean of Education at Georgia College, John Lounsbury.

Lounsbury has been teaching for more than 60 years, and during the 1960's, he co-authored many studies that helped to develop and launch the concept of middle schools. His idea highlighted the different developmental needs of students between 10 and 15 years old and that their needs are different from those of other age groups.

Lounsbury says that separating students by ages doesn't really make sense because the world, family and life aren't artificially separated. He continues to say, "As a matter of fact, one of the best things that can happen to 4th graders is to have a chance to work with a 7th grader. It's good for them and the 7th graders take on new meaning in their own lives as they see they can help kids."

The grouping could work, Lounsbury says, if Bibb County takes the developmental differences of the children into account by splitting the grades into two units. Grades 4 and 5 would have a self-contained classroom with one or two teachers, and the older grades could have different classrooms for different subjects with the teachers using a more team-based approach.