Research from the National School Climate Center shows that the ways students feel about school relationships and community can have a significant effect on the way they learn in school. But creating space for students to talk about school climate and how to improve it is not something schools typically do.

That is one of the reasons I recently asked nine members of my student council at West Jessamine Middle School to join me in a roundtable discussion about the subject.

Our school is located in a semi-rural area in Central Kentucky. With about 950 students and 53 teachers, West Jessamine Middle is considered large for a Kentucky middle school.

Participating in the conversation at a conference room in our school’s office were 6th graders, John, Izzy, and Stella; 7th graders, Katie, Anna, and Bailey; and 8th graders, Joe, Lily, and Maddie. All of their names have been changed to protect their privacy.

Sophia: What are some of West Jessamine Middle School‘s strengths?

Katie: I think that we have good attendance normally because we have got the banner two years in a row.

John: I agree with her. Yes, we have good attendance.

Joe: We definitely have a strong academic program. We definitely rank very high in our academics.

Izzy: I think that we have great students and great teachers as well. And we have a lot of support from families and students too. That they bring in stuff for food drives and just a lot of the stuff we do for other people.

Stella: I think that we have very good academics and have really high test scores and, like, everybody in this school is very smart.

Maddie: The staff here is definitely involved with the kids. We are good in sports and have a good balance of academics and sports, and we definitely make sure everyone is cared for here.

Bailey: I think overall most students have pretty good grades.

Anna: The teachers have a really strong impact on the kids here. Like, um, you keep what you learn for the most part.

Sophia: What do you guys like about the teachers here?

Katie: The teachers are all like really good in different ways, and they all impact us in different ways. And they keep the knowledge inside your brain. Like other teachers might not be able to.

John: For me, I feel like every teacher is different and has a different style of teaching, and I like that. I have always enjoyed seeing the different ways they have taught. In the past, I have had a hard time understanding what they said, and here, I have really felt like I have understood things here.

Joe: Each teacher is definitely suited to a different person. Like, there might be one teacher that might not be able to relate to a student at all, but then the same teacher can relate to a different person entirely. And at least every teacher is able to get one thing through to a different person.

Lily: Teachers can make learning fun for different students and other students. Like there is like special needs teachers that help special needs kids, and that makes them a good teacher.

Izzy: I think our teachers are great. You can tell that they really care for the students, and they want to help us to become better for future careers and everything.

Stella: This is kinda like what she said. I was thinking that they always make sure that we are ready for what’s coming up. Like at the end of the year, they always make sure we are ready for the next year, and they are always caring about what we think and how we do.

Maddie: I think that we have really good teachers, and they typically have fair punishments. And they also try to make us have fun lesson plans and [they make sure] that we always get to do different things instead of just book work.

Bailey: I think the teachers’ ways of handling students that may not be on task are really good because sometimes we have kids that aren’t doing what they are supposed to be doing, but the teachers find a way to do make them do what they are supposed to.

Anna: I think we have really strong teachers here that know how to do their job.

Sophia: How would you improve this school?

Katie: I think that we could improve by having more things to do with helping other people as well as our food drive and stuff like that to just try to open up and make other people heard in school as well, like make every person feel like they are heard.

John: I agree with what you said. I definitely feel like it’s important to make everyone feel like they’re heard and that they have a purpose in school not only to come in learn but also to come and be heard and have input on our school and to make our schools a better place for everyone and themselves.

Joe: I would improve West by making more things that relate to different people because personally, I am not really a big sports fanatic, so I can’t really get into that. But I don’t feel like there is enough for people who aren’t into sports and stuff. And there isn’t a lot of activities for those who aren’t active or a sports fanatic.

Izzy: I agree with what a few other people have said about making everyone have a voice because middle school is interesting, so we should be letting people know that they are wanted and that they are important.

Stella: I think we should improve West Jessamine because a lot of students get bullied and then the complete opposite of that is that a lot of people are really good. Either no one takes action in bullying or no one rewards the student for their good actions.

Maddie: I definitely think that there are some improvements that we could make. I think that we could be more involved in our community. As big as a community that we have, there is so much that we can offer students. And I also agree that we need more clubs and things that are not just about sports. And I also think that there are certain rules that could be made better or there are rules that don’t apply as much anymore.

Sophia: The last question is, do you think you are heard at West Jessamine and why?

Katie: I honestly think that I am heard because I have a loud voice. I always get my point across, but there are some people that are shy and too afraid to talk and let their voice be heard. So, I think that we should do something about that so that the people who are quieter can be heard.

John: I definitely feel the same way as you do. I also have a loud voice, but I feel that some other people don’t, and I witness people not feeling involved or heard at West Jessamine, so I definitely think that people in our school can think of ways to have those people be heard at West Jessamine.

Joe: I kinda just want to reiterate what they said. I definitely feel like I’m heard and not just because of my grade or social status. But there are people who don’t have that voice or they’re not very out there, or they don’t want to be out there.

Lily: Like the other people said, I have a loud voice too, and people are quiet but loud with their friends. But they need to like be much louder so other people can hear them. They can have a voice on some stuff.

Izzy: I think that we kinda have a choice to be heard or not. It depends on if you want to be heard or not. You just have to have the courage to stand up and speak for what is right, and a lot of the time, that’s hard. But I think that we could help the people that are shy by like doing projects where they could write stuff about what they want to be heard about.

Stella: I definitely think that I am heard just from student council and things like that but like everybody else said, I think that some of my friends can be loud around me and their friends but when it comes to being in class, they never raise their hand. But I can tell that they want to be heard, but they’re just too scared.

Maddie: I definitely feel that we’re heard here at our school, but there are some things that we need to take action on. But I think that some students don’t feel that people are as approachable to let them be heard, and others feel like they would be shut down automatically on what they ask for.

Bailey: I do think that I’m heard because I’m on student council, and we are kinda the voice of other students. I have had students come up to me and say since you’re on student council, can you tell your leader about this or that? So I do think that students are heard at West Jessamine.

Sophia Brannen is a 7th grade student at West Jessamine Middle School and a member of the Prichard Committee Student Voice Team.