(9)


15. What do you think have been the strengths of Spring Hill as a middle

 school of the middle school idea?

Diedeman: "I think probably the strength of our school is that we really

 have a total team feeling. Everybody is part of the overall team and

 then there are smaller teams within the big team. But really the team-

 work and the willingness of the part of everybody to give that little

 extra makes a difference. Uh when 3:30 comes there are still a lot of

 teachers that will be here until 4:30, and some of them 5:00 and some

 of them later than that. But it is just really a real interest in kids

 and helping kids and planning the kind of program and giving them the

 kind of help they need to succeed."

16. What do you think are the weaknesses of the middle school program in

 general if not specifically at your school or just in general? Do you

 see weaknesses in the middle school idea and if so what are they?

Diedeman: "There are some schools that don't put enough emphasis on the

 affective area. I don't think there are many, certainly not in this

 county, that uh don't put adequate emphasis on academics. All of us

 do, that is why we are here. But a lot of times we get so tied up in

 that we don't realize there is an emotional side and a feeling side to

 a kid's life. We get a situation where, and I'm probably being conservative,

 where they are living with a step-father or step-mother. Uh that in

 itself generates a lot of uncertainty and a lot of difficulties for some

 of us."

17. ihy do you think that Spring Hill developed the way it did differently from

 some of the other middle schools in this county?

Diedeman: "Well I hope it was because the purpose was clear to what we were.

 trying to do and we could find enough people who wanted to do it but....."