Grasmick said she believes other colleges and universities will follow with middle school concentrations.
Yesterday, Towson University's dean of the College of Education said through a spokesman that the university is in the planning stages for "something similar."
Once colleges and universities are turning out enough graduates with the middle-years focus, Grasmick said, the state could begin requiring a middle school certification for teachers entering the profession.
In developing its program, Deborah Kraft, chairwoman of Villa Julie's education department, said, the college worked closely with faculty at Pikesville Middle School in Baltimore County who helped write the descriptions for the new undergraduate classes.
Kraft said the college does not know how many students will apply for the program, but they expect to pull some students from the 90 freshman education majors as well as juniors and seniors who have not declared a major. "We think there is a pool out there that is really interested," she said.
Edward Collins, an 18-year-old freshman at Villa Julie, said he will sign up for the middle school program. "I think it is an amazing time, and I want to be part of that," he said. His love for that age goes back to his youth. "I remember how much I loved coming to school every day because of my teachers, and how exciting they made it."
The study skills he learned in those years have been the basis for all study habits since, he said.
Some of the Villa Julie students will have internships at Pikesville Middle School. Principal Maria Talarigo said they will have the opportunity to work in a diverse student body with some outstanding teachers.
Talarigo said all middle school students need teachers who love that age. "One day [the students] love you, and the next day they think you are the strangest person. ... They need a lot of nurturing, understanding and patience."
This is the time, she said, when children learn how to make good decisions. "All that is wrapped up into why this focus on the middle-level learner is so important."
liz.bowie@baltsun.com
