On My Mind: Proof and the Middle School Mathematics Student

Is proof perceived as being rigid and formal? Something that students should first encounter in high school? Does a concern involve students' having difficulty when they finally confront the idea of proof, perhaps in their high school geometry class? One likely reason for this unease with proof is that it is so often left out of any work in mathematics until students reach high school. They are then overwhelmed, since it is so unfamiliar. This outcome is not inevitable. Middle school students are capable of grasping the basic logic of proof and should be given the opportunity to encounter it.