Note: This article first appeared by the author in the book How to Be Successful in Your First Year of Teaching Middle School: Everything You Need to Know That They Don’t Teach You in School (click here to purchase it on Amazon). It is reprinted with the author’s permission. The best thing about my job is, […]
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Using editorials to engage students in writing in middle and high school
As a high school English teacher, it was nothing for me to grade 120 five-paragraph essays every week. If it was a particularly rigorous unit, you find me wading through five to seven-page literary analysis in my Advanced Placement Literature class. If I was quick, I could have the papers graded within a two-week period. […]
The Building Blocks for Strong Middle and High School Writers
It was year five in my teaching career, and our principal called us in to bemoan our writing scores from the previous year. It was all the same buzzwords (fidelity, accountability, etc.), and I remember asking a question that changed my teaching beliefs. “If we want kids to be better writers, why aren’t we making […]
Use the World Cup to Score Higher Engagement with Middle Schoolers
Have you signed up for The Educator’s Room Daily Newsletter? Click here and support independent journalism! Studies have shown over and over again that students learn best when they find the content relevant and engaging. Lately, I’ve found my middle school students to be super engaged with the World Cup. Rather than repeating, “Guys, please […]
Our Middle Schoolers Deserve Better
Anyone who has taught middle schoolers can tell you – it is a time of abrupt and rapid change for students that can cause uncertainty, self-esteem lapses, and academic performance drops. For elementary schools, we see a lot of focus paid to their structure, pedagogy, and support, as is appropriate for foundational learning. On the […]
When Teaching Middle Schoolers: The Most Asked Question is, “Are You Insane?”
“Oh, bless your heart!” “Do you enjoy torture and insane little heathens?” “You’d have to be crazy to teach that age group!” These are the questions other teachers ask me when they find out I actually enjoy teaching middle school. Those responses are what I usually hear when I tell people of my occupation, along with […]
13 Websites for Middle-High School Students
CommonLit: CommonLit is a nonprofit education technology organization dedicated to ensuring that all students, especially students in Title I schools, graduate with the reading, writing, communication, and problem-solving skills they need to be successful in college and beyond. This is a great tool to help students as they try to stay on track with grade-level […]
In Defense of Middle School
By Sarah Mattie When I tell people I teach middle school (grades 6-8), the response is always the same: “Ugh! They’re the worst! You must be a very special person. I could never do that job.” Please. Stop. I know you mean well. I do. I am making no assumptions about your intent in those […]