This morning as I helped my son organize his bookshelf I asked him a question that came over me as I looked over his Diary of a Wimpy Kid series on his shelf, “what books did you enjoy most while  in 6th and 7th grade?” He looked up at me like only a middle school […]
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Posted inFeatured, Middle School, Opinion, Principals' Corner
7 Surefire Ways to Help Land a Middle School Job
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, […]
Posted inEnglish Language Learners
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. […]
Posted inPedagogy
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 […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
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 […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Featured, Middle School
Life in the Middle… School That Is!
For many students success in middle school can determine whether or not they can navigate high school and leave with a diploma. This fact means that we as middle school teachers should guide our students to think on their own and make wise choices. While teaching 8th grade, I would begin the year giving more […]
Posted innews
School Shootings: When the drills become real
Within twelve days, The Dallas-Fort Worth area has experienced two school shootings. The first shooting occurred at Wilmer-Hutchins High School in Dallas, Texas, on April 12, 2024. A teenage boy was shot in the leg by a 17-year-old, who sneaked a .38 revolver into the school, past several metal detectors. A Wilmer-Hutchins teacher’s courageous efforts […]
Posted inAsk a Teacher
When Your School Principal is Mean Jean the Recess Queen
Teaching was my dream job until the new principal/sheriff came to town. As I sit here typing this submission, I am at home because I need a mental health day. I have only been at work 30 days since 12 weeks of FMLA and approximately $15,000 in lost wages due to anxiety and depression. But […]