Middle schools and summer camps play different roles in society. Middle schools are a legally required step in a child's development meant to prepare them for college and career, while summer camps are often elective...

A few years ago, a colleague of mine at a local middle school lamented that he had to stop being a volunteer leader for his church's youth group. When I asked him why, he said he had heard someone on talk radio say...

Plagiarism is both easier to commit due to the tremendous amount of content "out there," but also ridiculously easy to catch with a simple Google search. As an English teacher, I've found that if my assignment can be...

Gena was failing most of her sixth grade classes when she decided to stop going to school. Her mother, Sheryl, called me in a panic. I hadn't talked to Sheryl in years, but we'd grown up together, and she knew I was a...

Much of the writing we assign our students is public writing—writing to communicate with others. Writing-to-learn is personal writing, writing that helps students increase comprehension of texts—fiction...

All effective middle school leaders take the time to reflect. In addition to purposeful reflection, the strongest kind of leader will also question themselves, explore their thoughts, and assess their actions in an...

Each year we explore new and innovative ways to teach middle grades students the foundational concepts and skills they need for algebra such as proportional reasoning. This year, we engaged students in a scale...

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education continues to emphasize the teaching of skills that are relevant to today's information driven economy (Jamali, Nurulazam Md Zain, Samsudin & Ale...

Students today are faced with global issues that impact their lives such as bias, political divisiveness, injustice, and mass shootings. These students have the potential to become a generation of leaders that improve...

There are a number of lessons I have learned in my 20 years as a teacher of American History. Appreciation of history is like a fine wine … the longer you let it sit (the older we get), the better...