On a normal school day, you could walk into any middle school classroom in the world and find a group of young people with a wide range of experiences and identities, all in a unique moment of their development as human beings. The intellectual diversity of students is one of the most fun and rewarding
An approach to unifying students and staff with character education-focused core values The Essential Question It was a simple enough question, but it stumped everyone in the room. “In three words or less, what does your school stand for?” Gathered were teachers from each of the three grade levels in our school, educators who had
Strategies for laying a foundation for a strong school culture in middle schools Today’s middle school classrooms look very different than they did 30 years ago. With a focus on the whole child and a wider range of backgrounds and experiences represented within the student body, finding common ground can be daunting. Educators across the
School culture from three different perspectives I’m a parent of a middle schooler and a high schooler, a teacher, and the president of my district’s teachers’ union. I’m one “hat” short of an identity crisis, but it does give me an interesting perspective. In all these circles, I hear the phrase “school culture,” so here’s
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Physical movement helps students engage in, investigate, and understand mathematics concepts Introduction Young adolescents undergo more rapid and profound changes than at any other time in their development (NMSA, 2010). Adolescence is a pivotal stage for cognitive, social-emotional, and physical development. Middle school educators understand the developmental uniqueness of this age group and seek to
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Tools for rehearsing responses to expressions of bias and racism in ourselves and others Martin Luther King, Jr reminds us that, “Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable… Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.” George Floyd’s death, along with so
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