Changes in school or classroom practices unleash a variety of emotions. How can we support each other in the process? The faculty lounge crackles with disagreements about the new grading policies suggested by the standards-based grading committee. The English department debates whether or not grammar proficiency is a requisite for writing proficiency, and whether or
Teaching overseas offers opportunity, adventure, and professional and personal growth In the summer prior to entering middle school, I dove deep into the Choose Your Own Adventure book series. On page 11, as commander of a spaceship, I chose to put up the energy propulsion shields to try to escape a black hole; miraculously, though the propulsion
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Michael Gordon ran a middle school for 40 years. That’s right, four DECADES. As principal, he got tough kids to soften and overprotective parents to loosen their grip. Under his watch, troublemakers fell into line and struggling teachers upped their game. As I collect information for my book on parenting middle schoolers, I’ve been talking
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Insights from and for principals Exemplary middle schools focus on health and wellness. While this focus may be primarily on our students’ wellness, we also need to focus on the wellness of our faculty and administrators. It is a fact that, as teachers, we are under a lot of stress. I believe that morale is
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As I dig my fork into the characteristics in the category of Culture and Community in This We Believe, I am drawn to the one that states “Health and wellness are supported in curricula, school-wide programs, and related policies” (p. 38). Young adolescents—due to their impulsivity, neurological make-up, and inclination to push physical boundaries—are primed to
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Educators’ mindsets make it possible to move a philosophy forward What is middle school philosophy and how does it compare with or differ from a middle school mindset? A philosophy can be summarized as a system of principles used to guide one’s practices; whereas a mindset can be described as an attitude with intention. Based on those
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