A teacher’s guide to planning a high-interest, engaging writing project Three years ago an eighth grade class of mine had a blog project called “Dear Terrorist” where students researched their topics and wrote letters to anyone considering (or participating in) a decision that could harm themselves or others. One girl wrote an open letter to
Assistant Superintendent Dr. David McDonald will be presented the National Educator of the Year Award at AMLE2017 in Philadelphia. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 31, 2017 COLUMBUS, OH —David McDonald, Ph.D., assistant superintendent for school leadership, Greenville County Schools, Greenville, South Carolina, is the recipient of the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE) 2017 Educator of the
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Ben reads below grade level, and knows that if he whines about how unfair school is, his dad will cave in and do most of the work for him. Jacqueline knows how to do the math, but she doesn’t think she should have to prove it to the teacher repeatedly via tonight’s homework assignment, so she asks
Are we asking our students to take risks that we as adults aren’t willing to take? Structure is utilized in the middle school experience to build a safe learning environment for our students. Students are placed on teams where they take classes with the same peer group, increasing their comfort level in contributing to classroom
One middle school gives students a personal send-off On the last day of school for the past six years, after hiking a small mountain near our school in Vermont, we gather in the shade of venerable maples for a final ceremony with the eighth grade class. After each eighth grade team member reflects briefly on
Making social conscience and democracy come alive The call came in December 2015. I didn’t recognize the voice of Dr. Glenda Mosley. A native of the Baltimore, Maryland, area, Dr. Mosley is a business owner, a concerned citizen, and an entrepreneur. Her passion was clear and compelling that day as she spoke about her city
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