We often focus on “getting-to-know-you” activities during the first weeks of school yet what are some ways I can develop community and encourage students to build positive relationships with one another throughout the school year? Developing and maintaining a positive, safe learning environment and community is essential during the middle school years. The young adolescents
Tag: New Teachers
With more testing than ever in years past, I realized that I was forgoing the most important part of my job description, which was getting to know my students. One lazy Saturday morning, an idea came to me while watching Inside the Actors Studio. Why not hold an interview for my students and allow their
Read More… from Getting to Know Your Students: Inside Room 801
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Two years ago our school underwent a reorganization to create a designated middle school. Previously the school was split into two parts: Lower School which included Montessori sixth grade and Upper School which was grades 7 through 12. Administrators recognized the differences in the middle grades and a new principal was hired to oversee the
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Literature circles bring reading to life for these sixth graders. What did we just read? I am so bored! Why are we reading this? What’s the point? Sound familiar? These were some of the responses to reading that I received during my first year teaching bright and talented sixth graders. How could 24 students, who
Read More… from Literature Circles: Student-Driven Instruction
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Finding your niche and keeping the passion. Do you remember your first day of college? I do. It was fall 2011 and I had arrived at Bowling Green State University to major in adolescent to young adult education, which covered grades 7–12. I showed up nearly 45 minutes early to my first class, Introduction into
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