The most wonderful part of teaching is learning. Every day I learn more and more from my STUDENTS. This section of my site features my strategies for connecting and engaging students in the classroom.
After years in the middle school classroom, I have a good sense of what rewards actually motivate students. While there is plenty of debate about whether candy should be allowed in classrooms, there is no doubt that certain candy brands are more popular with middle …
State testing is done. Your students are checked out. You’re exhausted. And somehow you still have six weeks of school left. The struggle is real: You need activities that keep students engaged without requiring hours of lesson planning. You need ideas that work on modified …
2026 UPDATE: I originally published this post on changing grade levels a few years ago, but the tips and lessons are still applicable today. This post discusses my transition to teaching 7th grade ELA at a new school district. My first 7 years here have …
A few years ago, I teamed up with my friend Noelle from Maneuvering the Middle to put together our favorite teaching strategies and class management ideas as middle school teachers. This post offers some ideas for homeroom and advisory suggestions to consider for your classroom. …
When I had the good fortune of teaching 75 fourth graders every day, we started every day with a class meeting. It is an excellent strategy when you have minimal class transitions, but it is not something I can utilize with my current 7th graders …
Are you looking for a new way to host parent-teacher conferences? One option to consider is switching to student-led conferences as a way to boost both parent participation and student engagement. The Case for Student-Led Conferences I first utilized student-led conferences several years ago with …
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