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Middle School Teachers Chatboard

College Assignment: Teacher Interview

by Sabrina Martinez

Nov 8, 2012

Name: City/State: School District: School:

Where did you graduate from?

What was your first teaching job?

How long have you been teaching?

Describe your worst behaved student; how did you handle that student and was it successful?

What do you like most about your job?

What do you like least abou...See More

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Read alouds

by Erin

Nov 14, 2012

What books would you suggest as books for me to read aloud to my 7th grade reading class?

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Debbie On 11/14/12, Erin wrote: > What books would you suggest as books for me to read aloud > to my 7th grade reading class? The Truth About Truman-a person by person account about cyberbullying.

I have the book at school but don't remember the author-sorry! Debbie

Nov 22, 2012

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roundstanley YOu know what they are interested in, so go to [link removed]

Dec 2, 2012

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Classroom/student management advice....

by DM

Nov 24, 2012

lease share with me your best ideas and advice for student management...will be new to this (have only taught 3rd-5th)....especially from a positive discipline angle! Thanks!

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Debbie On 11/25/12, R Brown wrote: >> On 11/24/12, DM wrote: >> Be consistent! Keep your classroom rules to maybe five or >> less. >> Debbie > > > My question is, how to enforce those rules? Some middle school > students like to test you with minimal infractions, what to do > with their test? > > Throw them out...See More

Nov 25, 2012

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Vet Teacher On 11/24/12, DM wrote: > Please share with me your best ideas and advice for student > management...will be new to this (have only taught > 3rd-5th)....especially from a positive discipline angle! > Thanks!

How many students in your room and what age? My answer to your question would vary depending on your answers to those ques...See MoreOn 11/24/12, DM wrote: > Please share with me your best ideas and advice for student > management...will be new to this (have only taught > 3rd-5th)....especially from a positive discipline angle! > Thanks!

How many students in your room and what age? My answer to your question would vary depending on your answers to those questions.

In any classroom though I strongly encourage the idea that the classroom is a community and we are all - me too - members of it. I also say and often that I want their time in my class to be positive time. Ideally - I say - I'd like this to be one of the classes you look forward to each day. I tell them I remember dreading certain classes in my own middle school years and that what I wish for all of them is that their school day overall is a positive one and I wish that each school day was such a good day that they'd look forward to coming back to school the next day.

And I mean that - I don't think it's inevitable that kids hate school and I see some things in school that if I were a kid, I'd hate those things too. Some teachers demean students and some teachers are bullies themselves.

I don't tell them that but I use the demeaning teachers and the bullying teachers as examples to myself of how I don't want to be.

I do tell the kids that I can't make their time in my class good time on my own. I tell them I sit up nights (and I do) trying to plan lessons that are interesting, even intriguing. I don't want them to be bored and I think it is my job to present my subject matter in as interesting a way as possible. I also think it's my job to be fair and even to bend over backwards to be fair - students are people too.

When you say things like that - when you believe things like that - I find it goes a Very Long way toward positive classroom management. I don't give out a list of rules. There's one guideline in my class - What we do here needs to be safe. We need to keep each other safe - physically safe and emotionally safe and that includes me. I can't bully kids or demean kids and then not expect kids to do the same.

I build Strong Relationships with my students and they come to want to do the right thing because they don't want to disappoint me. They do like the class and they do look forward to it and they mess up a good thing if they get out of hand. I can look them in the eye and ask "Do you want this to be one of the classes that you dread? Where all you do is copy notes from the board and take tests on the notes you copied from the board?"

No kid says yes to that and when they say no, I tell them again "Inappropriate behavior is exactly the reason that some teachers just have you copy notes from the board every day."I cannot make this a good class on my own. There are 22 of us here and each one of us has to pitch in. I welcome your thoughts and we are a discussion based class, I welcome your jokes and admire your insights but it takes a village to make a good class happen."

I don't give points or pizzas or pats on the head. I do let them know that I look forward to being with them each day. I let them know that they as people are important to me. I don't value them for the good citizens and adults they will become - I value them now and I value the less well-behaved ones as much as the very well-behaved ones. I do not ever play favorites.

I also don't assign homework on weekends or holidays and I try to be as circumspect with homework as possible and I tell them that I think they like me should have down time in the evening and that their weekends are family time. I give make-up tests and I never give a test on a Monday or after a holiday. I try to have my policies be fair and try to treat students with warm regard and sincere respect.

All that and a sense of humor has served me very well though 25+ years of teaching Middle School.

Nov 29, 2012

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Classroom Management

by Teachergirl1

Nov 26, 2012

This is my first year at a Jr. High and I am having a lot of trouble getting kids to stop talking and listen during instruction. I have used lunch detention, calling parents at times when it got REALLY bad. Are there any positive reinforcements being used that help? I can get the class to stop talking for a minute and then they start right up again...See More

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Am Like another poster mentioned, I refuse to talk over students. Even if it's just 2 students whispering, I stop, look at them and wait. Once it's silent, I wait a few more moments, then begin speaking again.

If it's more than just two students talking, I stop, very obviously look at the clock, and once it's quiet, (they hush eachother) I w...See MoreLike another poster mentioned, I refuse to talk over students. Even if it's just 2 students whispering, I stop, look at them and wait. Once it's silent, I wait a few more moments, then begin speaking again.

If it's more than just two students talking, I stop, very obviously look at the clock, and once it's quiet, (they hush eachother) I write on the board, "You owe me X seconds after class". The next time I have to wait for them to be quiet, I add the time to the one on the board. And I hold the entire class after for the amount of minutes. I tell them, If I have to wait for you to finish talking, you will need to wait for me to finish teaching. After one day of this, students quiet down quickly when I start staring at the clock. And I don't get mad or emotional...it's just very matter-of-fact.

(And don't worry about kids missing the bus or being late to their next class...I've never held anyone longer than a minute (but to them, it feels like much longer!!)

Also... do you have an attention sign? Something you do or a noise you make when you want students to be silent? It sounds elementary, but even in my high school Spanish classes it is very effective in getting them quiet quickly so I can talk, without taking over them.

On 12/07/12, Teachergirl1 wrote: > On 12/02/12, Vet Teacher wrote: >> On 12/01/12, Debbie wrote: >>> On 11/26/12, Teachergirl1 wrote: >>>> This is my first year at a Jr. High and I am having a lot >>>> of trouble getting kids to stop talking and listen during >>>> instruction. I have used lunch detention, calling parents >>>> at times when it got REALLY bad. Are there any positive >>>> reinforcements being used that help? I can get the class to >>>> stop talking for a minute and then they start right up >>>> again. HELP! >>> I stop teaching at that point and just stand there until one >>> of them notices and then shushes the others up. Sometimes it >>> works and sometimes it doesn't. >>> >>> >> You don't say how many students you have in each class but I'd >> say you're on the right track but you may have to get tougher >> about it. I find calling parents pointless - the best of parents >> aren't there in the room when temptation builds and one kid >> starts the talking. Kids don't sit there and think 'Uh, my >> parents don't want me talking out of turn." If kids could think >> like that, they wouldn't be kids. >> Neither do lunch detentions work you're finding out. Classroom >> management is crowd control. I tell young teachers to take an >> acting class - you need faces. Angry faces, frustrated faces, >> angry body language etc. >> >> Can you identify who starts it up again after you've got them >> quiet? Are you launching into a lecture or giving instructions >> when you talk? >> >> If they stop talking when they notice you've stopped, make it >> more obvious that you've stopped. I fold my arms, look down at >> the floor, tap my foot and generally put a huge look of Great >> Annoyance on my face. I purse my lips and yes, someone notices >> usually quickly and shushes the others. I wait a minute after >> they've all stopped talking before I start up again and I leave >> the Very Annoyed look on my face for a while. Keeping kids quiet >> these days requires constant management. >> >> You may have to fake a fit of anger. Next time it happens when >> you've got them quiet again and you start to talk, keep your lips >> pursed, keep your body language angry and say "I have been >> patient with this since the beginning of the year. I shouldn't >> have been. I recognize that you like talking with other and I >> would think that's great but that you are RUDE. Rude to me. Why? >> (long pause and look around the room) >> >> Am I rude to you as a class? It's not my intention to be. (long >> pause) Then turn around, pull a worksheet from the desk and call >> two good kids over and say "Give this out, please". >> >> Then tell them 'work on this. It should take to the end of the >> period. (long pause) and work quietly. >> >> Do they care about grades at all? Some kids don't. If they do, >> maybe you'll have to hand out some bad grades to settle them >> down. When Mrs. Smith calls to complain, tell her "John is a very >> bright and a nice boy too but in class, he is always speaking out >> of turn. He has several good friends in class and that seems to >> make him forget most everything else. I'm sorry to give a low >> grade to a nice boy like John but he simply talks and doesn't >> work and I am supposed to give him his grade based on his work >> not on the fact that he remains a very nice boy if not a very >> attentive one in history class." > Thanks, I will try your ideas, because the noise level makes me feel > very stressed and anxious, not to mention not fair for the poor > kids that are trying to learn. I feel like I am missing some > special "teacher" ingredient! They are good kids (mostly) but I > just don't seem to "scare" them into cooperating.

Dec 20, 2012

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Mshope Am,

Love that idea. I do that with my class before lunch. I never have to use it except once or twice. That always seems to be my best class. My last class is always the worse. I will use this rarely. It is the same two or three over and over. I know they walk home and I am only keeping them like ten or twenty seconds yet to them this is "...See More

Dec 23, 2012

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Are Teachers Listening?

by Teachers.Net Gazette

Dec 5, 2012

“Can you hear me now?” is a commercial for mobile telephone service that became popular in daily discussions. I think every student should wear a message button posing that question for teachers. [click below to read more.]

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This month's 5 best sites, with one on preventing cheating

by Teachers.Net Gazette

Dec 6, 2012

In the December issue: 5 Special Web Sites for Busy Educators (and families) by Marjan Glavac features a site for teachers of ESL, another on prevention of student cheating, an animated atlas of American history, a visit to an interesting first grade classroom, and a site featuring touching stories that serve as inspiration for someone to do one th...See More

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Are Humans Getting Dumber?

by Teachers.Net Gazette

Dec 8, 2012

In this month's issue of Teachers.Net Gazette: Are Humans Getting Dumber?

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Today's Trivia Question 12/10/2012

by Teachers.Net Gazette

Dec 10, 2012

Today's trivia question is linked below! Would your students know the answer?

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Middle School Teaching Made Manageable - teaching tips

by Teachers.Net Gazette

Dec 11, 2012

Teaching middle school and counting the years to retirement? Doing the happy-dance as soon as the last bell rings? Middle schools are notoriously challenging and if you are a middle school teacher there are things you can do to make life at school more manageable.

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