Thread: any middle school English teachers?

Hi and congratulations! I've just completed fifteen years in the profession and although I still have plenty to learn, I've picked up a few things along the way.

1. Spend your first few days or at least a big portion of them teaching everyday procedures and rituals to your students. Don't be afraid you're being too babyish. Ex. Have a set procedures for what to do when entering/leaving your classroom and take the time to demonstrate these to your students. You can turn them into a student roleplay. Have a student demonstrate one procedure correctly and have a student demonstrate a procedure incorrectly so they see the difference. The more basic procedures you teach your classes in the beginning, the less headaches you will have later. Students at this age feel safer and more stable with set routines.

2. Have a take charge attitude, especially in the beginning. Even if you are a little nervous, do your best to "fake it until you make it." Children at this age are excellent at picking up vibes and that will affect their initial impressions of you and then their behavior.

3. I'm sure you've heard this already, but consistency really is the key. Your students need to understand that no means no, not "if I try again tomorrow, the teacher will let me" and now means now, not "in a minute".

4. Children at this age tend to, shall we say be "energetic." Whenever possible, try to get them moving around, such as in between activities. I actually play music during transitions. I have students taking turns being dj's.

5. I don't know what state you are in, but it is a good idea to get your hands on a copy of your state's eighth grade English language arts exam or any other important test your students will have to take this year. Get a head start on the types of questions your students will need to know. You can implement this into your teaching. I know in NYS where I work, they emphasize lots of vocabulary words, including being able to choose synonyms and antonyms out of four possible choices. So, from the very beginning, I have my students analyzing all kinds of everyday words and thinking about the words in creative ways to help prepare them for the kinds of critical questioning on the test.

Grassy road, I highly recommend two books that reinforce the first three points I mentioned above. One excellent book is Fred Jones' "Tools for Teaching" and the other is Harry Wong's "First Days of School." Some readers complain Wong is too condescending, but even as a veteran teacher I feel he makes excellent points.

The best of luck! You'll love it!

Thanks for the excellent advice booklady! I really appreciate you taking the time to respond to my query. I did think about implementing rules and procedures but I hadn't thought about role-playing as a way to augment it. I hope the students respond to me well.

I will check out the books you've recommended as well! Thanks!

I've taught middle school English full time since 1995. I've got some advice, but my kiddos are getting ready to arrive. I'll have to type mine over the weekend at home!

The one additional point I thought of is to closely look over the state standards you must teach, and keep that in mind when making your lesson plans. That also ties in with what they are being tested on.

In Illinois, we have 8th grade writing ISAT's. Going online at the State Board of Education site and looking up the topic of ISAT's yields sample questions and writing topics from previous years to use in teaching the students and preparing them for the tests.

OK . . . I'm back with my advice. :lol:

First of all, have all of your procedures planned out and teach them before you do anything else. It may seem like you're wasting time at first, but it will save you tons of time in the long run!! I like Randy Sprick's CHAMPs program. I've used it for several years and really find it effective.

Secondly, be consistent. Having your procedures in place will help that. Middle school kids are big on "fair" and being consisted goes a long way to keeping them on your side.

Before you reinvent the wheel, check with the department head to see if they have a curriculum map. Had you spent the summer working on plans to teach 7th grade at our school, they'd have not been very useful because all of the 7th grade teachers at our school use the exact same map. It's a calendar that's very specific as to what we're teaching when. The state's education department website is the place to check for any standards specific to your grade.

Somebody else mentioned Harry Wong's The First Days of School book. It's a good read for a new teacher. I read it about 11 years into my career, so I didn't find much in it that was helpful . . . but I do have a copy and it does have good help.

Be sure to come back and ask questions! We'll be here.