Oh, middle school. For those of us who have not forced ourselves to forget the painful memories of sixth through eighth grade, middle school provides plenty more awkward and uncomfortable memories to reflect fondly upon. My current reflection on my middle school days was inspired by a blog post I read titled Tips for Tackling Tough Transitions That Start in Middle School on ASCD’s community blog. Before reading the post, I had only seen middle school through the eyes of a student, but after reading I am now very interested in the middle school experience for middle school teachers. It seems that teaching middle school requires its own special collection of talents because middle school is a time of difficult transition for adolescents.
This article by ASCD suggests classroom routine/structure and supportive relationships as means of making the transition from elementary to middle school easier. In retrospect, if I had known what to expect from day to day in my classes, much of the academic stress of middle school could have been alleviated. So blog readers, what do you remember about middle school? And if you are teaching or have taught middle school, what do you do in your classroom to promote student success? I would love to hear your thoughts and stories!
