The Middle Course

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The One About Here's My Final Project

on May 15, 2013

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A New Course

Typically, my teaching and learning journey has led me to the Middle Course. That is, a dedication to students in the sweet spot of Middle School. Without a doubt, these kiddos are special, and need special teachers. This year though, I’m charting a new course. A course that leads me away from the kiddos I’ve dedicated the past 14 years of my life to in order to concentrate on a fifth grader and a third grader - specifically, my sons. Our family has taken advantage of a rare opportunity of a sabbatical year. We have traded in our international lifestyle, returned to the US and are undertaking the journey of a lifetime. We’ve purchased a truck and a camper, and we’re touring the US as we homeschool our children. Naturally, this has me thinking a lot about teaching and learning. After only two weeks on the road, I’ve come to three big ideas: This trip will be more powerful to my sons if I learn alongside them, instead of thinking of myself as their teacher. Learn...

My New Year's Post

Personally, I've never been a big fan of New Year's resolutions. I feel like there is so much hype surrounding them, not to mention the pressure of the timing. At the close of the holiday season, going back to school can be difficult for students and teachers and the added pressure of meeting an unrealistic goal can be tough. When I lived in Korea, I used to wait a few weeks and set a "Lunar New Year's Resolution," giving me a buffer to settle back into my routines first. It also often failed. Given the dearth of New Year's posts, I resisted the dual temptations of setting a resolution and blogging about it. However, the inspiration of colleagues and an unlikely television moment set my wheels in motion. On her blog, Beth Coyle wrote about not setting a resolution, but deciding on a mindset for the New Year. On his blog, Jeff Eller wrote not about adding to your proverbial plate, but focusing more on something you're already doing well. And then, ...

Just In Time Advising

In the middle school, advisory is often seen as a key facet of what we do that makes us different. It can assume many roles in many schools and can frequently be the source of much discourse as we try our hardest to define what it can offer our students. Community building, academic advising, socio-emotional development - all of these can be cornerstones in an effective advisory program. Without any doubts though, the most effective advisory programs are those that allow for what colleagues and I have dubbed "just in time advising." A program that allows flexibility to treat those issues that seem to arise overnight, or in response to what's happening in our world, is the best for middle schoolers. With that in mind, when the recent Burger King bullying PSA made the rounds of social media, I immediately put it on standby for my students. Inspired by Beth Coyle's ideas of quick and powerful lessons, I showed the video to my students. They responded well an...

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The One About Here's My Final Project

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