Growth Buddies: Priceless Professional Development
Having a colleague who serves as a sounding board and a support system is a valuable part of professional development.
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Author: Aluent Support
Posts by Aluent Support
How I Got Multiple Tickets during My First Month Teaching 8th Grade
It should be part of an official middle school teacher evaluation form: “Effectively breaks rules and bends conventions for the instructional goodness of his/her students.” Indeed, one of the most underreported characteristics of an effective middle grades teacher is that he/she knows how and when to deviate from the traditional path—the one most typically taken—to
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Rethinking Field Trips
Field trips used to be a common and highly anticipated part of the middle grades experience: young adolescents, bleary eyed, climbing on the bus with iPods and handheld games. It wasn’t so much where they were going—it was all about not going to class. Security concerns since September 11, 2001, combined with budget cuts and
The Day a Seventh Grader Gave Me the Bird
I’ll never forget the time a seventh grader gave me the bird. When I caught him and the gesture, it changed me as a middle school teacher. And somehow it reminded me of the middle school characteristic that states, “Educators value young adolescents and are prepared to teach them.” What I hadn’t expected is what
Patient and Tenacious Teaching
Looping—Making a Case for a Best Practice
Schools that don’t loop should consider the benefits of this proven practice.