Even in the best of times, teaching middle school is full of ups and downs, challenges and successes; but when you throw a pandemic in the mix, it completely changes the experience for both teachers and students. As a middle school music teacher completing a graduate program at Erikson Institute, I wanted to learn more
Read More… from Post-Pandemic Challenges: The Use of Mantras on Executive Functioning Skills
Behavior Choices One of the most pressing concerns reported by teachers, middle grade students, and parents is the escalation of conflict and violence among middle level students in schools. There are many ideas about why this may be happening such as isolation and lack of social interaction caused by the pandemic, increased models of conflict
Read More… from Student Behavior: A plan not a power struggle
1
Our children have so much to tell us. Sometimes it is by expressing their feelings in big ways, other times it is through their actions, and how they direct their bodies to react; in other situations it is through eloping from a space, or shutting down, caught within a freeze. Frequently, as we have seen
Read More… from Navigating the Gray: Trauma in the Middle Grades
0
Jana Davidson teaches seventh-grade science. Every day, she observes students entering her classroom stressed out. Many of them feel overwhelmed. Anxiety has become quite common thanks to the pressures of social media and a pandemic. When I asked Ms. Davidson how she helps her students manage their stress, she told me she assumed the best
Read More… from The Diamond Secret: Preventing Pressure from Becoming Stress
1
We’re in the home stretch – the end of the school year is in sight. There’s no sugar coating it, this has been another challenging year. While we hope that next year brings more of the calm and routine that our young adolescents crave, in the meantime how we can use the remaining days of
5
As you enter the classroom, the lights are dimmed and a dozen students are scattered throughout. Some are folding origami; another is using a wood burning kit to etch a magnificent dragon plaque. Others are reading quietly. You have entered the “Calm room.” It’s one of four rooms that 6th graders at Olmsted Falls Middle
Read More… from Play, Move, Calm, Think: An Advisory Approach with Student Choice at the Center
5
0