Calling all student teachers and mentor teachers! Today we are discussing how student teachers can make the most of their student teaching experience, and how mentor teachers can provide an environment for feedback and flourishing. If you are about to become a student teacher OR if you are about to mentor a student teacher, check out these 8 tips for making the most of this ...
Getting Started with Math Stations
Math Stations, when done correctly, can solve many classroom challenges. Math stations can meet the needs of various learners, provide practice on spiraled concepts, and it puts the responsibility of learning on the students. Seems like a win-win! In addition, technology has made personalized learning easier than ever! You may be eager to try math stations (or math centers), but are ...
Seating Charts for Middle School
Seating charts for middle school classrooms are essential! They are the foundation of classroom management. Be prepared for day 1 of school with a completed seating chart. Let’s talk about why. Why Should You Have a Seating Chart In a perfect world, all students would be successful no matter where they were sitting in your classroom. We don’t live in a perfect world or ...
3 No-Prep Checks for Understanding
A CFU, or check for understanding, is a formative assessment and a crucial part of instruction. Are students ready to move on to working independently? Are students ready to move on to more rigorous problems? A check for understanding can answer these questions as well as help you identify which students need additional support. What makes an effective CFU? A check for ...
How to Juggle Multiple Preps
Most teachers juggle multiple preps. No matter your content or grade level, if you have been teaching for any length of time, it is inevitable. We asked our Facebook group how many preps they taught, and one teacher said 7! Wow! Let’s talk about some of the ways we can manage teaching multiple preps. Keep scrolling to learn about something HUGE that Maneuvering the Middle is ...
5 Back-to-School Tasks to Knock Out
The start of the school year is just around the corner. With that comes the energy and excitement of getting ahead, so let’s talk back-to-school tasks that you can knock out these last weeks (...or days) of summer. (And if you don’t need this right now, x out, and enjoy the rest of your summer!) You are limited to doing pretty general tasks without class lists, and maybe without ...
Back-to-School Round Up
If you are already thinking about your classroom and gathering ideas on Pinterest for a classroom management system, this post is for you. We have rounded up some of our favorite back-to-school blog posts and put them in one spot for your ease and enjoyment. On Preparing your Mindset Prepare yourself to lead your classroom confidently and effectively. Back to school ...
Student Organization in Middle School
Do you struggle with student organization? When I taught high school students, students would throw away their papers as they left my room – IN FRONT OF ME. Has this happened to you? Today, I am sharing what student organization system has worked for me and how other teachers have students organize notes and other papers using Maneuvering the Middle ...
20 Must Have Teacher Supplies
If I had to draw one broad generalization about teachers, it would be that teachers love school supplies. To this day, I am exhilarated by walking down the school supply aisles. I have compiled a list of my favorite teacher supplies, all priced under $20. These are all supplies that I have found useful in my classroom, along with some great ideas for incorporating them. Some supplies ...
Smartphone and Social Media Solutions: What Teachers and Parents Can Do
Let's talk smartphones and social media solutions! Welcome to our book study on The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt! In part 1, I wrote about the harmful effects of smartphones, technology, and social media on today’s adolescence. Today I will be summarizing recommendations that the author outlines in the books for what we can do as parents, teachers, and schools to combat ...