- Sponsored by Stenhouse Publishers -

"A must-have for any beginning middle-level teacher" (VOYA). Day One and Beyond by veteran teacher Rick Wormeli gives you advice on what to do in the first day & week, discipline, grouping, teaming, parents, homework, record keeping, and more. Pair it with Rick's first book Meet Me in the Middle for a comprehensive tour of best practices!

TAMING THE DRAGON OF CHAOS
"My classroom is not neat and tidy and shiny like some," writes long-time MiddleWeb friend Cossondra George. "It has that homey, lived-in, loved look. The tables are never quite in perfect straight lines, the computer cords are twisted and tangled, and my teacher desk looks like a recycling center exploded on it." So how does the semi-organized teacher hold the Mighty Dragon of Chaos at bay? At her teaching blog Middle School, Day by Day, Cossondra shares 10 "stolen" secrets that help her and her kids stay focused on learning. Our personal favorite is the NO NAME folder. Simple and oh so needed!

PRIMING THE STUDENT LEARNING PUMP
In this Teacher Magazine essay, new-teacher mentor Kathie Marshall tells the story of a novice middle school teacher who learns some important lessons about student engagement. One reader commented: “As a first year teacher, this was a refreshing article to read and relate to. I know that engaging students is the key to their success, but I, too, became overwhelmed with the curriculum and ignored the most important factor of teaching -- engaging the learners!”

PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG URBAN M.S. TEACHER
English teacher Ariel Sacks began her career five years ago, after completing a residency program at New York City's Bank Street College. After a three-year stint in Harlem, Sacks is beginning her second year in a public academy school in Brooklyn. In this Teacher Magazine essay she reflects on the supports, experiences and strategies that give her the ability to continue teaching in the inner city. Novice teachers will appreciate Sacks' description of her classroom organization and management structure. "Not only is this structure practical," she writes, "it also teaches students to be part of a group, to make decisions for themselves and reflect on them, and to begin to take responsibility for the well-being of the class."

A NEW TEACHER'S TOP 10 TO-DO LIST
We hope it's not too late in September for the new teachers among us to gain from this Top 10 to-do list, prepared by veteran middle grades teacher Marsha Ratzel. She focuses on many practical matters and offers tips that will serve new teachers well in the coming months by maximizing teaching time.

CREATING THE POSITIVE CLASSROOM
September's Educational Leadership focuses on "The Positive Classroom" and includes several excellent articles of interest to any teacher looking for ideas about classroom management that is both affirmative and effective. In "Joy in School," teacher educator Steve Wolk suggests that while teachers cannot always banish boredom, it's still possible to "reach for joy." In "Assuming the Best," Rick Smith and Mary Lambert offer ways that teachers can help students learn both content and appropriate behavior "in a safe, structured classroom." Also, author-educator Paula Denton reminds us in "The Power of Our Words" that what teachers say "influences students' identities as learners." For more ideas, be sure to see the Online Only articles, covering everything from asking the right questions of students, to serving up positive behavior management in the lunchroom.

TEACHING SECRETS: THE PARENT MEET-AND-GREET
Parent nights send "chills up the spine of many teachers," says middle school teacher Marsha Ratzel in this recent Teacher Magazine essay, aimed at helping novice educators prepare for a successful parent meet-and-greet experience. Filled with practical tips and survival strategies, Ratzel's article shares the hard-earned insights of a veteran educator. Don't get lost in the details of your classroom, she says. "Remember that this is what most parents want to know: (1) You're going to treat their child fairly; and (2) You are committed to teaching both the curriculum and other skills well... Parents want reassurance that you'll listen to them as a valued partner in their child's school year."

TEACHING SECRETS: FIVE TIPS FOR THE NEW TEACHER
We highlighted Cindi Rigsbee's excellent middle grades blog, The Dream Teacher, earlier this year. Now the newly named North Carolina Teacher of the Year has an essay in Teacher Magazine in which she shares her five favorite comments to new teachers in her school. Rigsbee begins with "Hit the floor running and breathe when you leave" and ends with "Don't hide your light under a bushel." This essay, one of a series written by members of the Teacher Leaders Network, is currently the "most viewed" article at the TM site. Other veteran teachers are leaving additional tips in the Comments section. You might, too!

MS. TEACHER'S MIDDLE SCHOOL TIPS
We recently came across the blog of Ms. Teacher, subtitled (and many of you can relate to this) "The hectic adventures of a wife, mother and middle school teacher." Ms. Teacher mixes stories from her classroom with news of her personal life and children (who have school adventures of their own). What is particularly pertinent right now is Ms. Teacher's regular feature, Teacher Tip Tuesdays, in which she either offers tips of her own or points you to the ideas of other teacher bloggers, mostly at the middle school level. New teachers and those new to middle school will especially appreciate the Tuesday collection. Click on the link above to see them all on a single page.

TEACHING SECRETS: STUDENTS BEHAVE WHEN TEACHERS ENGAGE
Anthony Cody began his teaching career in inner-city Oakland CA almost 20 years ago. It was a rough first year in his middle school, with many lesson preps. “My credential program had not really dealt much with behavior issues. The idea was to deliver a rich curriculum, and the management would take care of itself. If you are already teaching, you know this does not always work.” After floundering the first year or two, he got some good advice from down the hall that he shares in this Teacher Magazine article. Follow his tips as a new teacher and you won’t have to way a year or two to establish a harmonious classroom environment!

TEACHING SECRETS: THE ORGANIZED MIDDLE SCHOOLER
Little wonder that new middle schoolers are so disorganized, writes Laurie Wasserman in this "Teaching Secrets" essay at the Teacher Magazine website. Most "have spent their first five years of school with a single teacher for the majority of the day." When they enter middle school "they are given a combination lock, a hallway locker, a homeroom, and a schedule that often has four or more subject-area teachers...This is where the child with significant organizational challenges becomes both overwhelmed and frustrated." Wasserman, a sixth grade special ed teacher who works with ADD/ADHD students, shares her secrets for building the Organized Middle Schooler.

TEACHING SECRETS: HOW TO SMILE BEFORE CHRISTMAS
When Kathie Marshall entered her first middle grades classroom nearly 30 years ago, “I found myself running to veteran teachers at the first sign of trouble, asking “What do you do?” Without fail, she remembers, someone would say, “Don’t smile until Christmas!” Their advice to assume a “grim and commanding presence” didn’t square with Kathie’s vision of an inviting teacher. Her alternative? Early in the year, she and her students work together to develop class rules and routines. After three decades as a classroom teacher, she says, “I have never had a problem getting students to develop a list of guidelines both they and I could live with. And I never hesitated to throw in rules that mattered to me." (Teacher Magazine)

TEACHING SECRETS: ASK THE KIDS!
Fourth-year teacher Ariel Sacks has spent her short career in the inner-city NYC schools. In the middle of her second year she had a revelation, triggered by once-excited eighth graders who were now "yawning, poking one another, throwing paper balls, and complaining during class." Ariel's first reaction was to bristle. "I was becoming that cranky teacher I vowed never to be." Then her a-ha moment arrived. Why not ask the kids what they wanted that they weren't getting? Teacher and students began talking -- and negotiating -- and a new, more positive atmosphere emerged. (Teacher Magazine)

TEACHING SECRETS: HALLWAY HINTS
The Teacher Leaders Network offers a collection of quick "hallway hints" for new teachers in this Teacher Magazine article from August 2007. Among the useful topics: Remember the two P's – Patience and Pace; never go it alone, and soak up the school culture. In a second installment, Hallway Hints II, TLN's expert teachers share their thoughts about super-planning; letting the students do the work, making it personal, allowing learning to marinate, and never forgetting that "kids will be kids."

TEACHING SECRETS: ESTABLISHING YOUR PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY
High school teacher David Cohen’s advice for new teachers – and teachers new to a school – seems to us equally applicable to folks in the middle grades. Cohen urges newcomers to “establish your professional identity” in the school – first thing. Students and the classroom are your top priorities, he says, but it’s never too soon “to think carefully about how early experiences in your career can help you…collaborate with others and engage in the profession.” It all begins, Cohen believes, by finding your allies. “True allies will start motivating you and validating your efforts, even beyond what you might think you deserve. Consider what a vote of confidence does for your students, and give yourself permission to actively seek out the same for yourself.” (Teacher Magazine)

STUDENTS CAN DO HARD THINGS
"What can our students possibly learn if we only gave them easy tasks?" asks middle grades teacher Anthony Cody in this recent Teacher Magazine essay. "On the other hand, how can we motivate our students to accept a challenge if they doubt their own ability?" Students who lack motivation are often not convinced that the effort they invest in themselves is going to be rewarded, says Cody, a science content coach in the Oakland CA schools. "They simply have not been academically successful in the past, so why bother?" He offers several useful strategies that can increase students' willingness to embrace and master difficult assignments.

NEW TEACHER HELPLINE
Check out Scholastic's "New Teacher Helpline. We see a lot of teacher discussion boards around the Web and find that most are unfocused or undependable (you ask a question and then keep checking back in vain for an answer). The Scholastic board seems to be well populated, with responses coming both from other visitors and from a savvy moderator who is also a full-time teacher. The range of participants is K-12, but heavier on the K-8 end.

WONGS' 10 TIMELY TOOLS FOR SUCCESS
In a 2007 column at their Teachers.Net website, Harry and Rosemary Wong begin by cautioning new teachers not to fall into the trap of thinking school is just for fun. "The purpose of school is for students to acquire knowledge, learn skills, and develop habits and principles that will make them productive citizens and help them grow to their fullest potential as human beings," they say. "Fun is the satisfaction that results when a lesson is completed with accomplishment and achievement." We've mentioned the Wongs' Teachers.Net essay collection in our MiddleWeb newsletter and on our website. The Wongs have now created an eight-year index of advice columns. We like these columns because they tell stories of successful new teachers and provide the level of detail novices want and need. Spend some weekend time with these webpages. The payoff is tremendous.

CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT 101
Education World has put it all in one place—a decade's worth of tips and advice about classroom management. The content is all written in Education World's user-friendly and engaging style, and there's plenty of it. New and veteran teachers alike can learn something from "King of Classroom Management" Fred Jones or from Dr. Ken Shore, the "Classroom Problem Solver." You'll also find tips for establishing classroom rules, managing student behavior, providing rewards for students (or not), dealing with homework, and much more in the nearly 100 featured articles.

MATH: A WEBSITE FOR NEW TEACHERS
Veteran teacher Terri Husted has compiled an impressive array of ideas drawn from her own experience — plus resources available elsewhere on the Web. "My first advice to anyone starting in teaching is to be careful of those who claim they know the perfect method of teaching," she says. "Teaching is an on-going learning experience." Amen to that! Much of Terri's content will also be of interest to "not so new" math teachers.

BEST PRACTICES: RETHINKING BULLETIN BOARDS
Don't just pretty up the room, use your bulletin boards and other wall materials to support your learning objectives. This discussion among members of the Teacher Leaders Network will give you some ideas.

PARENTS FROM MARS, TEACHERS FROM VENUS
This Teacher Magazine essay by sixth grade teacher Bill Ferriter begins with a tongue-in-cheek proposal to "make a mint" by explaining the complex relationship between parents and teachers. Bulging cheek aside, both parents and teachers will find some excellent pointers here, plus some lively commentary from readers who hail from both Mars and Venus, it seems!

More Special Resources for
New Middle Grades Teachers

FIVE DAYS WITH RICK WORMELI AND FRIENDS
Rick Wormeli's 2003 book Day One and Beyond: Practical Matters for New Middle Level Teachers provided the talking points for this five-day chat among Rick, veteran teachers in the MiddleWeb discussion group, and a passle of brand new teachers.

YOUNG TEACHERS READY TO COLLABORATE
"Generation Y" (born 1977-86) has now reached adulthood and is dramatically changing the composition of today's teaching staffs, say Harry and Rosemary Wong in a smart article published in the ASCD Express newsletter. Loneliness and lack of support exacerbate the frustrations of beginning teachers and lead to early exits from the profession. The Wongs advocate for induction programs that foster collaborative work and are structured around learning communities that can mentor young teachers more inclined to collaborate than previous generations. (PDF file)

ADVICE FOR BRAND-NEW MIDDLE GRADES TEACHERS
Get some tips from accomplished veterans in this archived MiddleWeb discussion. In all began when the moderator asked: "What are the best two or three pieces of advice you have for new teachers to help them get off to a successful start—and hang in there?"

WHAT CAN NEW TEACHERS DO FOR THEMSELVES?
"When I read articles about new teachers," writes Lisa Renard, "I am confronted with such issues as, 'How can we better support new teachers?' That's nice. But why don't I ever read about 'The top 10 ways new teachers can help themselves,' or 'How to make your first years the best years'? The focus of our efforts to help new teachers seems to weigh too heavily on the schools, forgetting to encourage new teachers with practical steps to help themselves." (from Classroom Leadership, ASCD, May 1999.)

See more of MiddleWeb's resources for new teachers and for all teachers during the First Days of School