MWSubstack 011: End of School; Love of Teaching
Find the middle ground between fluffy end-of-school celebration and soul-crushing projects. And reflect on whether the teaching life is lovable anymore.
Welcome to MiddleWeb Substack. It’s a twice-monthly, two-topic, five-minute read for middle grades educators, featuring several of MiddleWeb’s most popular and influential articles, a book review, and a noteworthy 4-8 resource or project we’ve spotted. That’s it!
►LAST WEEKS OF SCHOOL
Tested remedies for spring fever
Middle school teacher and AMLE leader Cheryl Mizerny opened her 2017 article Keep Students Engaged Until Summer Begins like this:
In Anna Karenina, Tolstoy wrote, “Spring is the time of plans and projects.” Nowhere is this more evident than in middle school. The students are excited thinking about their summer plans, and the teachers are trying to keep them focused with projects. This situation does not always create harmony.
The key to keeping student minds active is to find the middle ground between (1) the desire to celebrate the end of testing with fluffy, fun activities that have little curricular purpose; and (2) the assignment of a gigantic, soul-crushing project that will require students to work tirelessly for weeks to finish by the end of school.
Cheryl goes on to share a dozen ideas to bring true harmony to the last weeks of school, including "the prototypical letter writing assignment" (with fresh twists); six ways to invite student reflection; lots of fun ways to do skill reviews, and more.
If you're a planner who likes lots of resources, also see these excellent articles:
End-of-Year Learning Can Be Meaningful & Fun (Elyse Scott)
Survive and Enjoy the End of the Math School Year (Michelle Russell)
3 Engaging Treatments for School Spring Fever (Amber Chandler)
Kids Love End of Year Classroom Takeovers (Kathie Palmieri)
Don’t Waste the Precious Weeks at School’s End (Curtis Chandler)
Ending the School Year with English Learners (Valentina Gonzalez)
►THE TEACHING LIFE
Is teaching lovable anymore?
How willing are teachers to say, honestly, that they love what they do despite the many challenges and the rough road they've traveled in recent years? Some new research on teacher morale found that teachers are "unhappiest" in early mid-career and (if they stay) tend to bounce back as they gain mastery and improve salary. Another recent study reports that teacher prep programs "are seeing encouraging growth" for the first time since the pandemic began in 2020. The human spirit can be surprisingly resilient.
Here in teacher hiring season, we thought we'd bring together our most popular articles "in praise of the teaching life," as a way to affirm that teaching is – despite hardships and frequent lack of respect – some of the most meaningful work people can do.
7 Principles of a Heart-Centered Classroom (Regie Routman)
Mindful Teaching Leads Us to Great Artistry (Linda Mancia)
The Home Room Is a Home (José Vilson)
Courageous Hearts: Teachers Write about Their Work (Intrator & Scribner)
Of Virtual Classes and 7th Grade Teddy Bears (Bill Ivey)
Reminders of Why I Teach (Mary Tarashuk)
This Personal Challenge Rejuvenated My Career (Marilyn Pryle)
Teaching: The Best Job I Never Wanted (Stephanie Farley)
►ELSEWHERE
Somewhere for kids to turn to
EdSurge profiles two middle schools on opposite ends of Texas that "are trying new approaches to social-emotional learning, in hopes of helping students deal with the continuing mental health struggles that took shape or worsened during the isolation of remote learning that started in 2020." One principal says her goal has been to focus on “capturing kids' hearts."
►OUR BOOK REVIEW
Your Teacher Leadership Journey: A Blueprint for Growth and Success by Melissa Collins.
This book identifies a range of qualities desirable for teacher leaders, writes former teaching coach and assistant professor Stacy Haynes-Moore. These leaders are "educators in K-12 schools who, as Collins makes sure to emphasize, are not only those in officially designated leadership roles, but inclusive of any educator who exudes a passion for learning, chooses to advocate for students, and cares about the future of teaching and their teaching colleagues." Read the complete review.
►REVIEW THIS SPOTLIGHT BOOK FOR US
50 Strategies for Summer School Engagement (Ana Marie Hernandez). Shell Education, 2024.
Summer school offers a unique opportunity for students to accomplish grade-level learning objectives in a more relaxed environment, often with smaller class sizes. 50 Strategies for Summer School Engagement is tailored to make summer learning enjoyable and engaging. GO HERE to see the free book and our reviewing guidelines.
►NEXT TIME
We're surprised to discover we have eight (!) excellent articles on using picture books in the middle grades classroom. We'll share the wealth. And speaking of books, encouraging summer reading is good practice across the curriculum. Our contributors have some ideas.