2012-2013 School Year

A year in review....

This was my first year teaching in a middle school setting and wowza what a difference! Previously, I taught 6th grade in an elementary school, but I took advantage of a teacher retiring and applied for my current position at a middle school.

Since I had taught 6th grade just the previous year, some of my 6th graders were entering middle school as 7th graders and it was great to see them and to have them in class! They seemed fairly excited to see me, too. Middle school is a totally different environment and both my students and I were like deer in headlights the first week or so of school. I think they found comfort in the fact that I also didn't know my way around the school and that I also didn't know anyone but them.

As with my students, we all got used to the fast paced life of middle school, the bells ringing every 43 minutes, kids speed walking (some running) to get to class on time because they were terrified of being tardy and kids who entered my class in tears with nothing because they couldn't get their locker to open. We all slowly learned names of teachers and students and eventually learned our way around the building.

Overall, it was a very successful year, I learned a lot about myself, my students and day-to-day life in a middle school. Although, I like teaching middle school, it is not a time in my life I would repeat. I have a lot of empathy for my students, it is a touch age. I certainly remember my middle school experience and my mom and I still joke to this day that we were both lucky to survive those long two years! :)



After taking some fabulous CCU classes with our wonderful TechTools4Teaching Teachers, I was able to incorporate a lesson into my classroom using one of my You Tube playlists. In 7th grade we have a lesson on marketing and advertising, so I compiled some (school appropriate) TV commercials for my students to watch and comment on. We focused on what was being advertised, to whom was the advertisement directed at and what emotions did they use to get us interested in their commercial. The lesson ended up being fantastic and even days later the students would come into class telling me about other commercials they had seen at home while watching TV.

My students loved this commercial.....and really what's not to love about dancing hamsters, who are dancing to the very popular "Party Rock" song! :)