Classroom Life

Being a teacher is not always easy- actually, it's almost never easy! Trying to hold the attention of 30 preteens all at the same time, when they are all intent on doing other things, can be quite the struggle. As this is my first year teaching, I have worked hard to find ways to catch their attention- and then keep it!

My classroom is a hub of student-centered learning. What that means is that instead of having a teacher (me!) lecturing in the front of the room, my students are given tasks to work on together.

Whoa whoa whoa, you may be saying! Are you crazy?!

Nope, not crazy! Ok well maybe just a little bit, but that's totally unrelated to my teaching method!

My kids are learning. They're teaching each other, and helping those that are struggling in class. Since the textbook that we use isn't always conducive to this kind of learning, I've developed a lot of my own resources over the last eight months!

Behold, Miss Kay's Science Spot on TeachersPayTeachers!

Here's my favorite item in action: an electricity review board game that has kids building circuits when they hit those "Challenge!" squares!

I tried this game out with my kids earlier this week, and they loved it! It harnessed that innate competitiveness that exists in that age group, and they were really driving home the key concepts at the same time! Definitely a win-win situation if you ask me :)

The best part? I'm currently grading the exams that they took after reviewing using my game, and the grades are the highest they've ever been!

Middle schoolers + hands-on activities = SUCCESS!

If you're interested, you can check out the listing for my game here!

Happy weekend, friends!

Miss Kay

Middle Schooler Troubleshooting

Ahh, the end of a marking period...

I’ve been fielding frantic requests for makeup work for the past week (No, you can’t have makeup work- I offered an extra credit project, but you didn’t do it!)... 

My desk is covered in tumbleweeds of crumpled papers that have been left in hopes of gaining a few extra points before grades are entered... 

Students are turning work in that was assigned in September and expecting me to magically add it to my gradesheet in April...

My veins are filled with nothing but caffeine, hopes, and dreams, and the bags under my eyes have turned into a full set of luggage….

Ah, the end of the marking period. The time when even the least motivated student will suddenly become a rabid hyena, following his or her teachers around, begging for extra points, extra work, anything to bring their grade up. The time when teachers 
will question themselves; should I give extra work? Is it wrong if I don’t?

My take on it: If you said 'no makeup work', if you gave an extra credit project instead and nobody completed it- stick to your word!

Stay strong, fellow teachers! Monday starts a new marking period!

Things I Love about Middle Schoolers

Today was a hard day. It was one of those days where you've been at work for six hours, but then you look at the clock and it's only been fifteen minutes. Our schedule got switched around, so the kiddos (and teachers) were all thrown off. I got cussed out by a thirteen year old, and a student in my last class broke my cabinets and one of my drawers and threw the pieces on my floor.

But it didn't break me.

Instead, I'm making a list of the things I like best about my middle schoolers!

1. They're at the awkward age where you get a little bit of everything
My students are stuck in that bizarre limbo where you're not technically a 'little kid' any more, but you're nowhere near adulthood. What does this mean? It means that in the same day, I might talk to one class about their aspirations for high school and college, and in the next class we might have a Moana singalong (You're welcome!). It means that they might have a 'boyfriend' or 'girlfriend', but they're still at the age where they'll bring Valentine's day candy to their teacher. But on that same note, they might take said candy back to give it to the boy or girl that they like! (YES, THIS HAPPENED TO ME! HE TOOK MY CANDY BACK!) They're not babies any more, but they're not big kids either. They're my kids.

2. They're honest- goodness, are they ever honest- so you always know where you stand!
There's no beating around the bush here. If they're happy with you, you'll know. If they're mad at you, you'll know. If they HATE your new hairdo, you'll know- and don't-you-dare-ever-change-your-hairstyle-because-you-will-answer-questions-about-it-all-day!!!

3. You still get glimpses of that childlike impulsivity- but sometimes in the most hilarious ways!
I catch students pulling off ridiculous dance moves at least five times a day. Sometimes I marvel at how graceful one of my little adolescents is, other times I marvel at how much they look like one of those 'wacky waving inflatable arm flailing tube' men!

4. They still like stickers
This is legitimately a saving grace some days. If my kids see me coming around with my roll of stickers, most of them will get right to work so they can have a sticker to put on their forehead. If I dare to put the sticker on their paper, they'll frantically pull it off so it can be strategically placed on their forehead for the world to marvel at!

5. It's like a box of chocolates- you REALLY never know what you're going to get!
Sometimes this is a good thing- your toughest class will come in and whisper to you that they're playing a 'silent game'. You'll have a great, quiet class where everyone does their work- yay!
Then the next day, the silent game is over and you turn around and see a student walking on your desks. Always keeping us on our toes!

This year has been challenging, but in the best way. I have learned more from my 94 students than I could teach them in ten years of seventh grade! Days like today remind me to reflect on why I'm doing this, and why these kids are the best thing that has ever happened to me- even on the craziest days!

How I got here

"If you have a dozen chocolates, and you drop one on the ground, are you going to throw the other eleven chocolates out? Of course not! So don't let one bad moment ruin your day."

A year ago, I was working as a fisheries biologist. I had spent two years studying for and passing the exams that I needed in order to obtain my teaching license, and I decided that I was finally ready to take a leap of faith and start applying for teaching jobs. By early May, I had been hired on for the next school year; I would be starting my teaching career at an inner-city school, in a district with a rough reputation. I spent the summer reading everything that I could find, trying to amass as much knowledge as I could before taking on the challenge of teaching middle schoolers for the first time!

The first day of school came. I will never forget my very first class! One student sat at his seat, and slowly and systematically placed one piece of tape after another all over his face. In my head, he was 'tape face kid'. That day was a whirlwind. The kids were all curious about the new teacher, and my fisheries background was quite the novelty to them. A student from another group came up to me before the end of my first week, and asked me if I was 'the lady that wrestles sharks'. I figured it would behoove me to let that reputation stick! 

I set mini-goals for myself:

• Just make it to Columbus Day weekend 
• Stick it out until Thanksgiving break
• Hold on until Christmas vacation 
• You can do this, it's almost February break
• Keep your chin up, March will end eventually

And now here I am, with one week to go until April vacation! I'm hoping that this will become a spot where I can share my successes and inevitable failures; the good days and the bad days, and all of those ridiculous moments that come along with middle school education!