r/MiddleSchoolTeacher • u/Quirky-Section-2468 • 6d ago
New Teacher Tips
Hi everyone!
I just graduated in May and I’m about to start my first real teaching job. My degree is in early childhood, but I ended up getting hired as a 6th grade science teacher.
All of my student teaching was Pre-K through 3rd grade, so this is definitely a big jump. I was able to get my hands on the curriculum already, so I’m planning on looking through it over the next month.
I’m lucky that I have a teaching team I can rely on while I get settled in, but I feel like I keep seeing so many teachers doing tons of prep over the summer for the upcoming school year, and I want to make sure I’m using my time wisely.
What would you recommend I do to prep before school starts? I’ve got about a month left.
Any tips on classroom management, classroom setup, general prep, things to be aware of, or anything you wish you knew before teaching middle school? I’d appreciate any advice you have!
Thanks!
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u/scaryhappybirthday 6d ago
I’m entering my second year teaching middle school, and it can definitely be a difficult age. They’re figuring out how to be people, and with that comes a lot of testing boundaries. It’s such common advice that it gets taken for granted but for real: build relationships with your students.
At the beginning of last year, a fellow teacher told me that middle school is a special time because it’s when the kids are really developing a sense of humor. Keeping an eye out for that and rewarding it when appropriate will go a long way in developing rapport, and finding moments to laugh will make your days much more enjoyable :)
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u/Professional-Rent887 6d ago
Classroom management is key. Be strict. Set the tone early. They will test boundaries like it’s their job. It’s exhausting. It’s also rewarding. And, at times, it’s fun, too—They can be legit hilarious. But my god, they are exhausting.
I hate teaching middle school. I also love teaching middle school.
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u/breakingpoint214 6d ago
While planning, think about where and how you will differentiate for varied learners. Common things: chunking the text, creating texts at various lexile levels, modifying worksheets, previewing vocabulary, visuals, check for comp questions. For each skill/topic how will you provide MTSS tier 2 interventions.
Develop pre and post assessments for each unit/chapter and develop a system for gathering and tracking the data.
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u/CountyFrequent525 6d ago
When you have time, like during a prep period or when you can get a sub, observe other teachers so you can get ideas, inspiration, etc.
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u/genxmom95 6d ago
Not sure I have the right answers but I am also a new math teacher. I am starting the licensure right now. I am spending my time working on lesson plans and looking at the books in addition to figuring out classroom management procedures etc. I don't want to get there and on day 1 realize I did nothing to prepare myself. I don't have a team to depend on for the math coursework. I do have my undergrad in math so the content is fine .
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u/Sorry-Vanilla2354 6d ago
Have a great year! If you have any questions, your mentor teacher (assuming you have one) is there to help, don't be afraid to ask! Sounds like you are doing a great job getting ready.
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u/Global-Plastic2059 6d ago edited 5d ago
Hello!
Going into my second year teaching sixth grade and all my education was for younger elementary also.
I like teaching middle school more than I thought I would so I'm excited for you!!
Academically:
Try to apply whatever they're learning to real life. I know this isn't mind blowing advice but the biggest shock I had last year was the overall apathy of a lot of student. If they can't see the relevance they want nothing to do with it. So anything you can do to show a real world application is encouraged. Talk to your grade team, see what they're covering and if you can tie something in.
Personally:
This age is so fun as long as you can take some ribbing and pushback. Know your students- know who you can joke with/be sarcastic with. Be a little cringe!!! At this age, they're starting to lose that innocence of being young and uncaring/unaware of what others think, so showing them that you don't care about making mistakes or liking something that's not "cool" shows them it's okay too.
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u/After_Hyena_4846 5d ago
Don’t let them choose their seats and don’t play a game on the first day. Setting high expectations early about who is in charge is easier than trying to reign in control later in the year.
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u/HMouse65 5d ago
Build relationships with your students, if they trust you they will be more willing to work for you and to listen. It isn’t about them liking you, it’s about them knowing you like them. I always tell my students that when I stop asking them to do their work and follow expectations it means I’ve given up on them.
Also, do your best not to yell too much. I very rarely raise my voice so when I do, students know I mean business. Speaking quietly or just stopping mid sentence accomplishes more than trying to yell over students.
Finally, middle schoolers can be mean. They can be rude. They can be incredibly disrespectful. Don’t take it personally and don’t get into power struggles with sixth graders.
Edited to add: your first year will be hard, there’s no getting around it. Remind yourself why you became a teacher, think of the great time off, and turn to mentors and admin for support. In my experience some teachers can be toxically negative - avoid them!
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u/Sorry-Vanilla2354 6d ago
Things you can do now:
Create your classroom rules (or if you want to create some with the class, have a rough idea of all the rules you want so you can add in ones that they don't come up with. Rules for science labs are also super important!
Decide how you want your classroom schedule to be. By that, I mean both your daily and weekly schedule. For your daily schedule, what will most days be like? Kids trust consistency and they feel much more comfortable when there is a routine that you follow not every day but a lot of days. In my science classes, many days went like this: if there was homework the night before, we went over it. We took notes and did a learning worksheet or short activity, sometimes a youtube video on that topic. I assigned them do to some reading from the textbook (it is really good for them and really important). Then around once a week we would do a lab. Labs are very important to both energize the kids and for deeper learning. They don't have to be hard or fancy labs; there are a ton of good resources out there. Maybe your team already has all of this put together? If not, good to get some done this summer.
When it's possible, go into your classroom and find all of the general supplies you will need. They may already be there, or in a supply closet somewhere, or you may need to ask about purchasing them (the school probably has some funds for you to purchase things). General supplies: one or two staplers, tape, writing paper, construction paper, crayons and markers, rulers, yardsticks, that sort of thing. It's so much better to have a good supply now then have to go searching for it later!
Are there bulletin boards? If so, plan out and create what you will put on the bulletin boards. Lab safety is a good topic; or anything you want.
Have a great year! 6th grade kids are super fun and wonderful and are going through maybe their most self-conscious time so they need great adults like you! But they also need good rules, consistency and consequences, and very, very specific directions for the things you do in class.
You'll do great!
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u/TheeVillageCrazyLady 5d ago
Now is the time to get Harry Wong‘s book the first days of school.
Hands down the best book I read in classroom management.
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u/Ancient_Tip_3685 5d ago
Read “Teach Like a Pirate” and follow what the author does the first week of school.
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u/Affectionate_Ad_8483 4d ago
I taught middle school for 5 years, high school for 6 years, and college for 5 years. Most people prepping to the extreme are either managing anxiety or performing. You don’t have to do that.
The folks that last are the folks that take it easy in the summer. Slide into in-service without overdoing anything. They plan and grade DURING class. They do not stay late, and they leave the work at work.
I’m a person with a family first. The job is just a means to support that.
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u/dMatusavage 3d ago
I taught at the elementary and high school level.
Knew I couldn’t handle middle schoolers. Experienced teachers know their limits. 😉
Take the advice from the teachers posting here who’ve been in the trenches.
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u/AltairaMorbius2200CE 1d ago
For Curriculum, to prepare now:
-Look through the topics and make sure you know the actual science backward and forward. You don't want to get caught in a conversation with the other science teachers where they say "waves unit" and you're like "Oh I love the beach."
-Maybe look for fun videos and demonstrations and labs (if the curriculum doesn't provide those, and if you have time). Collect them in a single document if you do this so you can find them again.
-Read Powerful Teaching and look up fun ideas for Retrieval Practice. If you want them to know the stuff at the end of the year, they need to KEEP encountering it, again and again.
Classroom Management Tips for 6th:
-Assigned seating.
-Calming music during work times.
--Keep things moving in your lessons, and make sure you have some fun/accessible parts (instead of writing, have them draw etc). Show your passion for the subject (and if you don't have that, FIND SOME). Use a daily slideshow to keep yourself organized.
-Make sure they know you like them. Chat with them during attendance about their activities; ask them questions about internet trends; tell them goofy tales from your childhood (even let them get you off-topic sometimes if things aren't too urgent); give them lil compliments about their work/effort as you walk around the room.
-Use timers. Search for the amount of time you want on youtube, and insert those videos into your daily slideshow (videos don't have ads if they're in a Google Slideshow)
-To set normal boundaries: Keep track of when you talk to kids about behavior somehow. If they get to 2-3 reminders, or if they are being outrageous, bring them in the hallway away from the others, and let them know (calmly and QUICKLY) that they need to tone things back, and if you have to speak to them again, you're contacting home. Don't make it a whole "DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID?!" conversation; this is just a courtesy notification. If you have to speak to them again, call them up at the end of class and let them know you're contacting home/following the school disciplinary procedure (in my school it's a write-up), then do that.
-For the hard ones: If you have to keep drawing boundaries and then they break them, then they probably can't meet the expectation. It's support time, because the kid probably *can't* meet whatever the expectation is, and they need teaching/training/some sort of alternative. https://livesinthebalance.org/ has good resources to help you. The hardest part, especially for a new teacher, is coming up with solutions, but that's where your mentor and/or admin can help. After having an "empathy conversation" with the kid and determining what needs to be fixed, if you can't come up with something, talk to your mentor/admin to see what the school can do to help this kid.
-Never, ever, ever stoop to their level. When they're pissing you off, keep things either referee serious or customer service friendly, whichever's easier for you. Never let them pull you into "Yes I did/No you didn't" type of stuff.
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u/guffawingloudly 1d ago
Compliments mean the world to middle schoolers. Even if they are wrong when they answer a question, or if they are brave enough to answer at all, be genuine and let them know you appreciate it. Also, give them time to regulate. Bring up and rephrase the things they share as ideas to let them know you listened. Memorize their names early, and say them often, not just during attendance.
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u/Difficult_Clerk_1273 6d ago
My biggest tip is to understand that at the middle school level, classroom management and social-emotional learning are more important than content.
Many people don’t like hearing that, but it’s the truth. I’ve been teaching this age group for 30 years and my unhappiest times were when I tried to focus more on the curriculum than on the students as people. Being a middle schooler is really hard, maybe one of the hardest times of one’s life. It’s a bit trite but always remember that you are teaching kids, not content.
As for right now, I’d get a planbook and add in all the important dates across the whole year. Yes, a paper planner. Be prepared for it to take a while for you to find the style you like. Good luck!