The Benefits of a Class Newsletter in Middle School

 

As teachers, we wear many hats. Teacher, mentor, listener, event planner, cheerleader, mediator, entertainer, motivational speaker...and on and on! We also have to be good communicators. We communicate with our students every day, of course, but we also need to be mindful of communicating with our students' families on a regular basis. When you have over 100 students, it seems like a daunting task. You may wish you could email each student's family individually every other week with a kind note about their progress, but there's just not enough time. That's where a class newsletter saves the day. 

Why Use a Classroom Newsletter?

A classroom newsletter serves two purposes: it saves time and it allows you to effectively and efficiently communicate with your students' families. Communication is key because we are all working as a community to support the students. 

What Does a Newsletter Look Like?

This is the beautiful part - it can look however you want. Are you a creative soul with time to craft a detailed one-page (or more, wow!) letter with multiple columns and pictures? Go for it! Short on time and want to write a paragraph or two in a mass email summarizing recent class activities or upcoming due dates? That works perfectly, too. I prefer to send mine digitally to all the families with access to an email and make a paper copy for those without easy access to the internet. The main goal is that you are communicating with families and keeping them updated on what's happening in the classroom. I love the responses I get from families after I send a newsletter or email and feel that it creates a stronger community between my classroom and students' homes.

How Often Should I Send a Newsletter?

Again - you decide! While I love to aim for once a week (Fridays being my favored day), sometimes its just a bit too much to handle. If once a week seems daunting, aim for twice a month. The important part is that you are opening the lines of communication between your classroom and your students' homes. It can make a huge difference in creating a positive classroom environment and managing student behaviors when your students know that the lines of communication are open between teachers and parents.

What Information Can Be Included?

Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Upcoming due dates

2. Overview of recent class activities

3. Pictures of student work (and students working, with parent permission!)

4. Reminders about upcoming tests

5. Study strategies

6. School-wide events

7. Requests for classroom donations

8. Student Spotlight - choose a student (or a few to ensure everyone gets chosen throughout the year) to highlight in each newsletter or email blast

9. A list of optional supplemental resources students can use at home to further their learning about your class content

10. A link to a helpful blog post that parents may find interesting as they support their child's academic success from home

Your turn! What else should our teacher community include in our frequent communication with families? Leave a comment with your thoughts to help us all grow as educators in our efforts to effectively communicate with families. 

Happy Teaching!

Elementary Classroom Management Strategies That Still Work in Middle School

Developing a classroom management plan in middle school can be challenging, to say the least. Kids are growing and changing so fast at that age and it's difficult to judge which strategies will work best for kids in 6th, 7th and 8th grade.

You might be surprised to hear that middle school teachers can still use some of the same strategies seen in elementary classrooms, with a twist, of course. Here are a few ideas that my colleagues and I have used to create a positive, safe learning environment for our students:

Hand Signals

If you've ever been near an elementary classroom, I'm positive you've seen a teacher use hand signals to refocus students. Kids can use them to let the teacher know what they need. The same idea works well in a middle school setting as well. I've used hand signals to ask the students to be quiet and my students use them to signal a bathroom break. These nonverbal cues are efficient in saving time. How often have we walked across a room to answers a student's question only to find out that they wanted to use the restroom? A hand signal saves me time and I can nod my head to grant their request across the room while working with another student. 

Sticker Chart

Bear with me, here. I know what you're thinking..."Sticker charts in middle school? No way." I'll partly agree with you. While some groups of students would find it juvenile, it may be just what you need to inspire your unmotivated kiddos. I've worked with small groups of students that were failing school. They were unmotivated, lacked support outside of school and were often removed from the classrooms due to behavior concerns. When they came to my classroom, it was my job to motivate them to complete their work. Challenging? Y.E.S. So I brought out a simple little chart with 4 rows, 5 boxes per row - one for each day of the week for about a month. Each day a student was positive and productive, I put a sticker in the box. At first they scoffed at the idea. When their peers started earning small treats and prizes (a bag of chips, a small candy, etc) after getting 5 stickers, suddenly it became very important to earn a sticker each day. I couldn't believe it! These kids transformed in front of my eyes after a few weeks all because of a daily sticker...in middle school. Miracles happen, people, and we all ended up having a pretty good year!

Voice Levels

In elementary school, you'll see teachers with a chart of voice levels and colored dots to indicate what volume the kids should use when completing different activities. I've used this with much success in the classroom. The most common voice level charts I have seen have 4 levels: silence, whisper, normal voices and presentation voices. If you write your daily agenda on the board, it's super easy to stick a colored dot next to an activity so that the students understand what's expected of them during that time. This behavior management strategy is a keeper for me.

Marble Jar

The marble jar is an age-old strategy that allows your class to work as a team to fill the jar. Whenever someone does a good deed, goes above and beyond to help a fellow classmate or the class as a whole has a particularly good day, I add a marble to the jar. When the jar is full we have a little celebration! I fully believe in creating a positive atmosphere in the classroom so I never take away marbles. Those were hard-earned and they should be proud of every single one. 

Table Points

If your students thrive on a little friendly competition, starting a system of table points is a fun way to keep groups on task and accountable for their behavior. This is a fun strategy to use at the end of the year when they're getting a little (ok, a lot) excited for summer and have trouble remembering your classroom expectations. It works similar to the marble jar idea. Each group is awarded points based on individual and group behavior. As they reach certain point milestones, they receive little rewards! The rewards can start off simple (first group to leave the classroom) to more complex (homework pass) as they earn more points. You can even go to the dollar store and pick up little prizes or treats. Middle school kiddos love those little surprises! 

I hope you find some of these strategies useful in your classroom. Middle school is such a fun age to teach and your classroom can have a positive and uplifting atmosphere for your kids to express their ideas while they learn and grow together.

 

Happy Teaching!

The New Teacher Survival Guide: Staying Positive

I'm excited to introduce a new series on the blog...The New Teacher Survival Guide!

 

This edition is focused around staying positive on the wonderful roller coaster that is teaching.

 

Before I begin, new teacher, I want to let you know that we have ALL been in your shoes. You have the makings of excellence in your bones, but this time of year is notoriously rough.

Everything will be O.K.!

 

Does this image look familiar to you?

 

Image Credit: Beach Teach

 

People, if this is correct, you are in the midst of DISILLUSIONMENT. Your shiny new classroom may feel like a prison. You may feel like you aren't making a difference. You may be asking yourself..."WHAT HAVE I DONE?"

 

The good news is you are not alone. The better news is as soon as winter break hits, your period of rejuvenation will be in full swing. You will survive. I repeat, hope is on the horizon.

 

I absolutely love my school, and despite the amazing support and encouragement I had during my first year, I was not immune to the "disillusionment" phase. It had absolutely nothing to do with my colleagues, students, or administration...it was all in my own mind...and trust me, the feeling was real.

 

In a less ideal situation, I can only imagine the feeling may be worse. I tell you my story not to brag about my school, but to show you that every new teacher feels this way, regardless of their circumstances!

 

Once winter break hit, I caught my breath. I focused on ME during the holiday season, just like you should focus on YOU. Until that time, though, here are some helpful hints to help you hang in there:

 

1. Do not (I repeat, DO NOT) take work home with you.

Stay longer after school or get there early, but leave work at work. That includes checking emails. Seriously - you will burn out faster than you can count to 3.

 

2. Keep a journal

In your journal, write about all the positive things that happened to you during the week. Keep the negative stories out. You'll find that the positives far outweigh the negatives - and it will help you recognize all the amazing moments that happen throughout the school day!

 

3. Find a friend

A teacher friend, that is. Find someone in your school or another school that you can talk to about school. Why? Only they will truly understand your feelings as a new teacher. If this teacher-friend is a bit older, they can offer you invaluable advice to help you survive that first year and beyond.

 

Until next time...Happy Teaching!