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The Middle School Teacher's Lounge

Thom Gibson

Helping you create a positive classroom culture with your middle school students. Advice and strategies from a two-time teacher of the year with 10+ years of classroom experience.

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Featured Post

5 simple ways to build positive classroom culture

In my teaching journey, I've learned that the most powerful thing we can do for our middle school students is cultivate a positive classroom culture. Classroom culture is about making students feel seen, heard, and empowered.It’s about promoting a growth mindset (in both students and yourself)It’s about rooting for each other. That can be a lot easier said than done. Here are 5 ways that I worked to build a positive classroom culture with my students. 1️⃣ Ask Different Questions Instead of...

7 months ago • 2 min read

I talk a lot about classroom jobs in this newsletter, and for good reason - they’re awesome for classroom management! You get students to take care of tasks that you used to take care of like: writing the agenda on the board organizing the supply closet making posters for the classroom ...and 24 other ideas here It does wonders for classroom culture as well. But if you ONLY have classroom jobs, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity. You should consider PAYING students in classroom money...

about 1 month ago • 5 min read

If you allow it, teaching can consume all of your time. There’s so much to do. lesson planning grading parent communication professional development resource creation technology integration creating assessments managing accommodations LMS updates extracurricular activities …and that’s just the start. You want to give your students a great classroom experience. You want to feel prepared each day. You want to be an excellent teacher. So how do you do all that WITHOUT working all day and night?...

about 2 months ago • 3 min read

I was recently asked the question: “How do you deal with students who refuse to study for tests?” I assume you can probably relate. Reflecting on my own experiences, I remember times when I assigned a failing grade, half-hoping it would serve as a wake-up call for students to avoid neglecting their studies. However, experience has taught me that failing grades rarely spark the motivation to study for future tests. It’s crucial to acknowledge that a student’s reluctance to study may not stem...

about 2 months ago • 3 min read

If you ask for a volunteer in a 6th grade classroom, before you even finish your sentence, often you’ll have a handful of students, foaming at the mouth, OMG PICK ME!OMG PICK ME!OMG PICK ME! Ask for a volunteer in an 8th grade classroom and after a few moments of silence, you say: …please put your phones away, and could I please get a volunteer to answer the question? I loved teaching 6th graders and 8th graders for their own reasons and want to share a few of the differences I noticed in...

about 2 months ago • 3 min read

The strategy that most effectively contributed to fostering a positive classroom culture in my teaching journey was the implementation of classroom jobs. If you're a middle or high school teacher, you may be thinking: " Aren't classroom jobs more suited for elementary classes?" I don't think so. I believe that as students get older, we should be giving them MORE classroom responsibility, not LESS. Classroom jobs do more than just reduce your workload as a teacher. They can: ✅ empower...

about 2 months ago • 1 min read
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