Mainely Middle
Journal of the Maine Association for Middle
Level Education
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2003/2004 |
What Makes an Excellent Middle Level Teacher?By Susan Condon What is an excellent middle level teacher? Without a doubt, excellent middle level teachers have the best interests of the children at heart. Their students are their number one priority. Excellent middle level teachers look forward to walking through the school doors each morning, anxious to see and hear what middle level kids might say or do. How does a middle level teacher stay on top of his/her "game"? Practice, practice, practice! Excellent middle level teachers never forget the passion and excitement they felt for the opportunities that faced them upon walking into a classroom for the first time. They rekindle that energy and that spirit everyday of the school year for all of their years teaching. Where do they find the energy to draw from? Many times, support and energy for teaching comes from your family or your friends but more often it comes from within. When you begin to look at the job as a paycheck or you're counting the days to the next vacation, chances are you've lost the drive. Perhaps you're not up for the daily challenge. Teams help teachers further their quest for their own professional development in many ways. By being part of a team, you often feel motivated to do more… more creative lessons, more thematic units that may lead to interdisciplinary units, attend more workshops, take graduate classes, discuss students' needs with each other, and approach children as a united front. In looking back over my teaching career, I often reflect on my first team-teaching situation. As only a second year teacher, it was more of a mentor/mentee relationship, at least from my perspective. I had heard Joan, a veteran teacher, was looking for a person to team with. In my second year in teaching, I was tentative in confronting her but I had experienced a self-contained room for a year and was looking for something different. I approached her about teaming and we both agreed that it would be a good plan. Joan retired two years ago and since her retirement I've had an opportunity to look back over our team experience and realize how much I gained from her. I tend to over analyze and generally over organize, to the point where some people might call me compulsive. After teaching with Joan, I realized that even though our classroom environments were totally opposite, she was the healthiest thing in the world for me. She taught me not to take myself too seriously and that laughing at yourself is healthy. She taught me that making mistakes is part of teaching; you simply learn from them and begin again. She taught me that when you have a bad day, you pick yourself back up and give it another go. More than anything else, Joan had a presence about her with students and staff alike. Her energy and laughter were contagious. Her spirit and love for her job never faltered. She taught me about interacting with students. From her I learned a gentler side. She demonstrated supportive behaviors to students who posed a challenge both academically and behavioraly. She was there to listen and offer a suggestion without taking over and demanding to be in charge. Even though I was a second year teacher, she trusted that I would do what I set out to do and never second-guessed me. Because of her, my classroom is no longer spotless and that's okay with me. In not worrying about my classroom appearance and whether the shelves are neat and tidy, I have allowed myself more time to create lessons that hopefully engage students and ask them to think critically. Whether she realized her profound effect on my teaching, I'm unsure. I do know, however, that she taught me to be myself around students, to never lose sight of students' needs, and that teaching is fun. She exemplifies excellent middle level teachering.
By Elizabeth Evans 1. How do teachers become excellent middle level teachers or stay middle level teachers after a number of years teaching? There is no better way to help a first year teacher than for him/her to be part of a team. A team will help you with the basics as well as show you methods they know work, or do not work. A team also gives you the opportunity to observe other teachers and possibly get ideas regarding management and organization. A team will also continue to be a support group. This is very important because teachers need support and reassurance to know that what they are doing is right.
2. What keeps teachers enthused, excited, and passionate about teaching? Conversely, what drives teachers out of teaching, literally or psychologically? Once again, I think a team is important. It is nice to have a group of teachers to talk to on a regular basis and to share what you are doing. I get very excited about my profession when I talk to others who have shared similar experiences. The students also keep you enthused. When I have days when I am not feeling very enthused, all it takes is a student to say the right thing and I am back feeling very positive again. Also, it is important for teachers to realize that they are human. When teachers feel that they are above this, they are only setting themselves up for disappointment. Lack of support is the main reason why teachers leave the profession. Whether it is from administration, co-workers, students, or maybe even family. Teaching is a demanding occupation and it is one that takes a great deal of time outside the classroom. Lack of support from home can cause a great deal of stress. The greatest amount of stress would come from lack of support from administration/co-workers, especially being a first year teacher. It is very important that you feel like you can ask questions without feeling incompetent.
3. How do teams support teachers in their professional development? Team members help each other through difficult situations. Teams also allow opportunities for teachers to observe others. If you are part of a team, you also want to continue learning. You do not become passive. You want to continue to enhance your teaching, which in turn will help the entire team.
4. What do really good teams do to continue their own learning about their students? Teams talk about their students and share situations that may occur. When a team has the opportunity to sit down and casually discuss their students, a great deal of information can be discovered. Some students may react differently in different settings. Teachers can talk about things they have seen/done to help out these students. One of my former "teammates" used to beg for administration to give us more time just for these purposes. I have seen the value in these informal discussions.
5. How is YOUR work independent, reciprocal, collaborative, and discursive? I am often very independent, especially this year when I am the only true sixth grade teacher. I spend a great deal of time in my classroom preparing for my lessons without any input from other teachers. I also know that I could not survive in this profession if I was totally independent. I need time to talk to other teachers and discuss concerns I have. I often find myself at work very early just to have this time to talk to one of my co-workers. It is important to discuss issues or simply share what is on my mind. Perhaps the only person who I work collaboratively with these days is the technology coordinator. I go to her with an idea and she not only helps me get it started but also comes in to my classroom to see how it is working.
6. What are the characteristics of an excellent teacher? never stops learning
7. How should middle level teachers be prepared? What skills/abilities should they have? Undergraduate studies should introduce some middle level courses so teachers can have at least a little bit of knowledge about this age group. Although there is nothing that can totally prepare you for that first day in your classroom, it is very important to have a mentor. Every first year teacher needs someone that they feel comfortable with to reach out to for help. A mentor should not always wait for the questions to be asked but rather should often supply comfort/support. Teachers should be able to think on their feet. If a lesson totally fails, they need to know how to forget about it and move on to something else. It would be great if new teachers could have more help with classroom management issues. I currently have a university intern student who struggles in this area. As I have mentioned before, the best thing to remember is that you are human and you are going to make mistakes. That's okay! When your students see you in this light, they will be willing to take more risks themselves.
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