| I can not tell you how many teachers have began | | | | Teach the most important concepts of your |
| their career teaching Middle School and quickly | | | | lesson during this time.8. If you find that a student |
| started looking for a new occupation. Believe me | | | | has trouble behaving... do not put him or her in the |
| when I tell you that if you are not prepared for | | | | front row. This enables every student to be |
| the job they will eat you alive on the first week | | | | entertained by them.9. If you must reprimand a |
| of school.If teaching is your occupation, and you | | | | student do it in private. No one likes to be |
| are teaching Middle School, I hope you are ready | | | | reprimanded in front of the whole class. I promise |
| to teach teenagers and not beat yourself up | | | | you it will cause you problems if you reprimand in |
| about teaching Math, Science, English, Literature, | | | | front of everyone.10. Do not sweat the small |
| or Social Studies. I get very up set when I ask a | | | | stuff and quit looking for what the student is |
| fellow teacher what they are going to teach and | | | | doing wrong. You are not a policeman. It seems |
| they tell me they are going to teach Math. This | | | | like some teachers think their only job is telling |
| brings me to the first of the ten tips I plan to | | | | students what they can not do.I could give you |
| share with you as you begin a new year teaching | | | | thousands of other tips and I will add to this list at |
| Middle School Students.Ten tips:1. Never forget | | | | a later date. I would like to close with one last |
| that you are teaching teens. If someone asks you | | | | thought that should make you think. What do we |
| what you teach, you tell them that you teach an | | | | do when little Johnny can not read? We teach him |
| awesome group of over achievers known as | | | | to read. What do we do when he can not do |
| teens.2. Do not try to be their friend. Many moms' | | | | math? We teach him how to do math. When he |
| and dads' have tried this. It did not work for them | | | | can not do science or social studies.... we teach. So |
| and it will not work for you.3. Do not make over | | | | the big question is: WHAT DO WE DO WHEN HE |
| three class-room rules.4. Find out what each of | | | | DOES NOT KNOW HOW TO BEHAVE? If you |
| your students enjoys doing. Get to know what | | | | have told the truth, you said that you discipline |
| they are interested in. When you see them in the | | | | him. I say we need to do what we do when he |
| hall speak to them about things that they enjoy.5. | | | | does not know how to read or write. When he |
| Seldom raise your voice. If they are out of | | | | does not know how to behave we need to teach |
| control and you are yelling, then we really have a | | | | him!Hopefully these ten tips will help you as you |
| problem. The louder you get the louder they will | | | | prepare for the best year of teaching teens that |
| get. Yelling is irrational behavior.6. Start teaching | | | | you have ever had. Keep in mind, you are a |
| immediately. It is a good idea to have a sponge | | | | teacher. You are not a policeman and you are not |
| on the board so that they will begin work as soon | | | | a friend. You must truly care about increasing |
| as they come in to class. Many problems are a | | | | their knowledge and enabling them to be the |
| result of not knowing what they are suppose to | | | | person they are meant to be.Bob Roach Father |
| be doing.7. It is a proven fact that students learn | | | | of one and middle school teacher of literally |
| the most in the first ten minutes and last ten | | | | thousands over the past thirty years. |
| minutes of teaching. Do not waste that time. | | | | |