Middle School Teaching Matters: A Commonsense Approach to Succeeding with Adolescents

What is the most important factor in determining the effectiveness of a middle school teacher? It has little to do with their content knowledge, their understanding of teaching strategies, or even the strong programs that lead to school improvement. It is their day-to-day mindset they use to approach their kids, content, colleagues, and class. While this text would not be considered a how-to model for becoming a middle school teaching sensation overnight, it is full of field-tested stories and strategies from middle school classrooms. The aim is to develop a metacognitive thinking pattern for the individual middle school teacher so they walk away equipped and inspired to teach the toughest grades. While the target audience for this book is pre-service middle grades teacher or those who are still developing as middle grades teachers. There is something for even the most veteran (of any grade level) to learn from this book. As Dr. Bryant will tell you, we teach the way we have been taught, so there is always room for growth. When we grow as teachers, we increase the impact we have on our students. They are a direct representation of us and what we value.