If you see a student is playing games, make a note of the incident and ask your technology person to print a copy of that student's usage history for a specific time period. Once you have that, mail the paper to the student's parents and let them know what he or she has been doing. Thank you for your video presentation. Take care.

I’m a first year 7th grade teacher starting this Thursday! Your videos are SOO helpful ♥️♥️

I do the name cards too, but I collect them at the end of class and then challenge myself each day after to connect the cards to the students as I pass them out. I seem to learn their names quicker doing it this way.

Hi! I started following you this summer and I love your videos. I hope your year starts off well! You don't seem your usual happy/joyful self, so hoping that things are okay with you and your family. Sending positive vibes and prayers!

Thanks for your honest report of the latest teaching challenges. Your videos always offer me solid advice on approaching classroom issues even though I teach Art. Best wishes for a productive year!

This was one of your MOST helpful videos because, as an English teacher for middle schoolers, I feel so validated and understood after hearing you be "wishy-washy" (as you self-described) about some things and SO sure on others - I also love to hear that other teachers have the same expectations, requirements, attitude, etc. I just loved it all! I also can't wait to watch some of your restorative conversation videos - I want to learn more about that. Thankyouthankyouthankyou!

I love your grading ideas!! They are easy to follow and complete without stress!! And at the same time fair and flexible for teachers and students!! 🥰🥰

Yay you’re back! Can’t wait to watch this!

I’ve been watching your videos since before I started teaching which was over five years ago. I have a Lotta respect for you and I’ve gotten a lot of great ideas from watching your contacts. I currently teach sixth and seventh grade science. When I was watching this video, your late work policy caught my attention. What’s working for me right now (and last year as well) is to allow late work with a -10% penalty per day late (our LMS, Canvas, automatically calculates that for us as a programable setting) (with certain modifications per IEP accommodations). I generally have a decent(ish) idea when each unit will approx end, and I let students know on my daily slides when the current unit will be locked in Canvas and therefore inaccesible after that date. This allows me to give students a chance to turn in latish work and also maintains a certain level of sanity haha!

I'm starting with the kids the day after labour day, so this motivated me to get my slides started for the first days of school. Thanks for sharing. As far as discipline goes, I think your approach is right on. I don't find gimmicky behaviour programs work well. I use a combination of benevolent dictatorship and restorative justice in my class. I tell kids that I trust them to follow the rules and they have to trust me to treat them fairly in the event that consequences are needed. If it ever comes to the point where I have to give a consequence, the student and I often arrive at the consequence together. I haven't had behaviour issues in many years since I took this rational, non-gimmicky approach!

Yesss!!! Love your videos!! Thanks for uploading!! ❤️❤️❤️

Starting 4th year in 6th grade, love your videos! Appreciate your transparency 🙂

Thank you so much for sharing! I'm not a teacher but your videos help me stay organized and keep it together in my library. Also, read your book and it was amazing! Perfect reading level that I can share it and read with my son 🙂📚📖

Thanj you for this video! There are a lot of interesting and important tips you mention.

Loved this video! It was so helpful. This is my 2nd year teaching high school. I enjoyed the content.

I totally agree & relate with you about the classroom behavior and consequences. I'll b doing the same thing. 🙂👍💯%

Standing up before the bell rings is my ultimate pet peeve!!

Great video and I love the honesty. Can you do a video about your general class format and routine. For example, what are things you do daily and weekly. Do you use centers?

OMG Congrats on Year 10!!!

So helpful! Thank you!!

Yes!!! I totally agree!!! I can sooooo relate!!😃

The pandemic destroyed classroom management- kids are so entitled when it comes to being able to do what they want when they want- I’m so considering leaving teaching- even after all the years and money spent on my education- I’m just so tired - I just want to teach!

I wish you the best this year.

I love watching your videos! I teach 6th grade Dual Immersion, Social Studies and Spanish 1 so I have 6 periods.

Clicked so fast!! 😊🎉🎉

YES! Spelling of students' names is a whole other set of 'rules'. I like how you explained it.

I have the same late assignment policy. It was pushed back because marking the "0" was against the classroom culture. I still stand behind the 0 for the student to see instead of missing work. The term "missing" is a disservice to the student as they are learning their time management and possible results

My daughter made name tags like that in a few of her classes this week during her first day of middle school!

Our district start Sept 1 and we have no idea about all the details just yet. However, I am making a name badge with all 3 of my kiddos and May kiddos will have their “name” - photo badge on them at least fir the first 1-2 months. I’m hoping this helps everyone at the school including friends 💕

One of the things I would like to incorporate into my 1st week of school is spelling your name phonectically. That way we can learn how to say each others names. so for me Andrea would be (on-dre-a) I get called (an-dre-a) alot and I don't fought others for saying that, that is just a typical way it is said.

The brightness rule is helpful

I live in Greece where things are a bit more old-fashioned in education. We use books and notebooks mainly and of course interactive boards and online platforms(most schools after the pandemic) etc. Online teaching was a struggle for everyone especially for older teachers. The extend to which technology has invaded our lives, to the point where the students spend more time working on the screen than looking at the teachers' faces, is so scary and dystopic. I mean, you have to handle so many things that have to do with online platforms and answering emails and I feel that this takes away from your energy and time to actually teach, prepare and connect with your students.I really admire the work that you do and I cannot imagine how difficult it must be... I wonder if it's just me or if this situation is actually weird.... I wish you the best!

Also I have a question about your daily mantra. How do you get middle schoolers to buy into that and participate?

I hope this doesn’t come off the wrong way. But, you look drained with the school year already. :( I’m sending positive energy to you. I hope this year looks up for the both of us!

Everything is looking good!! I start my first day of school September 9th! Year three of Middle school, here we go. Good luck this year!

I agree with you so much about the username picture but unfortunately not all the teachers on my team do 😕

if you let your students know when grades are due for report cards then that can be their deadline to get late work turned in . when i was in high school most teachers gave us students each six week grading period to get all work turned in and the highest we will get is a 70 for late work i think but i was in highschool at this time hahaha

Megan, yesterday was my son's (my only child I should emphasize) last first day of school. When he got home after work (which was after school), I asked him how it felt to be a senior. He said it hadn't hit him yet that he's a senior. From what you said in your video that you see roughly 184 kids a day between all the classes you teach; that's probably more than what's in his entire senior class (we're in a small school district as our high school has a student body of less than 700 kids, middle school might be a bit less as some 5-8 kids go to the private Catholic school in our small city of roughly 8,500). In our middle (which goes from grades 5-8) and high school, they have A days and B says with regards to schedules. In the middle school, they might have Art one day and Phys Ed the next day, then back to Art the next day, and so forth. With regards to the main subjects, they have Math and Language Arts every day the whole year, whereas they will either have Science the first half and Social Studies the second have or vice versa. Also, the fifth grade reporting system is on a trimester basis (at least it was when he was in 5th grade), whereas grades 6-8 is on a quarterly basis. High school is where things get a bit interesting, where for grading purposes they are on a semester block system. Under different circumstances, there could be an instance where they might have a class one day during a certain period and a different one the next day the same period. Also, if it is a class that runs two quarters, they might have it one period one quarter and another period the following quarter (they might also have a different teacher than the first one). There are many classes that run only one quarter as well as those that run two; there are a few AP classes that run three quarters (or a semester and a half; those are AP Biology (which is only offered every other year), AP Chemistry, and AP Calculus AB (mine had that one last year). They choose their classes for the upcoming school year in January of the current school year when they come back from Christmas break. Parent-Teacher Conference scheduling depends on the school. Elementary schools are held twice a year; one the first half of the year and one the second half (this year being held in November and March respectively). Middle school conferences are held each trimester (one in early October, one in mid December, and one at the end February this year). High school conferences are held each quarter (generally around the middle of the quarter, this year being at the end of September, the beginning of December, the end of February, and the beginning of May). I'm still trying to grasp the fact that this school year will be my last year of parent-teacher conferences. This quarter all his teachers he has he's had before. One he's had the previous three years (Band), two he had last year, and the other his freshman year. One from last year and the one from his freshman year he got some good natured jazz from in class yesterday.

This is year 19 for me. I teach 6th grade ELA and Social Studies. While I’m so uncomfortable with being back with limited precaution, I will just do what I can and on the first day go through how things will have to be to keep us all safe. When I have taken late work I find that it get all piled up right when grades are due and it puts me far behind, so I’m not going to do that.

Cool

This was really helpful & gave me a lot of things to think about for my own class. Thanks!

Hey hey! Have you added that name plates/tags to TpT?

I'm thinking this year I'll accept late work for 1/2 credit (I also teach 6th grade history) but maybe that's too harsh on them..

Congrats on Year 10! 💕 This is my 11th, and it absolutely feels like the first. 😭

I would at least take a letter grade off, so the kids who do their work on time don’t get discouraged. I also use name tents to learn their names.

I'm about to start my 4th year. I still feel like teaching is new. At what year does it become comfortable? Like "I got this"

Do you get a prep everyday?

Are you okay! You seem super exhausted in this video :(

Year 10! Have an amazing year. I appreciate all the support you provide middle school educators! 🙏🏼 - Tim

184???!!!! Is low????!!!!

I would just stare at you quietly and wait for you to let me go on to work alone.

Deadlines! Use progress reports as your deadlines. After that point, no credit. I give my kids a date, and repeat that date everyday and post if everywhere and make sure parents know about it too. I inevitably get kids trying to turn in work past the date. But in general most are respectful of the date

Stop using like. You have an Education. Show it!!