Back to the grind

Coming back to school/work after a long break is really hard! I am in one of the few professions where we have extended breaks like summer and Christmas. I was afraid I was going to forget some of my kids' names!

So I knew my kids would not be thrilled to be back after spring break, so I chose to bribe them with candy today to get them to participate. It actually worked decently because the sugar wakes them up a little bit! Here are a few pretty consistent things that middle schoolers either expect or need from their teachers etc...

1. Be consistent. They really want you to follow through with your word. If you say you will punish them if they do some particular action again, they expect you (and will TEST you) to see if you actually do it.
2. Be organized. Things go VERY smooth when your students can come in and see on the board in the same place every day what they are doing in class and what they need to do right when the bell rings and how all other things function in the classroom etc. etc. This also prevents a million "Miss Fletcher, what are we doing today?? Where do I put this??? What do I do now??"
3. Be fair. They pick up instantly when you favor another student, and sometimes that's really hard not to do. Or, use it as a teaching opportunity... if they ask, "Why can she do that and not me?" Then maybe you can explain the whole value of trust and responsibility etc.

Ok, Ok, enough teaching thoughts... I'm sure most of you aren't teachers but if you're around young teens at all in any setting it's nice to keep these things in mind.