Category: Student Support

Using Ambient Sound to Reduce Student Stress

Social media can disrupt concentration and healthy social development in adolescents. To counter its effects, principal Mike Gaskell looks at causes and suggests one helpful strategy to reduce stress and anxiety – ambient sound. Build the focus and flow students need to thrive.

SEL Picture Books for Middle School Advisory

Providing consistent opportunities for students to learn about and practice social emotional skills in middle school advisory can aid in their behavioral and academic growth. Teacher Kasey Short suggests 14 read-aloud picture books with questions that can support that growth.

Kids Need Us to Keep These 25 Promises

What promises do we need to make (and keep) so that our students will truly believe they belong in our classrooms and will be safe and cared for there? Middle grades leaders Laurie Barron and Patti Kinney break down the 25 promises they feel have the most impact.

Supporting the Emotional Health of Our Students

The future may be uncertain but the mental health of our students shouldn’t be. Teacher, author and mentor Cathleen Beachboard describes how – through a focus on communication, consistency and control – educators can begin to help young people regain their sense of safety.

Be That One Caring Adult Each Child Needs

Do your students know how much you care? Especially those students who have built a wall or may face difficult situations at home? How can you connect? Principal Liz Garden found sticky notepads, a favorite book and regular one-to-one time can make all the difference.

The 3 Things Our Middle Schoolers Need Most

With the start of a new school year approaching, how can we make sure our middle school students are getting the support they need for an academically and personally successful school year? School leader Rhonda Neal Waltman offers three effective strategies.

To Understand Learners, Use Portraits Not Profiles

Understanding all aspects of a student’s learning “portrait” is critical for us to ensure their success. Although we typically look at areas like readiness or ability, notes teaching expert Barbara Blackburn, we also need to consider culture, Maslow’s hierarchy, and SEL.

Help New Students Feel Truly Welcome

Too often students get little more than a schedule and a friendly pat as they enter new schools. Counselor Dana Worden is changing all that at Travis Ranch MS where student volunteers not only welcome newbies but buddy with them until they fully blend in.

Seven Ways to Look at a Middle Grades Kid

Thanksgiving is a good time to express our affection for those great and goofy middle grades kids and the special community of educators who relish teaching them. Here are six MiddleWeb posts pinpointing their unique qualities and ways we can support them as they grow.