Characteristics of Effective Middle Level Teachers

Middle level teachers are a special breed. These people are seen by many to be a little odd, because they have to be to deal with children between the ages of 10-15. Students at this age require special treatment since they are going through a lot of intellectual, physical, and emotional changes. Effective middle level teachers exhibit many different characteristics. Some characteristics, however, are more likely to make a teacher more successful at this level! The first characteristic that middle level teachers need is the Steve Martin, I'm a Wild and Crazy attitude. Middle level teachers need to be more outrageous and crazy than their students. Teachers like this are the ones that are not afraid to make fools of themselves. They will dress-up like historical characters, wear funny outfits, bounce off the walls, and are full of energy. These teachers have the ability to capture the attention of their students. They use their actions and craziness to enhance what they are teaching. These teachers make the class fun by using their unique ability to be wild and crazy. The attitude they display helps students learn by creating a positive environment. Along with being the Wild and Crazy Guy effective middle level teachers need to be like the Odd Couple. They need to be wild like Oscar, but they need to be very organized like Felix. Oscar is the guy who loves life, like the Wild and Crazy Guy. Felix, on the other hand, is the straight man, who has to have everything in order. Teachers can be totally outrageous in their classes, but they are only effective if they have properly planned and organized their lessons. Without planning and organization their material seems scrambled and is hard to follow. At this age students begin to develop more abstract thinking skills. While they have more complex thoughts and are able to conceptualize they still need that concrete level of thinking. Not all students can think abstractly at this age, and if teachers are not organized, students will flounder. An unorganized class has more disabling problems because there is no structure. Being Mother Goose is another characteristic of effective middle level teachers. These teachers are very caring and understand their students. These teachers are also very dedicated to their students, and are willing to do whatever is needed to help students succeed. A Mother Goose is aware of the physical and emotional changes students are going through, such as hormone changes, the more rapid growth of bones than muscles, acne, and students trying to find out just who and what they can become. Because of this knowledge teachers are sympathetic when students are not in the best of moods, which is frequent. These teachers try to be understanding and do not get upset when a student is not with them mentally in the classroom. They will try to get the student to participate in class by using different teaching styles to gain the student's attention. If this fails, again they will not get upset with the student or try to draw attention to that student. A Mother Goose will wait to talk to the student after class, asking the student what the problem is, and if he or she can help. These teachers are also the ones that show interest in their students. This is the teacher who attends student sporting events and chaperons dances. Mother Goose teachers are willing to come in early and stay late if students need them. They are always willing to give that little extra of themselves to help students achieve. Effective middle level teachers must be as flexible as Gymnasts. These teachers adjust their lesson plans as student needs change and are able to sense when students do not understand the material. …