Free Sample
The Complete Guide to Becoming A Middle School Teacher, Except Special and Career/Technical Education
The real job, the real pay, the real path - what it actually takes to teach middle school before you commit years and tuition to it
by Alumigogo Books
Chapter 1: What Does a Middle School Teacher, Except Special and Career/Technical Education Actually Do?
When people imagine teaching middle school, they usually picture a classroom of attentive twelve-year-olds hanging on every word of a lesson about fractions or the Civil War. That happens, sometimes, for maybe fifteen minutes on a good day. The rest of the job is a very specific, very demanding kind of work that is equal parts performer, project manager, social worker, hall monitor, and paperwork clerk. If you are seriously weighing this career, you need to see the full picture of what the job actually involves - not the Hollywood version.
The core of the job: classroom instruction
Let's start with the part everyone knows about. A middle school teacher, except special and career/technical education, is responsible for teaching a specific subject area - usually English, math, science, or social studies - to students in grades 6 through 8, sometimes grade 5 in districts that house elementary and middle together. You will have between five and six teaching periods per day, each lasting roughly 45 to 55 minutes, depending on the school's schedule. Some schools use a block schedule, where you teach the same group of students for two consecutive periods, which means you plan longer lessons and cover more material in a single sitting.
Here is what a typical teaching period actually looks like. You greet students at the door - research shows this improves behavior and punctuality - then you take attendance, handle