I have been primarily a middle school teacher for 27 years and have loved every minute of it. For me, "content is king." I believe the plans, printables, and worksheets I have created have above all else high-quality content, but are also practical and ready-to-use. Each item I sell has been used in my and colleagues' classrooms (teacher-tested) and is clearly written. I won't put any lesson or idea on TeachersPayTeachers unless I am certain YOU can understand it, teach with it today, and that it has value for children. And I can't be certain of that unless I have used it in my classroom. In the end, however, the best plans in the world won't make any impact unless delivered by a caring, committed, and enthusiastic teacher. Enthusiasm is the most under-rated aspect of a teacher's job. If your fire is out, they won't learn and will misbehave. If you are on fire, they will learn and they will behave for you. We do the most important job on Earth, and if we cannot put our hearts in it then we shouldn't stay in the classroom anymore. That's my two cents...

Practice by Doing, Reading, Demonstration, Teach Others/Immediate Use of Learning, Discussion Group, Audio Visual, Lecture These are the seven often-used models of teaching and instruction in middle school, and they are generally the only methods of instruction practiced in the majority of classrooms. I favor #1, #4, and #5 because that is what children enjoy and how they retain the most. That is how I plan my lessons.

Inventor of the "Middle School Thumbwave" Creator of the "Roman School Simulation"

BA, Political Science, California State University MA, Humanities, California State University

I have presented at numerous teacher conferences in the field of social studies, particularly on the ancient Greeks and Romans. I also have been teaching language arts, social studies, and mathematics every day for twenty-seven years.