I am currently working on my 8th full year of teaching middle school. I started my career in high school biology and loved it, but when I moved I was unable to find a high school job. I figured I'd "suffer" through one year of teaching middle school...and never left! I fell into a path that I may not have otherwise chosen, but am so glad I did. Middle schoolers scare some people, but those lucky enough to work with them really do see their value.
Given the age group of kids that I teach, I need to hit a lot of highly academic content, but also need to keep it fresh so they don't get bored. I use a ton of technology in my classroom and do a lot of discovery and hands-on learning. Science is great for that! My mantra for classroom management is "An organized classroom is a learning classroom." Although my lessons can be busy, I can't live in chaos. Everything has to be organized and color coded. My expectations and procedures for my class have substantially improved the success of my lessons. When students understand what they are expected to do, can find their resources and know when and how to ask for help, they are able to learn more effectively.
Nominated for School Teacher of the Year (school yearbook dedication nomination) 2008
I have a B.S. in Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology from The Ohio State University (Go Buckeyes!) and a M.Ed in Secondary Education from Texas State University. I have two teaching certificates in the state of New Hampshire. One for Biology 7-12, and the other for Middle School Science 5-9
Check out some of the great pins on Pinterest! They have a ton of super ideas for organizing your classroom, interesting experiments and lesson plans. I have a board on there dedicated to organizing...look it up by my name (Suzy Deasy) Happy pinning!
PreK, Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, Higher Education, Adult Education, Homeschool
English Language Arts, Vocabulary, Specialty, Science, Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Environment, Other (Science), Other (Specialty), Other (ELA), Critical Thinking, For All Subjects, Classroom Management, General Science, Physical Science, Writing, Tools for Common Core, For All Subjects, Informational Text, Early Intervention