7th graders come with a whole lot of "little-kid energy," as they should. They're part little kid, part big kid. They're caught in the middle of everything: puberty, childhood and adolescence. Bruh, even their school is called middle school. The goal, of course, isn't to squash that little-kid energy. It's to channel it into something productive, creative, and meaningful. And that, my friends, is one of the great challenges of teaching middle school. Middle school teachers, how do you channel all that energy into something productive?

My class is built around three things: 1. Periods of deep focus, or what I call “focus bubbles.” This is where the room is silent and students think, read, and write without distractions. Link: docs.google.com/document/d/1… 2. Collaborative moments like think-pair-share, discussion, and group problem-solving. Link: briantolentino.com/think-pai… 3. And games. Lots of games. -We toss mini footballs -We play trivia -We solve riddles -We have vocabulary challenges Games, when used properly, are a pathway to rigor, and unforgettable lessons. Link: briantolentino.com/trivia-ac…

Instead of bringing in guest speakers to talk about teaching and inspire us with anecdotes, why not have them actually teach? Put them in a real classroom and let’s watch the magic happen. Let us see how they plan, how they adjust in the moment, how they respond to student questions, manage behavior, and assess understanding. Now that’s the kind of professional development that would actually inspire me.

Two teachers can teach the same curriculum with the same activities—and get completely different results. Because in the end, it’s the teacher who brings the curriculum to life. There’s no way around that.