Teaching Middle School ELA
Teaching Middle School ELA
Caitlin Mitchell
Episode 412: What We Would Have Done Differently This Year — And What We're Keeping for Next Year
37 minutes Posted May 26, 2026 at 2:00 pm.
Welcome To Teaching Middle School ELA
Why Year End Reflection Matters
What We Would Change Next Year
Do More Tasking Less Asking
Build Student Independence Before Help
A Story About Learning The Hard Way
Shift Attention Toward Positive Behavior
Simple Positive Messages To Families
Warnings Only Work With Follow Through
Parkinson’s Law And Pomodoro For Focus
Keep A Running Note For Next Year
Planner Notes Plus The Pencil Routine
Walk Breaks For Long Class Periods
Planned Writing Conferences That Actually Help
AI Seating Charts And Standards Skill Tracking
Small Tweaks Beat Big Overhauls
What To Do Before Summer Starts
Share Your Keep And Change
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Show notes
In today’s episode of the Teaching Middle School ELA podcast, Caitlin is joined by EB teachers Genevieve and Melinda for an honest conversation about what worked this school year, what they would change next year, and the small shifts that made a big difference in their classrooms. From classroom management and student independence to planning systems, positive reinforcement, conferences, AI tools, and organization strategies, this episode is packed with practical, teacher-tested ideas you ca...