Connected Educator Month: Middle School Chat Begins Thursday!

As a former middle school teacher, I know how critical those years can be. But, for multiple reasons I’m sure, these years are often ignored. I’ve often referred to middle school as the “red-headed step-child of education.” It is true.

In the middle…it CAN be a great place to be. Join Middle School Chat (#mschat) this Thursday at 8PM Eastern.

When’s the last time you read a middle school-specific article or blog post? How many resource sites do you know of that are devoted solely to middle school? (It’s possible I’m out of the loop on this…if you know of such articles and sites, please send them my way!)

My friend and former colleague Todd Bloch is starting a twitter chat to help fill the void. Middle School Chat, which will use the hashtag #mschat, begins this Thursday at 8PM Eastern time. I’ll be joining in for the first chat, which features a “back to school ideas” topic. What a great time of year to start a chat…perfect for Connected Educator Month!

Yes, I know, I don’t teach middle school anymore. But that’s the beauty of twitter chats…they know no boundaries. Just because it’s called #MSchat or New Teacher Chat (#NTchat) or #5thchat or #engchat, and so on, doesn’t mean you have to fit the category to contribute and benefit. I’m far from a new teacher, yet every time I join #NTchat I learn something new. I have very little interest (or aptitude) in teaching kindergarten, but #kinderchat is amazing. Every time I follow it, I feel (incredibly) slightly compelled to teach 5 year olds.

I also love seeing new chats start up. It’s a sign that the Connected Educator Movement is spreading, that more voices are entering the conversation. And that, my friends, is a good thing.

So please, whatever you teach, please join Todd (@blocht574 on twitter) at 8PM Eastern Thursday for #mschat.

photo credit: liquidnight via photo pin cc