Teaching Middle School ELA
Welcome to the Teaching Middle School ELA podcast, where we are dedicated to helping English Language Arts teachers create dynamic and engaging lessons for their students, while also managing the day-to-day responsibilities that come with being a Middle School ELA teacher.
As educators ourselves, we understand the challenges of finding a work-life balance that allows us to pursue our passion for teaching while also enjoying our personal lives. That's why each Tuesday, hosts Caitlin Mitchell and Jessica Cannata share practical and innovative solutions for managing your workload and staying inspired in your teaching practice.
Whether you are looking for fresh ideas to inspire your students, strategies for improving your writing instruction, or tips for managing your time more effectively, this podcast is designed to provide you with the tools you need to thrive as a Middle School ELA teacher.
Join us each week for curriculum and lesson ideas, classroom stories, and interviews with fellow educators who are experts in the field. We believe that with the right support and resources, you can create a classroom environment that encourages students to become strong and passionate learners.
If you teach reading and writing to middle schoolers and want to stay up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices in ELA education, then this is the podcast for you! Tune in every week and let us help you make a difference in the lives of your students and in your own teaching career.
Teaching Middle School ELA
Mindset Favorite: Moving Forward Despite Fear
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Let’s take a moment to revisit one of our favorite Monday Mindset episodes!
Facing fear can lead to unexpected joys and personal growth. Caitlin recounts a spontaneous UTV ride through the Arizona desert that challenged her preference for predictability and taught her the power of embracing the unknown. This adventure mirrors the daily challenges we all face, from tackling daunting tasks to having tough conversations, and how courage can transform our lives. Caitlin invites educators and listeners to reflect on applying these lessons in classrooms and personal lives, fostering meaningful discussions about confidence and resilience. Join her as we explore how small acts of courage can unlock deeper joy and inspire growth.
Here’s to another day of living intentionally.
Caitlin
Well, hello teachers, and welcome to your Monday Mindset podcast episode. These are short, little snippets of thoughts, reflections that I share with you on a weekly basis, that are focused around mindset things that we can do to live our best lives, to live an intentional life, and I invite you to not just listen to these for yourself and how they apply to you in your life, but consider sharing them with other people too. Consider sharing them with your students every Monday and having a conversation about it and doing a reflection together, because I think a lot of these thoughts, these topics, these questions are just a part of being human, and sometimes being human can feel lonely and to know that other people are struggling through some of the same challenges that you are and are benefiting from having these types of conversations is hugely powerful in allowing us to get to be the best version of ourselves, to take who we are and who we be and who we show up in the world as to that next level. So I really hope that you enjoy these Monday Mindsets and, if you do, let us know over on our Instagram at Evie Academics. Thanks so much for listening and let's dive into our Monday Mindset.
Speaker 1:For today's Monday Mindset I want to share. Start by sharing a personal story, and recently I had the privilege to go hang out with some friends in Scottsdale, arizona, and we were surprised with this activity that we were going to do together by the person who organizes the trip, and I didn't know what the activity was going to be. I was just told you might be cold, bring a raincoat, bring shoes that you don't care about and just be prepared to have fun. That is not. My personality is to just go with the flow. I like things done a certain way. I like to know in advance of when things are happening. I like to plan things. I just like to be prepared, and I'm also not really a risk taker. I'm pretty risk averse, I am afraid of a lot of things, et cetera. So we get to where we're going and we're going to go UTVing through the Arizona desert Super cool and also extremely scary for me, and I could have not gone if I didn't want to. I didn't have to go, um, but I sat there with myself and I had the conversation with myself of how will you feel if you don't go and how will you feel at the other end of it if you do go. And my answer to those questions allowed me to have fun and to enjoy the activity in the face of fear, right, and so everyone talks about, you know, doing things despite the fear. And that's courage, right, it's having the courage to do something even though it scares you.
Speaker 1:And so I share that story with you to think about things in your life and areas in your life that are similar. It probably not UTVing, right, that we're talking about, but other things that scare you that you don't necessarily want to do. It might be that conversation with a parent that you have to have. Or you know, if your students are listening to this Monday Mindset podcast episode, perhaps for our students it's a project that we are nervous about not doing well on. Or perhaps it's being nervous about asking to play at recess, or whatever it might be.
Speaker 1:There are plenty of areas in our lives where we sometimes get afraid and we allow that fear to hold us back from living a life that is fulfilling, from living a life that is fun, that's joyful, also, that's challenging. Just because it's scary doesn't mean we shouldn't necessarily do it right. The fear that we face when we have the courage to step up and do it anyway, the confidence that we build in self is such a profound shift, transformation, right. And so I share that with you.
Speaker 1:Because I did not want to do this UTV thing. I did not want to let somebody else drive me, I wanted to drive the whole time and I was scared as all scared can be to do that and to relinquish control and to sit in the passenger seat and allow my friend to drive me. And I laughed and smiled and had fun the entire time and I would have been so disappointed with myself if I had not gotten up the courage to get in the UTV and go enjoy that experience. So I invite you to think about where in your life this is applicable. Maybe write it down, do a little journal prompt about it, and when you come to face that thing that scares you in the future which you will, because that's life what questions can you ask yourself? How will you feel if you don't do this and how will you feel if you do do this on the other side of having accomplished that? So I hope that that serves you in some capacity in your life today, and here's to another great week of living intentionally.