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: Whether You Think You Can... You're Probably Right
I’d love to hear from you! Send me a text!
This is a flashback from one of our favorite Monday Mindset episodes!
Imagine facing a challenge you once thought impossible—then conquering it with encouragement and the right mindset. This week, we explore how our beliefs shape our capabilities and the power of support in pushing past limits.
Discover how shifting self-talk and embracing accountability can open doors to growth in all areas of life.
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.
Speaker 1:So something really interesting happened to me today while I was at the gym, and I think it ties into the power of our brains and the power of our minds and what we believe is capable and possible for ourselves in our lives. And we've all maybe heard some semblance of the saying whether you think you can or you can't, you're probably right, right. And so we kind of live and lead this life of a self-fulfilling prophecy Whether or not we think we can do it dictates whether or not we're actually going to be able to do it right. Whether or not we think we can do it dictates whether or not we're actually going to be able to do it Right. And so this came to me because I was at the gym and I was doing, um, the bench press, and for the first time ever I was able to put, you know, a pretty heavy weight on there and I was really proud of myself that I was able to do too. And Riley, my trainer, was like come on, you can do 10. Like, I know you can do it. And in my brain I'm like man, I don't think I can do 10. And so it goes back to whether you think you can or you can't, you're probably right. And so I'm doing the reps, which is very heavyweight and I get to seven and in my mind I'm like I can't do anymore. And I tell her I'm like I can't do it, riley, and he puts his hands underneath the bar to like, raise it up as I do the last three, finish the last three, and I rock it, whatever. And Riley looks at me and he says you know, I didn't even touch the bar that entire time and it was just so fascinating to me that, because I thought my brain, thought he was helping me, I was able to do three more, something of which I thought was impossible, that I couldn't actually do, and I took a step back.
Speaker 1:As that happened, I was like wow, that just goes to show the power of our minds over our bodies, over what we believe our limits to be. Whatever it might be Right, and so to take this back to like our lives and other areas that it's applicable, it just goes to show that, no matter what it might be that we're working on, whether that's grading papers or planning for the week ahead, or creating time in our lives to exercise, or pushing ourselves to a place that we never thought was possible right, whether that's personal growth or growth in a relationship or growth with your you know, your students or your children, whatever it might be, that, whether we think we can or we can't, one, we're probably right. And then, two, also the power of having someone there to cheer you on and to support and to motivate you. Right, that accountability to hold us to a place that we don't think is possible for ourselves, but others believe that it is. And so I invite you to consider you know, where does this apply for you in your life, this concept, and how can you start to implement that?
Speaker 1:You know I have little conversations in my head, right? You know I'll be doing whatever, and I know I use the gym as an example all the time, but I think it's such a beautiful example that's applicable to all areas of our lives to use as a metaphor. You know, if I think I can only do six pushups, I'm only going to do six, but if I set the bar to eight or I set the bar to 10, that becomes what I think is possible for myself and what I'm able to achieve, right. So just something to to think about, something to mull on um and see how this serves you. So, if this does, send me an Instagram message at EB academics. I would love to hear from you and to know that this resonated with you and where are you applying this in your life? All right, here's to another great week of living intentionally.