The NCTE Annual Conference began with a question from the #middlelevelmatters meeting: What would YOU write about? This year is the 25th anniversary for the professional journal, Voices From the Middle, and a special edition was unveiled. (Thank you for the copy, NCTE!) This collection of past articles from the journal inspired talk, about struggles and celebrations, and included a challenge — to write.

What will I write about? I’ll write about my reading, my thinking, and my goals for the future as a literacy educator. Since I love sharing my learning, I hope you will join me.

I’ll consider the hashtag presented last Thursday evening: #middlelevelmatters. Middle school is a crazy time for students and their teachers, and I love the days I spend living in the mix of it all. The three main take-aways presented at the NCTE conference about middle level learners are: 1) they need a voice, 2) they need choice, and 3) they need to know that someone loves them.

Stay tuned for posts about these three vital parts of middle level education.

(Image shared from www2.ncte.org)