From the latest TikTok trends causing chaos and the increasing push to limit cell phones in middle schools, to continuing rates of chronic absenteeism, Phyllis and Jessica are back and they’re talking all the trends they’re seeing as we head back to school for the 2024-2025 year. They also discuss innovative approaches schools are taking to improve kids’ engagement in school and how to use all the data available to schools to better support school staff and understand root causes. They dig into starting middle school advisory programs off on the right foot, including how to support teachers who are new to or unsure of how to lead an advisory group. Finally, that share how they’re planning to strengthen systems and routine processes as the year gets underway.

Whether or not you've begun to explore the capabilities of AI, your students certainly have. How can educators help students leverage AI to deepen their learning, instead of just using it as a shortcut? Megan Vosk, Joe Pizzo, Dustin Purdy, and Marri Bayour, middle grades educators and members of AMLE's Teacher Leaders Committee, stop by the podcast to talk emerging trends and why AI represents both a practical and philosophical issue teachers can no longer ignore.

What does it mean for a student to have an academic identity? Miriam Plotinsky, author of Writing their Future Selves and Teach More, Hover Less, stops by the podcast to talk how teachers can value kids brains as well as their identities as people. Phyllis, Jessica, and Miriam dig into a range of topics, including how to celebrate mistakes as pathways to learning, how to help students break down stereotypes about themselves, the best professional development for teachers, and why being afraid of AI is not a good strategy.

What’s it like being a middle schooler today? 8th grader Laila Hayes and 9th grader Gabriela Berrios Ortiz dropped by the podcast to dispel what they believe are common myths about middle schoolers, the traits of their most effective teachers, and the social challenges and pressures they face today.

Episode Notes: This podcast was recorded during the AMLE50 50th Anniversary Annual Conference in November, 2023. AMLE is grateful to Walker Mill Middle School and The Siena School for supporting Laila and Gabriela’s participation in this episode.

As Executive Director of the American Association of School Personnel Administrators, representing school HR professionals, Kelly Coash-Johnson heard frequently about the impacts of the educator shortage, but noticed more finger pointing than solution generating. As a result, AASPA collaborated with organizations and stakeholders across education to convene the first National Educator Shortage Summit to identify the underlying causes of the shortage and what could tangibly be done to combat it. She joins the podcast to talk about their key findings and how this work specifically impacts middle level educators.

Episode Notes: This podcast was recorded during the AMLE50 50th Anniversary Annual Conference in November, 2023. AMLE is also a partner of the National Educator Shortage Summit

Dr. Anitra Warrior, psychologist and owner of Morningstar Counseling, stops by the podcast to talk about youth mental health and getting back to the basics of adolescent development. Dr. Warrior specializes in Native youth mental health and offers insights and practical language and tips educators can use to support Native students and their families through culturally affirming practices.

Middle school is the perfect time to introduce career exploration opportunities to kids. They're developmentally tuned to think about their future and investigate their interests. But, too often, kids start to self-select based on what they perceive they’re good at or what they’ve already been exposed to. Jean Eddy, author of Crisis-Proofing Today’s Learners, is on a mission to help reimagine career education to prepare kids for tomorrow's world. She stopped by the podcast to dispel the myths we tell children about what success looks like, how to prepare them to compete in a changing world, and the false dichotomy of “college or no college.”

Believe it or not…schools have a leg up on mighty social media when it comes to engaging kids, especially tweens. While so much of the affirmation kids receive online is artificial and fake, schools can create true belonging and spaces where they can become their best selves. Laurie Barron, superintendent and author of Middle School: A Place to Belong and Become, joins co-hosts Phyllis and Jessica to talk about the foundational concepts of belonging, how to help students feel affirmed and welcomed at school, and the most brilliant use of 60 seconds she’s ever observed in a classroom.