About

Welcome to my blog, Mrs. T’s Middle Grades.

The title for the blog started when I set up a special Pinterest page to allow my students to access some of the videos, games, images and other resources we had been using in class. My last name is Thompson, and so many of my students over the years had shortened it to “Mrs. T.”  Not surprising, since that had long been the shortened version of our last name that had shown up in family nicknames: Mom T or Grandmommy T for my mother in law, T for my husband, Little T for our son…

And it’s Mrs. T’s “Middle Grades” since middle grades are my teaching passion. Teaching is essentially a third career for me, as I taught early on, then went to be a paralegal and judicial assistant with the courts, and then a freelance writer, before coming back to teaching when my sons were babies. I was an English and Writing major, and am certified in Middle Grades English and Middle Grades Social Sciences in Florida where I have taught at a fabulous private school. In the beginning, I taught Writing to 6th, 7th & 8th grade, and I am now a 5th grade teacher. For 5th grade, I teach Language Arts, U.S. History and Science. I recently relocated to Fairfield, Connecticut, and am nearly halfway through completing an amazing Masters program through the University of Florida: Curriculum and Instruction with a specialization in Media Literacy, through the Teacher Leadership for School Improvement program. I’ll be looking to be back in the classroom full time, soon, so give me a shout if you know of a position that would be a good fit!

All that sounds very formal. On a more personal note, I’m typing this after the last day of a school year that was very hard to say goodbye to! My students and I have so much fun, that it felt more like closing a clubhouse than cleaning out a classroom this week.

Where else you’ll find me:

I am active in a number of social media forums, and am glad to share resources.  If you are strictly interested in education, these “Mrs. T’s Middle Grades” accounts focus just on teaching:

For more, I share resources on writing, international affairs and reading, in addition to teaching, on the sites below. If you are new to social media, I am a social media consultant and provide editing services, so am glad to answer questions.

(Not your imagination: I use my married name for teaching and maiden name for other writing, to distinguish the difference in those professional roles.)

What’s coming, as the site gets off the ground? Recommended reading for upper elementary, middle grades and young adult. Posts on writing workshops. Combating reluctant readers. Great new approaches I’m playing with, like interactive notebooks or creating classroom tribes. If that sounds interesting, please follow the blog or connect to share your blog address, as well.

Best,

Elissa Thompson