The Real Classroom
@therealclassroom.bsky.social
30 year veteran middle school educator, still teaching and loving it. Writing about what works in a real classroom. My classroom is the research, and I’ve found what actually works.
If you want to know more than a student’s favorite color, try this meaningful first week activity. It’s one of the most powerful things I do in my classroom and you can find it here.
The First Week Activity That Shows You Who Your Students Really Are
One page, collected in the first week, that has taught me more than every icebreaker combined.
therealclassroom.substack.com
August 30, 2026 at 6:34 PM
If you want to know more than a student’s favorite color, try this meaningful first week activity. It’s one of the most powerful things I do in my classroom and you can find it here.
Connection is a two way street between the educator and the students. This is a meaningful way to let your students get to know you in the first 15 minutes of class.
Letting Students Get to Know Us Is Part of Classroom Connection, Too
Four sticky notes, fifteen minutes, and a simple first-day activity that shows my students who I am
therealclassroom.substack.com
August 30, 2026 at 6:32 PM
Connection is a two way street between the educator and the students. This is a meaningful way to let your students get to know you in the first 15 minutes of class.
My latest article
Apparently, My Nervous System Is Part of the Lesson Plan
Co-regulation means a teacher’s nervous system can help students feel safe enough to learn, but schools can’t blame teachers every time a student is dysregulated.
therealclassroom.substack.com
August 17, 2026 at 4:54 AM
My latest article
I’ll be using this poem to teach a poetry lesson to my 7th graders. Let me know if you’re interested what I’ll be doing with it.
Instructions before visiting Earth
A poem for the soul's journey
jamesmccrae.substack.com
August 15, 2026 at 5:57 PM
I’ll be using this poem to teach a poetry lesson to my 7th graders. Let me know if you’re interested what I’ll be doing with it.
Call me an educator, not a teacher. open.substack.com/pub/therealc...
It Matters What You Call Us
Why the Word “Teacher” Undersells Our Profession and Needs a Rebrand
open.substack.com
July 26, 2026 at 5:10 AM
Call me an educator, not a teacher. open.substack.com/pub/therealc...
An important distinction in teaching: open.substack.com/pub/therealc...
Engagement Is Not the Same as Entertainment
How Teachers Help Students Care About What They Learn
open.substack.com
July 26, 2026 at 5:09 AM
An important distinction in teaching: open.substack.com/pub/therealc...
It’s time to tell the truth about this teaching strategy; open.substack.com/pub/therealc...
When Did Direct Instruction Become a Dirty Word?
Why teaching still belongs at the center of the classroom.
open.substack.com
July 26, 2026 at 5:09 AM
It’s time to tell the truth about this teaching strategy; open.substack.com/pub/therealc...
Who’s a fan of this teaching strategy?https://open.substack.com/pub/therealclassroom/p/the-trouble-with-turn-and-talk?r=3msitm&utm_medium=ios
open.substack.com/pub/therealc...
open.substack.com/pub/therealc...
The Trouble With Turn and Talk
How a classroom trend that does almost nothing became standard practice.
open.substack.com
July 26, 2026 at 5:06 AM
Who’s a fan of this teaching strategy?https://open.substack.com/pub/therealclassroom/p/the-trouble-with-turn-and-talk?r=3msitm&utm_medium=ios
open.substack.com/pub/therealc...
open.substack.com/pub/therealc...
My controversial thoughts on classroom seating arrangements can be found in this article: open.substack.com/pub/therealc...
The Seating Arrangement That Actually Works (And Why Few Teachers Say It Out Loud)
After thirty years teaching middle school, I realized one simple classroom change dramatically improved focus, attention, and classroom management.
open.substack.com
July 26, 2026 at 5:04 AM
My controversial thoughts on classroom seating arrangements can be found in this article: open.substack.com/pub/therealc...
My latest article about the participation strategy known as cold calling: open.substack.com/pub/therealc...
The Cost of Cold Calling
Why some students pay a price for this common participation strategy.
open.substack.com
July 26, 2026 at 5:03 AM
My latest article about the participation strategy known as cold calling: open.substack.com/pub/therealc...
For any new teachers, here’s a strategy I use in my classroom. Read about it in my latest article: open.substack.com/pub/therealc...
Yes, I Read the Whole Novel to My Seventh Graders
What if the most important part of teaching a class novel isn't who reads the words, but who understands them?
open.substack.com
July 26, 2026 at 5:02 AM
For any new teachers, here’s a strategy I use in my classroom. Read about it in my latest article: open.substack.com/pub/therealc...
Reposted by The Real Classroom
"It’s a long and fairly specific list, but after thirty years of teaching, I’ve learned that every one of them matters."
I really wish more PD was built around lists/advice like this rather than, you know, what we actually tend to get 🤷♂️
therealclassroom.substack.com/p/what-actua...
I really wish more PD was built around lists/advice like this rather than, you know, what we actually tend to get 🤷♂️
therealclassroom.substack.com/p/what-actua...
What Actually Makes a Classroom Work Has Nothing to Do With What You Teach
If I could sit beside every first-year teacher before school started, these are the ten things I’d tell them. Not one of them is about content.
therealclassroom.substack.com
July 24, 2026 at 11:16 PM
"It’s a long and fairly specific list, but after thirty years of teaching, I’ve learned that every one of them matters."
I really wish more PD was built around lists/advice like this rather than, you know, what we actually tend to get 🤷♂️
therealclassroom.substack.com/p/what-actua...
I really wish more PD was built around lists/advice like this rather than, you know, what we actually tend to get 🤷♂️
therealclassroom.substack.com/p/what-actua...