44th Annual Middle Level Conference & Exhibits: Full Schedule

10:00am EDT

3 - Defining and Addressing Implicit Bias and Racial Microaggressions

Monday March 24, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am EDT

Mahogany (2nd floor) - Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place

As educators, we must understand the impact racial microaggressions have on teaching and learning while developing an intellectual identity. Teachers must do the arduous personal work of addressing their own implicit bias while creating psychologically safe classrooms. This session is designed to allow participants to gain a clear understanding of how to interrupt microaggressions while preserving relationships.

Speakers

Dr. Kalise Wornum

KW Diversity Co.

Monday March 24, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am EDT
Mahogany (2nd floor) - Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place

Strand C

Company KW Diversity

11:10am EDT

17 - Invisible, Hypervisible, or simply Visible: Non-Binary Identities in Middle Schools

Monday March 24, 2025 11:10am - 12:10pm EDT

Mahogany (2nd floor) - Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place

What should middle level educators and students know about non-binary identities? How can we make our schools safe for non-binary students and employees? This presentation/discussion will offer some answers and also create space for participants to share their knowledge and experiences as well.

Monday March 24, 2025 11:10am - 12:10pm EDT
Mahogany (2nd floor) - Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place

Strand C

1:40pm EDT

30 - Bring Learning to Life with Meaningful and Engaging Reflection Tools and Techniques

Monday March 24, 2025 1:40pm - 2:40pm EDT

Mahogany (2nd floor) - Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place

Join this interactive workshop and take advantage of teachable moments with engaging student-centered reflection techniques. Enliven the traditional sharing circle with active, brain-based methods including movement, metaphor, art, and “warm-welcome” and “optimistic-closing” activities to increase emotional connection, relevancy, and depth-of-understanding. Create lasting lessons and help students become lifelong reflective learners.

Monday March 24, 2025 1:40pm - 2:40pm EDT
Mahogany (2nd floor) - Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place

Strand A

3:30pm EDT

44 - 'Why me?' vs. 'WATCH ME!'

Monday March 24, 2025 3:30pm - 4:30pm EDT

Mahogany (2nd floor) - Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place

This interactive session will be a deeper dive from Molly's keynote to help you manage all of the things on your plate. You will have time to plan how you will apply those skills and strategies and feel empowered when you return to your students. It will be a relaxed, fun and meaningful work and social session.

Speakers

Molly Kennedy

Speaker/Author/Educator, Molly Kennedy Productions, LLC

Molly Kennedy has dedicated the past 26 years to empowering people to have more resilience, confidence and learning to leverage their adversity into results.Challenges and trauma followed Molly throughout her life. She grew up in a dysfunctional family with addiction, divorce, neglect... Read More →

Monday March 24, 2025 3:30pm - 4:30pm EDT
Mahogany (2nd floor) - Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place

Strand A

10:00am EDT

56 - Micro Mentor Texts: Using Short Passages from Great Books to Teach Writer’s Craft

Tuesday March 25, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am EDT

Mahogany (2nd floor) - Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place

We all want students who write clearly and powerfully. We can teach this through daily practice with passages from books and a close look at the decisions authors make to craft those texts. We lead students to see a book as a treasure chest of writing craft moves—the moves that skilled writers use. Students will learn and practice a wide range of writing skills from grammar in context, varied sentence patterns—both the art and feel of cohesion and style—as well as all the ways a writer is an artist of words. We have the power to fundamentally change the way students understand writing. Come to study and write together.

Speakers

Penny Kittle

Speaker, Heinemann

Tuesday March 25, 2025 10:00am - 11:00am EDT
Mahogany (2nd floor) - Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place

Strand A

11:10am EDT

70 - High Performance Under Pressure: Tales from the Hardwood

Tuesday March 25, 2025 11:10am - 12:10pm EDT

Mahogany (2nd floor) - Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place

Meet Andrew Marotta, leader of the Surviving & Thriving movement. He lives the words on his logo & strives to positively #IMPACT all he meets. Andrew dives deep into powerful stories and experiences from his time as a Division One men’s college basketball official. He will take you through the ups and downs, successes and failures, and the journey of trying to be the best you can be under the spotlight and intense scrutiny.

Speakers

Andrew Marotta

Keynote Speaker, Andrew Marotta, LLC

Join Andrew in this follow up to the 2023 Annual Conference keynote presentation. Andrew Marotta is a principal & former Men's Division 1 college basketball referee. He officiated in several major Division 1 conferences including the ACC, Atlantic 10, CAA, IVY & Patriot Leagues, and... Read More →

Tuesday March 25, 2025 11:10am - 12:10pm EDT
Mahogany (2nd floor) - Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place

Strand F