No more spare underpants for desk-wetters or contests for not losing your pencil. Those tips are better suited to kindergarten teachers and elementary school teachers (respectively), and once you're teaching middle school, it's a whole different ballgame.

So whether you're new (or new-ish) to middle school or have been in the trenches since time immemorial, take on a few tips to boost your effectiveness with what can be a tough age.

Because they're only tough if you let them be, are we right?

1. At this age in particular, you need to "teach the child, not the subject."

We love that phrase, which we lifted from a chat board at Teachers.net. The post-er goes on to explain that while, yes, the educational material you're offering is important, it's crucial for teachers of middle-level students to remember what it's like to exist in that transitional phase between childhood, teenagerdom, and adulthood. If you remember nothing else about it, remember this: it ain't easy.

Kids between the ages of 11 and 14 are juggling a lot of stuff: hormones, crazy body changes, peer pressure, greater independence and responsibility, their first (if they're abiding by the age restrictions) forays into social media, pulling away from their parents while still requiring high levels of parental supervision…like we said—not an easy time.

So yeah, as that post-er writes:

"It is fine to be dedicated and love your subject, but at this level (in this setting), it is the kid that matters. If you keep in mind the difficulty of living through this age (remembering perhaps your own experiences) you'll understand more about why a kid doesn't see the 'Quartering Act of 1765' as quite important as the note about the Valentine's Dance they received in the hall just prior to your class" (source).

2. Be ready to laugh. Even (especially) at yourself.

Sure, this is important at all levels. And in all situations, come to think of it. But we think it's particularly important at the middle level. Why? Because students at the middle level watch their teachers with greater scrutiny than students at any other ages.

Younger students tend to believe that the adults in their lives have all the answers, often taking everything adults say and do at face value. And many older students, on the other hand, view adults as relatively clueless and often instinctively distrust authority figures.

But middle-level students, who are just beginning to cross that boundary line between the two, are watching everything the adults around them do, and at the same time, trying to figure out whom to trust, how to behave, and what is and isn't appropriate in any given situation.

Because they're trying to get a read on you, a lot of these students will be testing your limits as they try to find their own. And because they haven't yet found their limits (or yours), they may say things that seem inconsiderate, hurtful, or even downright cruel. One of the best things you can model for them at this time—a time when they're trying to figure it all out—is the ability to find humor wherever possible and not take yourself too seriously. Seriously.

For some excellent examples of what we're talking about here, check out The New York Times article "For Teachers, Middle School is Test of Wills."

3. Middle school students tend to exaggerate. More than every single other age group in the history of human existence anywhere. Ever.

No really, they do. Pretty much everything that happens in a middle school is a big deal. Things aren't embarrassing, scary, or annoying in middle school; they are SO embarrassing, THE scariest, and OMG TOTES annoying. Sometimes they're even all three at once.

That means that there's a lot of emotion and energy running through those hallways every day, and often you will need to be the voice of reason. While it's important to respect the very real (and often hypersensitive) emotions behind individual situations—like when your students freak out because there's a bug in the classroom that someone thinks might be a bee which could cause Allison to go into anaphylactic shock especially since Joey just told her that Denzel wants to go to the dance with her even though he's been texting Leila all morning—it's also important to bring those ever expanding stories back down to ground zero.

"It's not a bee, and if it were, we would still be okay. Allison has an EpiPen, and both she and I know how to use it."

With an optional side dish of something like:

"I know you're excited about the dance, but let's focus on our work right now. Maybe if we get through chapter two, we can wrap up class talking about what the dance might be like."

Get the picture? Ignore the hyperbole. Keep calm and teach on.

4. Middle schoolers want to know your secrets. Don't tell them.

As we mentioned in #2 above, middle schoolers are past the point where they view adults as infallible members of (more or less) another species. They've come to understand that they will one day be adults and they really want to know what it's going to be like. That's why they tend to ask personal, probing—and yes, often inappropriate—questions. Don't answer them. Or at least don't answer them the way you would answer a peer.

For one thing, people that age can't—and shouldn't be asked to—keep secrets. And for another, as much as they want to know if you've ever X'ed, Y'ed, or Z'ed, they're way too young to take in and process the honest details of your adult life. You can be kind and compassionate, you can share stories, and you can even commiserate by relating some of your tween year shenanigans.

But keep it PG and maintain good boundaries. It'll be for your benefit and for theirs.

5. Two essential tools for middle school teachers are distractions and relationships.

Yes, tools. Not pitfalls. At least, that's the goal.

This gem comes from Ben Johnson's article on Edutopia, "The Art of Managing Middle School Students." In it, Johnson compares middle schoolers to squirrels. Flattering, we know. The point, though, is the attention span, since he goes on to say that the trick of being a good teacher at the middle level is being able to hold students' attention for more than a few seconds.

He offers some wisdom in terms of how to accomplish this masterful feat, and the key, in Johnson's opinion (and Shmoop's), is to establish a genuine rapport with students and keep them on their toes. That, plus a good supply of walnuts, should do the trick and keep you covered.

Johnson offers tips for both, as does Shmoop. Check out our sections on classroom management and developing relationships for ideas.

And, just in case we scared you off from middle school with that, here's a little bonus. If you want to delve deeper into this topic, the way you might in one of your teacher training classes or a professional development course, take a gander at the comprehensive book What Every Middle School Teacher Should Know by Dave Brown and Trudy Knowles. Sneak peeks of Chapter Two and Chapter Eleven are available online in .pdf format.

That said, take a deep breath, put on your poker face, and jump into the fray.