Collegiate Middle Level Association -- 
National Middle School Association Affiliate --
CSU Future Teachers Club

CMLA/NMSA Future Teachers Club Overview This group was founded in 2001 to give the TQE Middle School Cohort Tutors a mechanism for support and friendship. The original group comprised members from CSU and our community college partners at Malcom X, Kennedy King, Olive-Harvey, Daley, and Harold Washington Community Colleges in the City of Chicago Community College System.

The members of this group are so active that they decided to merge into the main CSU Future Teachers Club for College of Education level activities but still meet separately for special events that involve the middle level. The Future Teachers Club affliate partners at the community college join our CSU Future Teachers Club in activities such as the CATs Homework Club. The individuals in this picture are the founding Officers and Faculty mentors.

TQE Definition of a Middle School Teacher
A teacher is a person who is able to guide students to a high level of achievement in both academics and societal goals. The person is resourceful, creative, and energetic in imparting knowledge, as well as accepting of constructive criticism from peers or as a reflective practice. A teacher is an effective communicator with all stakeholders including students, parents, peers, administrators, and the community at large. They are life-long learners, having a sufficient knowledge base to encourage students in their quest for learning.

A middle school teacher shares all of these qualities but also possesses the unique understanding of and ability to work with this particular population (5th-9th grade), by having knowledge of adolescent development, being able to employ multiple teaching strategies for the varied learning modalities, and blending the characteristics of both an elementary and secondary teacher with respect to content knowledge.

CMLA/NMSA Future Teachers
Here is a list of our favorite links to resources for the middle level teacher: