1.  You are a professional.  Do you dress like one?  What is "Professional Dress"?  Like it or not, we are judged by our appearance (yes, we live in the desert; no one expects you to wear a three-piece suit or pantyhose, but...).  Does your appearance show your students that you believe that you have a very important job?  Does the way you dress have an effect on how you are treated by both the students and the parents?  Check out the research at:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dfrm4t9q_11m9mxp8 

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dfrm4t9q_10dkb9h5

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dfrm4t9q_8gv9b7q

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dfrm4t9q_9cqqb9 

2.  Are you on time (early), ready to start?  If your students are lined up outside after the bell rings while you finish a conversation, what message are you giving them?  If it takes several minutes after the bell rings for you to get things ready to begin class, what message are giving your students?  If we want our students to be in their seats, ready to start when the bell rings, we must give them a reason to be there.  Bellworks (Harry Wong's term for sponge activities) are a great way to begin your class period while you take attendance, etc.  Bellworks may include such things as: Daily Oral Language, journal writing, a few problems that review what you covered yesterday, daily word problem, puzzle, reading a quotation and responding to it, making a prediction based on given criteria, etc. 

3.  What characteristics do extraordinary teachers have in common?  Check out the characteristics compiled by researchers Custer and Doris Quick at http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dfrm4t9q_7fjpkqt .

4. Check out The First Days of Middle School: Help for New Teachers at http://www.middleweb.com/1stDResources.html.  There are tons of links that will answer your questions about being a middle school teacher.  This is a wonderful resource for new teachers, nearly new teachers, and experienced teachers.