Teaching ELA as a Survey Course
Each year, I hear, “I hate English class, but I love your teaching.” So, it’s time to shake things up a bit. This is my MacBook Air Cover. I love this MacBook Air Cover, but this morning it has taken on a new meaning. As I contemplate how to revise my...
Reclaiming Myself
When I decided not to make teaching the most important aspect of my identity, I felt lost. It’s time to find myself… perhaps for the first time.Photo by Tomas Robertson on UnsplashIt’s something I should have done a long time ago: find my purpose in life, except I...
Dear School Boards: It’s Time To Treat Paraprofessionals as Professionals, Please.
Teachers consider the paraprofessionals who share their classroom heroes. It’s time school boards did, too.https://www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/pd/paraprofessional-learning-opportunities/A paraprofessional could also be a classroom assistant, teacher assistant, instructional...
That Wasn’t Professional Development. That Wasn’t Even Training.
Schools are trying to establish a “new normal.” Let’s start with redefining professional development.Photo by Jason Goodman on UnsplashSend an email to teachers telling them there will be a professional development (PD) session, and listen for the collective groan...
Dear School Boards: You Need to Professionalize the Substitute Teacher Role
Teacher shortages at every level demand a new response to what has always been a problem, namely the lack of available substitute teachers.Photo by Kenny Eliason for UnsplashI recently interviewed for a position with UP Education in Massachusetts. One of the roles is...
A Letter to Tutoring Organizations from a Loyal Tutor
If I could tutor full time, I would.Photo by sofatutor on UnsplashTonight, I had the pleasure to work with a rising 6th grader. After working on paragraph revision for about 10 minutes, he asked, “Can I ask you something?”“Of course,” I responded. It’s one of his...
My Declaration of Independence
As this home evolves, it reflects upon my emergence from a dark place from which I declare my independence.
Let Them Write!
If you look back at posts I’ve written over the years, you will notice that I strive to answer the question, “Why do I have to learn this?” The best way, I think, to answer that question is to bring the students closer to the concept, skill, text, or whatever it is. Bring them into the community. Welcome them. Assure them. Let them write.
Writing to Learn
In my research on writing-to-learn, I found the following explanation from Colorado State University. Generally, writing-to-learn activities are short, impromptu, or otherwise informal, and low-stakes writing tasks that help students think through key concepts or...
“How do I teach now?” – Lessons from the Classroom after an Insurrection
How I approached teaching on 1/7/21.