“How do I teach now?” – Lessons from the Classroom after an Insurrection

by Heather MacCorkle | Jan 24, 2021 | Education, Essays, Learning, Life, Teaching, Virtual Learning, Writing

On January 6, 2021, I was working with a student during office hours when my husband came into the dining room to tell me that people had stormed the U.S. Capitol. My mouth dropped open. My student’s mouth dropped open. After my husband apologized for...

What a Semester!

by Heather MacCorkle | Dec 23, 2020 | Education, Essays, Learning, Teaching, Virtual Learning

Semester One of 2020–2021 is either over or almost over. How are you feeling? Back in September, I created a post asking when we would get used to this new normal. When I wrote it, I thought that surely, by December, our new routines would no longer be...

I Don’t Play the Game of School.

by Heather MacCorkle | Dec 5, 2020 | Education, Learning, Teaching

I recommend, respectfully, that you don’t either. My classes are chock-full of competitive students. Some are competitive with academics, and some are competitive regarding sports or extracurricular activities. Either way, grades determine their future. I also...

Building Community with Breakout Bell-Ringers

by Heather MacCorkle | Nov 8, 2020 | Education, Learning, Teaching, Virtual Learning

AKA – Breakout Bell-Ringers, Part II Last week’s article was about a plan for a new type of bell-ringer assignment called “Breakout Bell-Ringers.” In that article, I detailed how I was going to implement the idea in one class. This week’s article...

Breakout Bell-Ringers Part I

by Heather MacCorkle | Nov 1, 2020 | Education, Learning, Teaching, Virtual Learning

Featured Image Photo by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash One strand of the ELA curriculum that gets neglected sometimes is “Speaking and Listening.” In the virtual learning/hybrid learning environment, students are – interestingly – hesitant to...

Thank You for Asking

by Heather MacCorkle | Oct 24, 2020 | Education, Learning, Teaching, Virtual Learning

Something nice has been happening that I reflected upon this week. Students online have been asking for permission to use the bathroom or to do something that might take them from their desk for a minute. This, combined with students increasingly asking me how my...