Do you want to walk into a disorganized mess in September when you’re stressing about new students and new units? Or do you want to walk into a beautiful space, perfectly organized for educational success? This blog post is going to cover a few end-of-the-school-year tips for closing out your classroom to make coming back to school easier.
This book review is for teachers who want to become teacherpreneurs but just can’t get started. If that’s you, then go get Do It Scared by Ruth Soukup NOW.
I started my journey to add young adult literature to my classroom when I finally ran out of patience for our outdated African American unit. The updates went so well, I’ve begun branching out into my other classes and units. I have found that young adult literature is especially great for engaging my at-risk students. Better yet though, it’s engaging for me. When I’m teaching more contemporary novels, I’m more thoughtful and engaged in my teaching.
Lately, I’ve been receiving e-mails and TPT questions like this: I really want to teach The Hate U Give. I know my students would love it. I know they NEED it! But I’m getting pushback from my principal/school/district. What do I do if my school won’t let me teach The Hate U Give?
My Creative Writing class has become my favorite class of the day--something that completely shocks me. Here is why you, too, should consider overcoming any fears or hesitance, and jump right in to teaching a creative writing class of your very own.
I know I am not alone in the engagement challenge. In a world where my students can stream fist fights or stand-up comedians, how do we get them to care about what's going on in our little classrooms?
In a creative writing class, however, where rules are meant to be broken, creativity is unrestrained, and student skill levels vary wildly, providing that scaffolding can be a challenge. How, then, do you guide students and provide support without limiting their creativity?
When I went to high school, it was easy to spot the honors and AP students. They walked around with classic novels, probably written by old white guys, practically exploding with post-it notes and rainbows from all the highlighting they’ve done within the pages. ....Meanwhile, in the regular class, they watched the Odyssey for the third time.
I want to share some wellness tips that have been taught to me by my best friend, a true teacher’s pet: Roy. Full disclosure, Roy is my greyhound, but he is very wise and teaches and re-teaches me some very important self-care tips every summer.
Every lesson I learned that year was learned the hard way. I was at school late at night, until the custodian came in asking why I was still there. In the parking lot, I would sit in my car, willing myself to walk inside and not cry.