I’ve learned and changed tremendously since the events of 2020-2021, you might even call what's happened an identity crisis...I want to share this story here to make sense of everything for myself but also because I know there are many teachers out there that can...
Writing is such a critical subject to master. Students who have confidence and skills as writers have the potential to go far in education and life. But, writing is one of the toughest subjects to teach and one of the subjects most students struggle with. What’s worse...
What are best teaching practices? Have you ever questioned your beliefs? When you begin questioning your beliefs, it is referred to as a paradigm shift.Stephen Covey, the author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People describes in detail what a paradigm shift is. In...
We all have resistant writers in our classrooms. This is a fact of teaching life. In the video below learn 13 different ways that you can help resistant writers become much more motivated. Not all of these ways will work. You need to try different combinations with...
Quitting programs. I've followed and quit so many programs in my life! Diets, work out routines, parenting guides, teaching curriculum. Programs are everywhere we turn. Dictionary.com defines "program" as: a plan of action to accomplish a specified end. In this blog...
Sometimes we just need to have fun with our students and what better way than with simple classroom games? Having fun is important for many reasons some of which include: it builds community, it's a stress reliever, it fosters respect for the teacher (students are...
Don't have time to read? I received an email recently (I love receiving emails from teachers who read my blog!) asking me a really interesting question... Do you do workshop all year? I immediately yelled (in my mind) NO! In this moment, it occurred to me that my...
Many secondary teachers, like you, are beginning to realize the power of running their English classes using writing workshop. Maybe you keep seeing references to it on Pinterest or in Facebook groups. Maybe a teacher friend is trying it and finding success. Or maybe...
Don't have time to read this article? Listen on iTunes instead! We all have our own curriculum, our own teaching teams, our own way of doing things but it's summer vacation and time to ponder other options! This article is meant for secondary teachers who are on the...