There’s no doubt that English teachers have to manage a ton of work.  Students have to practice writing frequently and gather as many quotes

With every passing year, it seems harder and harder to get students interested in whole class discussions. But there are creative ways ...

July has come to an end and it’s that time when the thought of school starts to plan its seed in every teacher’s mind. What will this year

It feels like it’s getting harder and harder to keep the attention of our students. Every teacher knows that if a student doesn’t use ...

Every teacher is familiar with the kind of student who struggles to pay attention for a long period of time...

For me, stress always hits at the end of a marking period. I suddenly realize how much I need to grade . . .

There’s no feeling quite like when you discover a small classroom routine that makes your life easier.

It’s a new year and this will be my 100th blog and podcast, so I’ve been thinking about reflection, the mental process of looking back and t

What if we treated our students like we treat athletes? What if we taught like a coach at halftime? What if we could recreate the same...

When we ask our students to pay attention, we’re competing with five to ten second video clips on television and social media apps...

Every fall my students seem a little sluggish from the summer. Over the course of a few weeks in September, I see their brains turn on,...

If you look back on being a student, I’m sure you remember not the specifics of what you learned, but your teachers, the people tasked with

We are all familiar with the first few days in our classroom. It’s a little tense because our students don’t know us ...

A well-organized classroom reduces stress and helps everyone focus on what’s most important, the literature.

My school year finished this week, and as I watched my seniors graduate, I felt like we all deserved something special for making it...

It’s hard to imagine that anything positive will come out of this year, but I’ve been thinking about what, if any, lessons I’ve learned ...

If you have been teaching remote or hybrid you know that students don’t turn in as much work as they usually do. You’re not alone ...

It’s easy to say to our students that literature should be meaningful. It’s easy to ask students … what does that line mean?

Introduction to Teaching the Magic of Literature: Using Imagination to Shape the Future It was one of the simplest, yet most complicated...

This has been a challenging year for any teacher. Even during a regular year, teachers work hard to meet the many demands and...

I’m trying to get as creative as possible when it comes to being flexible with students. After finishing a few units ...

My colleagues and I recently had a conversation about the rest of the year and what we could do to keep our students engaged....

This year, the start of class is that awkward time when we’re saying hello and waiting for everyone to virtually trickle in. When...

Under normal circumstances, we try to steer kids away from socializing so they can stay on task and so that we can give our assessments and