After my experience leaving - and returning to - the classroom, I’m now convinced that if more teachers had options for a sabbatical, America’s teacher retention rate would look very different. Now, some teachers justifiably leave the classroom and don’t look back. Unsustainable pay, the toll of a teacher’s workload, finding one’s “true” calling elsewhere, or putting family first are all valid reasons why teachers quit for good. HOWEVER, if K-12 education gave teachers more flexibility to take a short break or make small changes, instead of only letting a small percent of college professor ..read more

 This post contains (some) affiliate links. The phrase "teacher tired" was already well-understood... and then 2020 happened. Whether we're teaching in-person, online-only, or in hybrid mode, teachers everywhere are in new levels of survival mode this year.  Since I've been teaching 100% in-person since September (and ALSO teaching live to at-home learners), I've found that my free time for self-care is at an all-time low... meaning, I'm on the lookout for solutions that are affordable AND quick.  If COVID-19 says I can't go to a spa, then some of these items have been my best ..read more

This is a sponsored post, but all opinions are my own. This post also includes one Amazon affiliate link. What Happened (Why a New Doc Cam?) On March 13, 2020, I frantically threw items from my classroom into a big bag, preparing to face the unknown of distance learning. One of the things I grabbed was my document camera. Imagine my dismay when I took the doc camera home and it didn't work. My trusty 8-year-old doc camera had been slowly dying without my knowing it; it worked at school when I plugged it in directly to a projector via HDMI cable, but at home, it could NOT communicate with my ..read more

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. As an English teacher, I totally understand why voice-triggered “assistants” feels like something straight out of 1984. It might be too soon to use AI for anything confidential or sensitive. But as a technology nerd, I do see potential here for classroom use. “Hey Siri, remind me at 8:00PM to read Justin’s essay.” “Alexa, what’s the weather like outside?” “Hey Google, play my Classroom Writing playlist.” How I Started Recently, my husband and I have been dabbling with home automation, such as the Ring doorbell, a front door lock, and certai ..read more

Since I don't have a vocabulary book or program that I HAVE to follow at my school, I used to always worry if I was doing enough vocabulary instruction. Even when I was theoretically following best practices or authentically investigating words as they came up in texts, I was concerned about if I was really helping my students become better readers.  After a lot of trial and error, I'm now proud of what we do for middle school vocabulary, which falls into four main areas:  Specific Words for Texts and Units  Word of the Week Program (see this post) Vocabulary.com use for di ..read more

Maybe it's just me, but I hate when my email inbox explodes the night before a test with last-minute questions from students. Don't get me wrong - I love that students are studying at all and are asking questions. However, it bugs me that: others could benefit from viewing my answer the questions are so last-minute, a clear sign of what I call "Procrastinitis" not all students even check their email in time to see my reply! Thus, after watching a colleague do his own version successfully, I started doing online review sessions in the evenings before midterms and final exams, and it's broug ..read more

It's June 2020, and I'm a white educator doing self-reflection on where I need to grow, what I need to learn, and what parts of my curriculum and classroom need to change.  I'm not trying to position myself as an expert on anti-racist education in this post. In fact, at first I hesitated to write this post at all, because 1) I was afraid of being or seeming performative and 2) hesitation to take up space in this conversation. However, educators with any extent of an online community, including myself, cannot be silent - so I'm here to uplift some of the articles, videos, people ..read more

this post contains affiliate links For many years, my classroom just didn't look or feel right. While I knew that the actions inside a classroom mattered more than what was on the walls, I also wanted it to look... well, at least clean and organized.  Thus began a very gradual, years-long process of taking my room from a color-clashing mess to a comparatively calmer, semi farmhouse look. Some of the materials I bought, and some were reimbursed or bought by the school, but it did not happen overnight and was, again, a process of finding out what did and didn't work for seventh and eight ..read more

This post contains affiliate links As the whole world - including education and the publishing industry - grapples with how best to serve teens through mental health concerns, we teachers are often doing our best to help students find books that they can identify with and that they can see themselves in - or conversely, books to give them hope out of their current situations. I recently asked several English teachers to share fiction OR nonfiction titles about mental health, self-care, and/or healing that are appropriate for a secondary classroom, and here are the results. Click on the hy ..read more

This post contains affiliate links Picture books aren't just for early readers! Many fantastic picture books concisely teach a concept, portray a literary device, or fill in background knowledge in a way that can not only fit into one class period but also keep teenagers' attention. I recently asked several English teachers to share worthwhile picture books for a middle or high school English class, and here are the results. Many of these would be great read-alouds! Click on the hyperlink of the person recommending the book to read her book review. #1: The Wall Recommended by @seconda ..read more