I’m about a third of the way into reading Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doer, and there’s a passage that keeps reverberating in my mind. It’s pretty early on, in a section where we are with Anna, a young girl living with her sister among nuns. Anna seems to be a source of frustration and disappointment to the nuns as she is unable to recall simple stitches after being taught them, while her sister Maria seems to be somewhat of a prodigy, able to follow and learn quite quickly and thereby earning both their keep. Eight year old Anna is running an errand when she overhears a man with a deep and r ..read more

When I started my teaching career, I was focused on embodying expertise and operating from a position of authority in my classes and lesson designs. No more. Many days – like today – my students become teachers themselves. In this case, there’s a clear rationale for it, but I incorporate this strategy in all my classes, albeit modified as my other courses are not directly focused on generating excitement for a career in education. For a few years now I teach a semester-long elective course called Exploring Teaching As A Profession, and it is an introduction to both the teaching profession as w ..read more

Mid-week, mid-unit. Lately, I’m feeling like I’m always in the middle of things. I think it’s in part because once I get a new adventure underway, I’m continually deepening, enhancing, expanding, re-routing, and revising it. Sometimes maybe derailing it, but for today we won’t “go there.” I’ve been working with my AP Lit seniors on my latest version of book clubs – this one is on climate fiction. Cli-fi. To be honest, I only learned that term a little over a year ago at the NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) annual convention. And like all many *new* things in education, it was rea ..read more

It’s been a minute. So much has happened, and yet it sometimes feels like so little. Maybe you can relate? A year of thinking, working, teaching, revising, revamping, collaborating, requesting, presenting, traveling, offering, reflecting, and re-dreaming has gone by. Sadly, not much writing has taken place. I could lay that at the feet of other, more productive ventures, sure. But I think perhaps it’s been more a case of being stuck in my head. Dreaming of big things, doing too many little ones to get off the starting block with anything that feels like those dreams. No one’s fault. Things tha ..read more

I’ve been home again with Covid this week. It’s my second go with it, this one timed with the start of the calendar year, extending my winter break from teaching. Sort of. If you’re a teacher, you know that taking days off rarely means not teaching in some fashion. Whether it’s creating plans, responding to emails, reading student work, or contemplating how to rearrange your curriculum and calendar around lackluster student engagement days, there’s rarely a time when a teacher is out. but not working. That’s not what I want to talk about here though. We all know this – it’s nothing new. I want ..read more

I’m really starting to loathe technology. Over the last few weeks, I’ve gotten into battles with multiple devices and technologies: my non-“smart” TV, my Instagram accounts, this WordPress blog, and now – the latest – the most recent tech tool that both is – and has gone, it seems – viral: ChatGPT. There’s nothing wrong with my non-smart TV. Yes, it’s been on the wall since about 2013. And yes, the remote no longer works to turn it on / off or to adjust the volume. No, it’s not a battery problem. But the picture is fine. The TV turns on and off. The volume works manually. It still connects to ..read more

Today in my Exploring Teaching As A Profession semester class, my students and I looked a series of articles from the September 15, 2021 edition of Education Week magazine, as I had copied three articles for them to take a look at to decide which one(s) they wanted to read together to discuss.  For context, we’re near the end of our semester together, so the endeavors we are embarking on are about putting their learning, thinking, experience, and dreams together as potential future educators – or pre-pre-service teachers, as I lovingly call them. We’ve re-examined our thoughts for what is ..read more

I teach a mixed-grade semester elective for students interested in a career in education called Exploring Teaching As A Profession. It’s both an introduction to American public education as well as to the teaching profession, and I’m just about to complete our 7th cohort of students. It’s a blast, and one of the highlights of my career’s work. In the aspect of the course that focuses on the history of education and schooling in America, I have my students create a timeline on a wall in the room that highlights various types of events in our history from the 1600s onward, and then a section tha ..read more

Tuesdays are generally the hardest day of the week for me. Mondays are hard for most, Wednesday is the halfway point, Thursday is “one more day” and Friday, well, TGIF, right? But today was different. Don’t get me wrong – it wasn’t exactly a banner day. I’m still masked, more of my students are home with Covid, and, well… I could go on. I won’t because it won’t help. I learned that by listening to a podcast called The Happiness Lab. Somewhere in the first 5-6 episodes or so (I think) Dr. Laurie Santos, the creator, shares research indicating that the happier people are not necessarily the ones ..read more

My poetry class – new course for me – is off to an amazing start. So, I’m sharing it all: what I did, how it went, what my poets had to say about it. I’ve worked hard on opening days / weeks of all my courses because they set a tone, establish motifs, build community, and generate intrigue. This one was no exception, and I need to get it down “on paper” for the record for me, and to share with you. And because – inevitably – there will be not-so-great days and I’ll want some good days to reflect on. For now – on to the good times! The Plans Day 1 After a cheery hello, it’s this: “Raise your h ..read more