Student Blogs: Turn Everyone into a Writer

A few years ago, I saw a piece on 60 Minutes that reported on the “flipped classroom.” It had an interview with Solomon Khan, and it highlighted how teachers were assigning his videos for homework in math classes, allocating class time to provide guided practice as students worked their way through math problems and exercises. … Continue Reading

Simplify Your Teaching, Now!

I have a hard time saying no to things. Inevitably, this means that I volunteer, throw my name in the hay, and offer myself up when I should occasionally keep my mouth shut. Consequently, I have to create systems that enable me to work efficiently and effectively. Here are the five rules I am using … Continue Reading

The Secret to Close-Reading Success

Wait a minute… if you hand out a study guide and ask students to find the answers in the textbook, that doesn’t count as close reading? That is what some of my high school teachers did. They had stacks of ’em. Finish one ditto and they would whip out another. Classwork and homework simply became … Continue Reading

ASK US ANYTHING — UNIT PLANS, SOPHISTICATION, LATE NIGHTS, AND MORE

Brian and I a starting a series of posts called “Ask Us Anything” where we promise to be honest in our answers and hopefully as encouraging as well. If you have a question you’d like for us to answer, feel free to ask! Can you model how you plan a unit?  — Kathy F. Susan: … Continue Reading

A 9-11 Love Story

My first Pearl Jam concert was on 9-11-98 at Madison Square Garden. While the concert was unforgettable, its date was… until it wasn’t. That night Eddie and the boys played 26 songs, with two encores, and brought back “Breath,” a song they had retired years ago. It all ended with “Alive,” and Eddie throwing his … Continue Reading

Why I’m Still Teaching

I spent time working with teachers this summer, some of whom had 40-50 students in each class and over 200 students on their rosters.  Others wanted advice on what to teach because everything they loved was now banned by their state.  Some lost their free periods to cover classes because subs were nowhere to be … Continue Reading

COMMENTS ARE A BAD IDEA

I’m going to tell you why I think comments on essays are a bad idea… but first a quick story.  About five years ago, my Sunday nights were spent at a mostly-empty Starbucks. For hours I would read and comment on all the papers and pages I accumulated over the week. By Monday afternoon, many … Continue Reading

5 Rules to Simplify Your Teaching Day

Some days feel like a mad dash to the final bell. When that happens my colleagues can read it on my face, I am surviving day-to-day. It is a huge source of stress for teachers when the day owns them, they don’t own the day. And it leads to all kinds of complications like low … Continue Reading

10 Habits That Sustain Master Teachers

What does it mean to be a successful master teacher? I can remember first hearing someone labeled a master while watching episodes of This Old House with my father when I was a boy. When the credits rolled, Norm Abrams was listed as master carpenter. It added an aura to his skills akin to Jedi knighthood. But what … Continue Reading

Poetry March Madness 2023

As a basketball coach, March is one of my favorite months. Anytime I turn on the tv, there is a great college basketball game. Duke-North … Continue Reading