“that which we are, we are; One equal temper of heroic hearts, Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

The dark arts that can conspire against a teacher typically manifest for me when the clocks are changing.  I start the year hyper-focused on knowing every student’s name by the second day because I want them to know that I genuinely care about them as individuals. I’ve set it up so that each day brings … Continue Reading

Maybe it is all just clickbait, luring us into a paranoia for an impending doom. In the past few months, The Atlantic has published America is Sliding Toward Illiteracy and The Elite College Students Who Can’t Read Books. The New York Times has its own doomsday submission with 12th Grade Reading Skills Hit a New … Continue Reading

To kick off this series on reading, we asked fellow teachers what they’re reading and how they’re reading. Here’s what they had to say: Leland Bene Valhalla High School El Cajon, California 1. What are the last three books you finished? The last three books I read were The Handmaid’s Tale (Maragret Atwood), Norwegian Wood … Continue Reading

We’re one of two months into the school year (depending on where you live), and the ideas from this summer’s APSI (if you were able to attend one) are jumbled together, the enthusiasm of a new year has melted into a stack of essays, and reality has set in for new AP English teachers (and … Continue Reading

I was on the phone with Susan Barber, my teaching buddy, earlier this week about my frustration with my writing and my need for a creative breakthrough. I’ve grown weary of writing the listicle: Six Ways to a Spectacular Thesis Statement, The Seven Poems I Can’t Live Without, Four Ways to Invigorate a Dull Classroom … Continue Reading

Midtown High School hosted its annual Curriculum Night last Wednesday night where parents rotated through their student’s schedule and attended each class for 15 minutes. Teachers are asked to introduce themselves, cover the basics of the class, and field any general questions (but this time is NOT to be used for parent-teacher conferences). We’re a … Continue Reading

I realized I was no longer young when my phone had trouble recognizing my face. At the grocery store, I want to “pinch and pull” to enlarge the produce-code numbers when checking out, but that is fruitless. I worry that if I can’t decipher those numbers, how on earth will I read novels aloud to … Continue Reading