I’ve started reading again. After a moment of unpleasant reflection when I publicly admitted I’m an English teacher who doesn’t actually read much, I decided to make a change. The uncomfortable truth is that we give our time to the things that matter most to us. Reading and thinking about books? Yup, that matters to me. Instagram […]
My school’s first-ever TED Talk event was held this week, setting an incredibly high standard for future guest speaker events on our campus. Organized by tireless librarian Erik S., the event combined video and live performances to welcome the members of the freshman class and inspire them to view school and their lives through a different lens. Continue reading
A few years back, I was grousing with colleagues about an upcoming week of fourth-quarter speech evaluations when a friend in the history department gave me one of those duh-why-didn’t-I-think-of-that moments. (Thanks, S.W.!) Instead of scheduling a full week of student presentations (8 speakers per day x 4 days = all 32 kids done but […]
This post is part of an occasional series documenting my entry into project-based learning. This semester, my students are participating in a 20Time project, a 12-week experience where they choose a worthwhile project to complete (somewhat) on their own using 20 percent of our class time. You can read more about the path that led […]
As an English teacher, I want to make sure this cringe-worthy moment never happens to one of my students Continue reading
With the click of a mouse, you can bring a world of expert guest lecturers into your classroom. The fine folks over at TED (that’s Technology, Entertainment, and Design) have posted a treasure trove of video goodness – 1,700 “talks” at last count – that you could use as anticipatory activities, discussion starters, or models of dynamic public speaking.
It’s fine to simply have students watch a TED Talk and discuss the talking points afterward, but I like to Continue reading
