I may have mentioned this before, but I am in my 35th year of teaching. I have seen a lot of education history. I know others have seen even more, but I have taught long enough to see virtually everything change around me. I began teaching in 1990, before I was married or had kids, Read More >>
Tomorrow is a planning day to turn in grades and get ready for the second semester. Sounds like a nice day, especially as my grades are actually done early for once. But tomorrow morning we have an hour-long meeting to get trained on the school-wide PSAT/SAT administration later in the month. During the same meeting, Read More >>
On nearly every test Since the days of number-two pencils Straight through to today’s students Hunched over laptops It’s tradition to ask students What the author’s purpose was As if we expect them to be clairvoyant Mind-readers who can practice telepathy Across miles and leagues, Months, years, and centuries. I don’t purport to be a Read More >>
I have been teaching for nearly 35 years now. I always like to consider that I might be wrong about things. But as I consider whether I might be wrong about teaching and literacy and education, here is what occurs to me: If I am wrong, then treating students like data points is more important Read More >>
For the past ten years, I have been asking my 9th grade English students to ponder an inquiry question for the year: What is the purpose of education? We examine this question from many angles. Is the purpose of education to ensure future gainful employment? To encourage future happiness? To help students discover and practice Read More >>
I ask students, “How do your teachers usually start the first day of school?” They answer in chorus, “Rules and consequences!” I ask students, “Do you ask more questions at school Or answer more?” “We’re afraid to ask questions. We’ll get yelled at.” I ask students, “When you write, who gets to choose the topic?” Read More >>
Last Thursday I posted the following on my personal Facebook page: “The last straw has finally hit. This school year is it. And then I’m gone.” People were curious about what the last straw was. By the time I was ready to post again, the situation had changed somewhat. I then posted: “Update: This may Read More >>
I recently gave myself a severe pain in the neck by sitting at my computer too long reading the article “The End of Reading is Here” from The Atlantic. It also gave me a pain in my soul. It’s sad for an English teacher to contemplate that years of tech distraction and overly strenuous standardized Read More >>
A friend of mine who is now retired from the Orlando Sentinel editorial page and who had a hand in publishing some of my education editorials used to start the calendar year with a “full disclosure” list about the beliefs and view points he held that might influence his opinions. As I begin my 35th Read More >>
I get frustrated with the “fake” writing many teachers resort to, but on some level I understand it. Quite frankly, it’s all the system asks for, and it’s easy to teach. Give the students three articles on a topic. Teach them to write a formulaic five-paragraph essay, and boom, you’re done. It’s impersonal and tidy. Read More >>