Helping black boys find their voice: The Power of Thematic Teaching in High School English Classrooms What we know: I’ve taught High School English for over 15 years, and I’ve fought the notion that the classics are “clientele specific.” In more forward terms, you can’t teach the classics if you have a room comprised of mostly black teenage boys. You … Read More
Stories of Building Relationships with Students
There is nothing more important to a classroom than the relationships you form with your students. I learned early as a teacher the old adage, “They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Something as simple as a birthday card can be such an inspiration to a child. It is assumed that since we … Read More
Tools for Driving Your Ed Tech Instruction
How are you driving your Ed Tech instruction? When the song “Life is a Highway“ comes on, it is one of those songs you turn up a little, maybe even smile, roll down the window, and sing the chorus. One line sticks out to me “Life’s like a road that you travel on.” I hear this and think there is … Read More
Parent Communication: Starting Your Year Off on the Right Foot
Have you set up effective parent communication? I am incredibly excited to start another year of teaching next week! In the midst of preparing my seating charts and first day activities, I have also begun to lay the foundation for consistent parent communication throughout my entire school year. This is one of the most important steps to take in the … Read More
5 Simple Strategies to CRAFT a Need-Satisfying Classroom
When I first became a teacher, I was horrible at classroom management. When I say horrible, I mean “pulling my hair out because I couldn’t control the classroom for the life of me” horrible. Years later, I learned that I was almost fired that first year. Yes…I was that bad. Fortunately, someone saw a glimmer of hope in me and … Read More
