One of the most common genres we ask secondary students to write is the argumentative essay (thanks, Common Core!). State tests ask for it, ACT and SAT, the AP tests…it’s everywhere. In the last fifteen years or so, I think we’ve all done a pretty solid job of prepping students for that type of writing […]
I have not always identified as a writer. As a child, I was an aspiring writer for sure–I was going to be the next Ann M. Martin….but make it historical. Maybe Babysitters in Bonnets? I’ll admit it needed workshopping. Somewhere in high school, though, I shifted and I became an incredibly efficient student of writing–not […]
In late January, I learned my second semester virtual AP English Language class would have 45 students. We are doing both hybrid and virtual and some students switched at the semester, so, naturally, things got a little wonky. It’s since shrunk to the oh-so-manageable 42, and, to be fair, my hybrid classes are teeny, so […]
I started this blog post two weeks ago when the big internet drama of the day was Bean Dad. That was just two weeks ago, my friends. I almost scrapped this whole post when I opened it up to finish it today because I’m certain he is long forgotten. BUT…the parallel I was drawing to […]
My kids are burning out. Every day for attendance we check in with “how are you feeling” using a scale from the “how are you on a scale of” meme and moods are clearly trending down. I’m right there with them. I’m a solid 5 on this one today. My first instinct is usually “scrap […]
Last month I started what will (hopefully) be a semester-long series of my attempts to tackle all of the messy, controversial real world happenings with my students in a way that somehow creates space for real dialogue, pushes students to consider other perspectives, but also protects vulnerable voices…and does it in a largely virtual space. […]
I wasn’t expecting to start my 19th year teaching feeling this unprepared. Not the juggling of virtual and face-to-face hybrid teaching–I’ll bungle my way through that chaos, and it will be fine (right? Somebody assure me it will be fine). No, my feelings of unpreparedness come from all the other chaos in the world: racial […]
We are back with another buddy post! The more we talk about what building authentic relationships with our writers looks like in our classrooms, the more we realize we have similar strategies that work with our different populations. This month we’re tackling low stakes writing and how we use it to create a culture of […]
January is a tough time of year for me. The holidays are over, the weather is just meh in Michigan, and the craziness of midterms and starting a new semester makes my room feel like chaos. I spent all fall writing my Moving Writers posts about balance in the ELA classroom and, at this point, […]
My husband is fond of using the phrase “Read the room” with our children. Have you seen your mother’s face? Now isn’t the time to whine. Read the room. Did you notice the dishes in the sink, laundry piled on the couch, and overflowing garbage can when you asked if you could go to your […]
