Like many other teachers, this is my first week back after Spring Break. It's really easy for teachers and students alike to struggle those first few days coming back from break (the struggle is real), but this time also provides a chance to refocus on our goals and recenter ourselves. Breaks are a chance to recharge …
Quote of the Week #3
"Mistakes are the portals of discovery." -James Joyce (This is a series of posts sharing the quote I write on my whiteboard each week. As an English teacher, I feel responsible to point out that, technically, "quote" is a verb, but colloquially, it's generally accepted as shorthand for "quotation." The more you know!)
To Correct, or Not to Correct?
This year, I started a new elective class called "Digital Literacy" that focuses on building the core digital literacy skills and, specifically, working on our school's online newspaper. Later on, I'll do a series of posts about the creation, implementation, and benefits of the school newspaper. For today, however, I want to put into writing a question I've …
Setting Up Your Own Genius Hour Project
Brace yourselves for a long post, folks. Now that I've shared some of the highlights of Genius Hour 2017, I wanted to explain my setup in-depth so others can use it as a template when trying out Genius Hour for themselves. Really, there are an infinite number of ways to set up Genius Hour. In student …
Genius Hour 2017 Highlights
This is the first year since student teaching that I've done the Genius Hour project. As with anything new in a curriculum, there was some trial and error, but I was really impressed with what my students were able to accomplish and had a great time learning more about their interests and hobbies. Below are …
Learning and Teaching in the Modern Age 