I love the start of each new school year, but this year I am more excited than usual.
Read moreMayonnaise
“[Dickinson] says that it’s not something science can identify, but something that human nature can feel. What sort of thing might she be referring to?”
“Mayonnaise”
The Gold Standard of my Literature Curriculum
In my recent post about “literary immersion,” I talked about how I get students immersed in stories. But, all of those strategies are completely useless if the book we are reading isn’t good enough.
Read more“Literary Immersion”
I have come to describe this exuberant, joyful reaction to literature as being a result of literary immersion: complete preoccupation and delight in a novel.
Read moreMore Classroom Anecdotes
Enjoy some little glimpses into the classroom.
Read moreTeaching Jane of Lantern Hill
And so I sing the poplars; and when I come to die
I will not look for jasper walls, but cast about my eye
For a row of wind-blown poplars against an English sky.
The Power of Poetry
Through poetry, the Ingalls are able to keep their spirits alive through the nearly-lethal winter. Where there was dark, silence, and a dull throbbing headache, poetry sheds light, brings joy, and banishes pain.
Read moreThe Modern Lotus-Eaters
Just as nothing green can grow in a trodden garden, nothing beautiful can bloom in a mind that is numbed day after day by cheap stimulation.
Read moreLiterary Valentines
Every year, I make literary Valentines to pass out to my classes which accompany the books we are reading at the time.
Read moreClassroom Anecdotes
Each day in the classroom is filled with beauty, and it is often difficult to decide what to write about. So, here is a little bit of everything from this week.
Read more