This “word dump” allowed my students to just get all of their thoughts out and be okay with organizing them later.

After the crazy fun of Halloween, the month of November feels like a happy, cozy, cold month, and I like to lean into that feeling in my classes.

Life is life, regardless of size.

By encouraging this personal connection, we bring the values of some of literature’s most admirable heroes right home to the hearts of our students, and it makes them stronger.

A few anecdotes from the past week or so.

What goes unnoticed at many other schools, and in a lot of discussions about education, is the boundless value children gain on a spiritual level when they read great literature. You cannot quantify this value—but you can see it in their eyes when they light up over a book they're reading.

Without hesitation, Karana jumps off the ship as it leaves, despite the hands of everyone she knows trying to hold her back. Knowing full well what it could mean for her own survival, she returns to the island to protect her brother—to stay with him until the ship returns.

How fortunate I am to have a desk full of poetry today.

The beginning of the new school year always comes with a trillion and one things to be excited about. But for now, these are the things sitting in the front seat of my mind as we head into the 2025-26 school year (tomorrow!).

Tadpoles, Shakespeare, and Nature, oh my!