Ask me that question and I’ll answer, “Well, sometimes… but not always.”

Some days my class totally rocks. Other days, it falls flat and I wonder why I ever started teaching in the first place. But in the midst of all that self-doubt, I don’t stop doing my job. I just get more creative.

As teachers, we know it’s important to balance objectives and standards with the need to create experiences that students will remember fondly long after they graduate from middle school or high school. For example, we know they won’t remember the comma worksheet, but they WILL remember the Walden Pond cabin they designed or the day they drew their backyard to discover ideas for a memoir.

Providing solid curriculum in a memorable way is my teaching goal. And it’s not easy, but the challenge is exciting and even more so when I am able to share my stories and ideas with you.

Here’s how my blog can help you:

Running low on steam, but need a Chaucer lesson?

Need a new poetry idea?

Want a fun and effective way to teach a new vocabulary word?

Look no further than my search bar at the top of this page. Enter your keyword and see what you find.

With that said, know that this blog is a potpourri of sorts for all things ELA. I teach, reflect, and then post about my teaching across all five of my class preps:

English III American Literature,

English IV British Literature,

Independent Reading,

Composition,

and Poetry.

In my 250-plus posts, you’ll find lessons on Beowulf, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, ekphrastic poetry, September 11, coffee cup lids (yes, that’s right), Articles of the Week, vocabulary, you name it …even how to teach seniors Braille.

So dare to bring more memory-making into your classes! It is my hope that my blog will help you do just that.