The weeks before a break always seem like the longest. The kids are restless, I’m restless, and we all understand that all we’re really doing is biding our time until that last bell before break. Thanksgiving is a different type of beast altogether though. My district gives an entire week, the first real break … Read moreWhat I Teach the Week Before Thanksgiving
When it comes to evaluating students at the beginning of the year, I find that analysis is one of those topics that get swept under the rug. We assume that by high school, students have already learned these skills, and yet we find out, year after year, that that is not the case for some … Read moreAnalysis Overview
The two philosophies of collectivism and individualism are heavy throughout Anthem by Ayn Rand. When I decided to teach this book, I researched both ideas and knew that if I wanted the kids to understand these heavy concepts, I was going to have to simplify and condense. And what better way to simplify and condense … Read moreTeaching Collectivism and Individualism for Anthem by Ayn Rand
Here we go again… 1. “What makes a good life? Lessons from the longest study on happiness” by Robert Waldinger Okonkwo is obviously an unhappy man. Turns out the key to happiness is the relationships we build. I guess someone should tell Okonkwo that… 2. “How movies teach manhood” by Colin Stokes I love the ideas … Read more4 TED Talks to Use While Teaching Things Fall Apart
Every year I teach Desiree’s Baby. It’s my favorite short story to teach students; the look of shock on their faces at the end… it’s awesome. The first year I taught it, I was shocked at how little the kids knew about race. A lot of my students know what race FEELS like: they know … Read moreUsing “Race: The Power of Illusion” to Dispel Racial Ideas in Preparation for Desiree’s Baby
I love reading A Midsummer Night’s Dream with my kids. Over the years I’ve realized that a lot of them do not have the context to understand the first scene of the play. I discovered the animated show Horrible Histories while searching for a quick way to give them that context in a way that they’d actually … Read moreGroovy Greeks: An Overview of the Ancient Greeks for Context