A Cask of…Armadillo.
In the 10 years I have been teaching Edgar Allan Poe’s “A Cask of Amontillado”, it never fails: at least half of the students refer to the story as “that armadillo story.” For the first few years, I found myself confused as I tried to remember what story had an armadillo in it… it didn’t…
English vs. Evil
Being a public school teacher means that you quickly discover that “there are all kinds of kinds.” Being a public school teacher facing parent-teacher conferences? You learn that there are more kinds than you could have ever imagined. Oftentimes, teachers leave parent-teacher conferences nodding their heads and saying to themselves Oh, that’s why little Martin…
Symbolism is for…the birds?
A “Scarlet Ibis” that is. It’s no secret engaging students in short stories can be a challenge. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t easiest to do when the story revolves around some sort of extreme fatality. My students frequently ask me “Why do we always read stories where someone dies?” To which I…
Pieces of a Puzzle
If I said education was like a big puzzle and every piece is important, I’m fairly certain most of you reading would close the tab to this post faster than a student closing out of an unapproved website as the teacher walks by… Before you hit that X, bear with me… In the puzzle that…
Level Up.
I can’t say that Tik-Tok trends are ever a good thing…but sometimes, I can work with the sounds they give my students. One of those popular and trending sounds? Ciara’s song “Level Up.” In an attempt to reach my students and show them the importance of developing a growth mindset and becoming self-efficacious, I use…
You can’t scare a teacher.
Haunted houses, scary movies, chainsaw-wielding serial killers… these are the things of nightmares, right? Once upon a time, maybe that was true. Then I became a teacher. You see, it wasn’t until I took a field trip to a haunted house last weekend that I realized that in order to scare me, you’re going to…
Frightful Fun with Frankenstein
Taking on the task of teaching Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein isn’t for the faint of heart. However, with the right attitude and resources, it can be done! Now, I’m not saying it’s going to be easy… but it will certainly be worth it in the end! Your students will find that they have a much broader…
Easy On Me.
Yesterday I heard Adele’s new song “Easy on Me” for the first time… It doesn’t matter where you are in life, Adele always finds a way to hit you right. in. the. feels. However, a song that is clearly about her romantic relationship ending somehow hit me in a very different way. From the very…
The Most Dangerous…Freshmen?
The very first story I teach every year is Richard Connell’s, The Most Dangerous Game. Not only does it allow for fantastic learning opportunities with conflicts, characterization, figurative language, and imagery, but it also allows for fun! Come senior year, my students always remember reading that “story with the guy who hunts people”. Before we…
Loading…
Something went wrong. Please refresh the page and/or try again.
Follow My Blog
Get new content delivered directly to your inbox.
taking back teaching 