I announced my retirement on the first day of school.  This was a decision I made over the summer.  When parents came to see me during Back-to-School-Night, I let them know that their children will be writing a lot more fiction this year, reading a lot of my favorite literature, and having fun in our class.  I said I could do all of these things because it was my last year, “and I can do whatever I want!”  They laughed.  I did too.  But now, with only two more months to go

My classroom is filled with conversation. This does not mean that we are always involved in serious discussion. Sometimes we are. While reading Fahrenheit 451 , we talk about some very serious things. While reading Zach’s Lie and Jack’s Run , our conversations tend to be weighty. Other times—many times—some of our best conversations begin with off-topic comments and thoughts. These thoughts lead us from idea to idea. Eventually, we come back to our actual plan for the

It is nearly August, and time to write my letter of introduction to the students I will work with this year.  Because I teach 6 th , 7 th...

For years, I planned closely with my history counterparts to do cross-curricular units of study.  English and history overlapped and...