One of the best things I’ve heard said about teaching: There are two things that can smell B.S. – dogs and students. After reflecting on my first year of teaching, I realize that I might not be the teacher who perfectly scaffolds lessons or has an acute attention to minute student actions or creates games…

This morning the short film I discussed in my last post – SoDak it Hurts – A look inside Teach For America (created by Brittan Pittman) was featured on the TeachFor.Us homepage! if you haven’t watched it yet, go check it out!

My good buddy Brittan over at Bara Media paid us a visit back in December. He was my first friend from Texas to make the haul up north to see what my life is like in Mission. He is an extremely talented photographer and film maker and he has a desire to tell stories. So,…

One thing I constantly fail at: Asking for help. I don’t know if it’s my pride, lack of forethought or stupidity, but I always ask for help way too late in the game. My most recent reminder was during preparation for A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Which went swimmingly, by the way) – I attempted to…

This evening we will open our Spring Play – Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. My students have done an incredible job familiarizing themselves with the language and have really taken ownership of the project. Thanks to four friends who were willing to fill vacant spots in the cast, we have some hilarious teachers gracing the…

I am a big fan of a tradition my friends over at Those Awake started: every Christmas for the past two years they host a gathering where attendees can reflect on relationships and the season through readings and song. This past December, there was a call for submissions for a ‘zine on the subject of…

I’m an English teacher,  not a science teacher. I wish I could create a really detailed and accurate metaphor to represent the relationship between unstable nuclear things and my classroom. But, I cannot. Please don’t judge my knowledge (or lack thereof) of nuclear physics – judge my expression of the idea. It’s like everyday I…

Often I’ll look at my reflection in the morning through my window and visualize how I’ll be presenting the information for the day. Before students ever file into my classroom I often choose to not try something new or not do an activity I assume they will not be interested in. Before my students even…

What kind teacher am I and who do I connect with? No matter the method of teaching or type of instruction or material covered, I won’t be the one to break through to every student. Presently, I am a student and I know if I am not invested into a classroom or professor, I am…

What language am I speaking? I often wonder this, especially on the hard days when I feel like I haven’t said one word in English. At Institute this past summer my School Director had a philosophy about ‘Sticky Handles’ – a method to keep students connected to what you are saying. It involved exploring the…