Reaching a Crossroads

Reconciling Gradeless Philosophy with a Standard Classroom

#MeToo…So I teach

I was 13. He was the boy next door, but thank God, not my door. He lived in a nearby town beside the grandparents of a family I…

Bless, Press, Address

Putting the Student at the Helm in a Writing Conference

This I Believe: Writing as a Tool for Learning and Empowerment

I believe in the power of the written word. I believe in its ability to transport us from one place to the next, even if it’s only for the time being. I believe in its ability, too, to empower us to overcome adversity in…

Reading Like a Historian

Another way to engage students in historical inquiry

Going Gradeless in Creative Writing

How I Use Quarterly Conferencing to Illustrate Learning

Inevitably, they squirm.

Some squirm because they lack the confidence to answer truthfully, some squirm because they are…

Quantifying the Unquantifiable

How I Measured Success Without Data

I sat at my desk the final week of school attempting to fill out the data component of my SLO.* But I was struggling.

The Simple Pleasure of Taking Kids Outside to Write

Introduction

It’s a cool Thursday in fall, and 30 middle and high school students are gathered on the outskirts of our school property, spaced just outside of whispering distance from one another. Wearing…

Better Student Writing Through Conferencing and Revision

“Your draft is not complete yet.”