The touch of a keyboard replaces the turn of a page, just one of the many ways that digital tools have transformed the educational landscape. Today’s educational experience is saturated with technology. Screen time has become a normal part of the school day for sixth grade students everywhere, and often replaces the use of pencil … Continue reading Reimagining Teaching Middle School English with Digital Tools by Cami Christman and Lan Vu
Don’t Call It “The Chinese Virus”: Asian Faculty’s Reflection on Xenophobic Naming by Jongsun Wee and Rieko Miyakuni
We are two Asian professors who teach at a state university in southeast Minnesota. At our institution, Jongsun teaches undergraduate children’s literature and literacy education classes, and Rieko teaches graduate counselor education classes. We are two of the few faculty members of color in our college. We are not Americans, but we both have lived … Continue reading Don’t Call It “The Chinese Virus”: Asian Faculty’s Reflection on Xenophobic Naming by Jongsun Wee and Rieko Miyakuni
Stuck in My Head by Madison Stuart
I am heavy with the daygravity pools thick in that soft place between ankle and heela pink sock peeks through the hole in my tennis shoeright, left, right, left say my name say my nameit’s been stuck in my head all day say my name say my nameright, left, right, left Today a boy scrawled “F EVERYTHING” … Continue reading Stuck in My Head by Madison Stuart
Using Mnemonics to Comprehend Narrative by Evan Vargas
Stories are everywhere; they seem to be things we gravitate to. As teachers we see the importance of narratives, for they allow us to make connections to the world and deepen our understanding of ourselves. Teaching students how to both enjoy a story and notice patterns that help them better connect to the world, however, … Continue reading Using Mnemonics to Comprehend Narrative by Evan Vargas
Come on in! The Water’s Fine: School Reform Begins with Me by Sheryl Lain
When I was a kid, I could not bring my toes to release their hold on the lip of the high dive, even though my girlfriend pressed me forward, begging me to hurry and jump. The first few times on that thin line in the sky, I had to retreat down the ladder, my tail … Continue reading Come on in! The Water’s Fine: School Reform Begins with Me by Sheryl Lain
Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World: A Cautionary Tale of Totalitarian Ideology by Shahin Hossain
In Texts and Pretexts, first published in 1932, while discussing his concern regarding the present and future, Aldous Huxley asserted, “Personally, I must confess, I am more interested in what the world is now than in what it will be, or what it might be if improbable conditions were fulfilled” (6). In the same year, … Continue reading Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World: A Cautionary Tale of Totalitarian Ideology by Shahin Hossain
The Over-Simplified Guide to Creating Courses, Unit Plans, & Lessons by Jean Prokott
Congratulations! You get to write your own course. What happens next? Here’s a list of ten steps that will make this whole process look a lot easier than it is: RESEARCH What is the name of the course, and what are the state, district, school, and department objectives for the course? What is the theme … Continue reading The Over-Simplified Guide to Creating Courses, Unit Plans, & Lessons by Jean Prokott
Becoming THAT Teacher—An Account of One Year of Teaching by Kasden Watson
Like many, I believed that crossing the threshold of the downward ramp, and passing my tassel, meant that I was a full-blown teacher. I had graduated, and amidst the roar of Duluth’s stadium arena, I reflected on all that I had worked for. Each day spent in my cooperating teacher’s classroom, each paper I had … Continue reading Becoming THAT Teacher—An Account of One Year of Teaching by Kasden Watson
#ReadingWars and Equity by Allison Sirovy
Following the #ReadingWars on social media? If you are, you may feel like me—lost and confused. Although I teach middle school English, reading instruction is near and dear to my heart because I teach in a school where many of our readers are considered striving readers. (Please note the phrase "striving readers." It is intentional: … Continue reading #ReadingWars and Equity by Allison Sirovy
Fibonacci Spiral, or Why Four Middle Schoolers Are Enough by Sheryl Lain
A Fibonacci spiral follows the sequence 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 11, etc., where each number is the sum of the two numbers before it; pineapples, starfish, sunflower seeds, snail shells, waves of ocean, maybe even the spiral of the galaxy obey this pattern. So does my writing group. Early in the morning … Continue reading Fibonacci Spiral, or Why Four Middle Schoolers Are Enough by Sheryl Lain
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