This school year marks my 14th straight year teaching of AP® English Literature. While I've learned quite a few strategies in that time, when I first started out in the profession I demonstrated all of typical first year teacher traits: I was usually only planned one day ahead (if that). I took grading home every… Continue reading Reclaiming Your Time – How I Stick to a 40 Hour Workweek
This blog post walks you through using AP Classroom to help improve your students' scores through Personal Progress Checks.
After four months of observation, preparation, and prayer, the day arrived to open our school's writing center. And despite our modest beginnings, we had six different visitors on our first day alone! We opened at the beginning of January, and in the four months we've been open we have had over 150 different appointments. For… Continue reading My Journey Toward a Writing Center – Part Three
So to recap from Part One of this posting, I had become overwhelmed by the needs of my students when it came to one-on-one writing help. I was inspired by a wonderful Writing Center at a nearby public school. I was quickly approved by my administrator to start a center at our own school and… Continue reading My Journey Toward a Writing Center – Part Two
I'll admit it, I'm guilty of the cardinal sin of English teachers. I have given out a list of vocabulary words, told students to define the words, and given out a quiz the following week. Most English teachers have. It's not because we're trying to be lazy, I'm sure. It's just that between bell-ringers, learning… Continue reading Word of the Week – A Year-Long Vocabulary Strategy
