On Deck Teaching

Every Problem Has a Solution

Every Problem Has a Solution

As educators, if we set our priorities and sights on what is best for kids, decision making and problem solving come a whole lot easier. Last weekend, I sat in a live audience at my mom’s dance studio’s annual recital. The theme of the recital this year was RISE. One of the songs played during the recital was “Rise Up” by Andra Day. To me, this song completely embodies what my mom and so many other educators have done over the past year since the COVID-19 pandemic began. As I sat and listened to this song play during the recital,…

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Practicing Vulnerability with Memoirs

Practicing Vulnerability with Memoirs

I’m starting my blog just as I did each year in my classroom, with vulnerability.  While teaching high school English, I began each school year with a memoir unit.  I wanted to build my students’ confidence in writing from the get-go.  In addition, I used this unit as an opportunity to get to know them as individuals.  We tackled the elements of narrative writing, while looking at examples from authors, like Sandra Cisneros, Eudora Welty, and Annie Dillard.  I read them the children’s book, Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge, by Mem Fox to make the point about just how special memories…

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