Why choice matters: my sophomores are writing lit analysis essays this month. They pick the book (regular, in verse, or graphic novel), they pick the reading method (paper, ebook, or audiobook—just have a hard copy too for when we start the essay). Kids were 🤯 when they heard all this.

Days like today make me wonder how quickly we could get legislation if a nation’s worth of teachers went on strike…

When teachers complain about not having enough planning time, most are not complaining about having to plan. They are complaining about not having time because they have too many classes, students, bosses, parents, duties, meetings, and paperwork. This solves the wrong problem.

I read this post by @mraleosays.bsky.social going into this week of school—starting a novel in one class, poetry in another—and has pushed me (in the best of ways) to center "doing English" as much as I possibly can. This matters a lot. substack.com/home/post/p-...

I think we're probably underestimating the degree of change that will need to happen in education to deal with the presence of GenAI/LLMs. The studies I've read that show positive efficacy for LLM integration tend to measure that efficacy against what I call "schooling," rather than learning.

What a crazy time to be alive! For those I saw at #NCTE (too many to tag): I’ve considered you my colleagues, mentors, & friends for so many years & I’m so grateful to finally be able to sit beside you and laugh and learn. I cannot wait to keep learning from and with you!

Good morning on the final day of #NCTE! As @joelrgarza.bsky.social would say, “clouds, man”

When I was a child, I learned that the Constitution didn’t apply to people like us. I said the Pledge of Allegiance from inside a barbed wire camp, the words “with liberty and justice for all” wholly meaningless. But I did not give up on America. I’ve spent my life fighting for its ideals.

#NCTE Day 3!

Good morning to #NCTE day 2!

Let’s Go! #NCTE

For my southern #ela friends coming to #NCTE this week, bundle up! It’s going to be cold & rainy 😬 I’d apologize, but we’ve had so many fires from the dry fall & we desperately need rain! And the cold? Well welcome to Boston!

Reminder: for the #iteachenglish feed to show you #ncte or #ela content, you have to use one of the tags in this post OR this emoji 📖. That filters out posts from people on the list that are NOT #literacy or #english related.

English teacher friends, consider pinning & joining #iteachenglish to help us connect again! @abbeydick.bsky.social @danahuff.bsky.social @heymrsbond.bsky.social @joelrgarza.bsky.social @natebyr0n.bsky.social @lyricalswordz.bsky.social @triciaebarvia.bsky.social @gillilandanitac.bsky.social

English teacher friends, we’re about 2 weeks out from #NCTE24. Who will I get to meet there this year?!

Got 12+" of snow here today. News reporter tonight, sitting in a snow pile, pulls out his large Dunkin ice coffee & says "If you want to know what that measurement's like, it's 2 large Dunkin ice coffees on top of each other." I mean, it's so on-brand for New England I don't know what else to say! 😂

Finished my year with an even 50 books read. Love all the joyful recommendations still going in my last thread! Hoping to connect with more educators through #EduSky in 2024!

Ok teacher friends, let's jumpstart some of that momentum we used to have with the bird. What did you read in 2023 that brought you the most joy? I'll get cheesy & say "tag a friend" to help. Mine? Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers. Runner up: A Rover's Story @jorikrulder.bsky.social?

Finally made the switch. My Following list is very small compared to the Note I have with other Bird friends I'm hoping will join in the migration. Hoping the balance shifts soon. I miss my educator community!