I'm letting my darling chaos class and a kindness activity end this month of close observation and kind words.

A quick interaction in the hallway last week reminded me that sometimes what we teach really sticks.

Yesterday's post, an earlier post from a friend and comments from many people have given me an idea...

The Toronto Star recently ran a story asking "Is the textbook dead?" I have thoughts about this question.

Birthday Cows #SOLC26 27/31

Happy birthday to my spouse - who still makes me laugh - and sometimes moo - after all these years.

I usually love conferences with caregivers, but I knew tonight I would have one that was tougher than usual. In the end, I think I did ok, but sometimes it's hard to tell the truth.

This may not be my best slice of life, but it's written and published - that has to count for something on day 25.

Blue

Do you use an analog planner? I do, and I can't imagine teaching without it!

Packing a suitcase brings up a memory of a fight with my sister. It was a big deal then, but makes me smile now. How do you pack your carry-on?

It's time for us to go home & I've been making packing lists.

No matter how hard I try, I can never *quite* describe what it feels like when I'm snorkeling - here, I try again.

It's late, but I'm writing. The boys wore me out today. They're still going strong, but I'm going to bed!

I set out to write an auditory post - something like what Amy over at Writing with Abandon did in her post Birdsong - but one thing led to another and I ended up writing about writing. (There's still some birdsong.)

There's a reason I'm writing so late tonight - and I can almost tell you about it...

Period 1 we walked, Period 2 we talked - Friday, Period 3 nearly broke me. Hopefully, together, these give a sense of the emotional complexity of teaching.

After I walked a lot during first period, second period brought a lot of talking - and not always about the things I anticipated.

First period on Friday involved a lot of walking as a student and I moved towards better understanding.

Friday night & I. am. exhausted. Result? Six 6 word stories and then I head to bed!

The week before March Break this year has been unusually chaotic. We're just counting things down...

By the time you read this, I will already know my fate...

What do you do when the power goes out unexpectedly? Hint: if you're in a school, it involves some chaos.

I stayed home sick today, but Max still needed a walk. Good thing the weather was nice!

I really hate missing work, so every time I get sick, I end up having a long (dumb) conversation with myself.

It's after 11am, and I might actually start marking essays soon-ish. This kind of procrastination takes high-level planning; here, I use backwards design to show how I manage so well.

Lately I've had to pay a lot more attention on my daily walks - which means I've been listening to entirely different things.

Some days, even the most basic decisions seem harder because the students might be watching.

Do the people who live in your house put items where they belong?

A conversation with a colleague has me rethinking how I move through the hallways at school. What do you think?

Sometimes, being old means being experienced - and being experienced means having fun.

It's March! Am I ready to write every day for a month? Well... sort of. But first, let's get those excuses out of the way.

I swear I am raising children who can fend for themselves - although apparently not at 8am.

When it snows in Ottawa, schools usually stay open. When school is open during a blizzard and the Olympics are on, there's really only one thing to do.

Convincing students that vocabulary words are "real" sometimes requires teachers to, well, persevere.

A (tongue-in-cheek) Q&A about report cards and assigning grades to students.

Is it AI? What happens when the students says no? And what does the doubt do to us?

Trying to make the best of a bad situation, I've written a Slice of Life in the style of John Green's Anthropocene Reviewed. It's supposed to inspire my students, since I can't go in, but maybe it will inspire you.

Helping our dog Max find a safe place in our house has been quite an adventure.

Maybe you've wondered what teachers actually do on PD Days - or, worse, maybe you already know...

After a month of not blogging, I've reminded myself that writers write. So here I am!

Helping high school students feel comfortable reading out loud is complicated.

This year, my classroom is permanently lit up - and not just by my delightful students!

A thunderstorm led to an eventful Tuesday at our house. What happened was...

What does it mean to be American? 20 years ago I asked that question when I taught American Lit. Last week, I wondered again as I thought about my (sprawling) family. Still not sure I have an answer. persistenceandpedagogy.com/2025/07/15/w...

When a class gets bored at the end of the year, sometimes the best solution is a spur-of-the-moment game.

Twelve Days In 12 days, he will be done with high school. Today, however, he is sitting in my classroom during his "spare" period, trying to catch up on what he’s missed. He has his earbuds in, his phone out. He’s using one of my Sharpies to write a thesis on a scrap piece of paper. He will not…

One of my children had to interview an immigrant for a school project. He chose me. persistenceandpedagogy.com/2025/05/20/i...

One of my children had to interview an immigrant for a school project. He chose me.

I finally told a student how her quiet request three and a half years ago re-shaped my classroom library.