I’ve been tutoring a 4th grade student in the morning, and so far, I’ve learned the following: - he wants to be a tattoo artist when he grows up, - he 3D printed me a pickle fidget, - he plays Magic the Gathering & has some of the LotR cards and he’s going to show tomorrow. I love my job.

So I’m teaching an academic “camp” right now and a 4th grader noticed my One Ring to Rule Them All sticker “I like it because it sounds like a poem or a prophecy” and I was like “WELL LET ME TELL YOU CHILD” now she wants to read the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit and this is why I do what I do 🥰

When they accidentally tell the truth... (Pt. 2) (also try to avoid swimming in sewage)

It’s gonna be May…. Be sure to visit your local comics shop this Saturday! A wonderful and exciting day for reading! Comics = literacy! #freecomicbookday

"The Imperial Senate will no longer be of any concern to us. I've just received word that the Emperor has dissolved the council permanently. The last remnants of the Old Republic have been swept away.” Coming soon to a former democracy.

Hi everyone. This is Patricia. Patricia really enjoyed spring break.

I’m really happy that I got to hang out with Kali and @knewbettadobetta.bsky.social on the Voices of Arda. I got to talk about how I bring Tolkien to my classes, ways that Tolkien inspired me to become a dyslexia educator, and some of my favorite teachers in the Legendarium. youtu.be/0rpAi0yzeZk?...

This Tolkien Reading Day (Tuesday March 25th) Season 1 of the PPP will be rereleased over at youtube.com/@prancingpon...! Be sure to subscribe so you're notified when the episodes drop.

Join the Tolkien community — along with The Man of the West and The Lord of the Mark — for the PPP's 10th annual Tolkien Reading Day, observed every March 25th. This year's theme, as chosen by @tolkiensociety.org is Fellowship and Community. dcs-spotify.megaphone.fm/GLSS34260950...

On this episode of Tolkien on Tap, @the-neej.bsky.social continues his talk with @teachingwithmagic.bsky.social , Jen, and @guiamonster.bsky.social about the #LOTR musical, the #harfoots, and more! open.spotify.com/episode/6Tuq... #jrrtolkien #tolkien #middleearth #podcast #podcastersofbluesky

Educators -We do not give up. We do not give in. As John Lewis said -we find a way to get in the way, to get into good trouble. Welcome to the resistance. Regardless of dismantling of the federal education department, as horrendous as this is, we go back to work tomorrow. So much is depending on it.

I’m so excited! And I’m so happy to be part of such an amazing community 💜

“It’s all part of the same thing. It is Censorship or Repression, or Dictatorship, or Reaction, or whatever you want to call it. It’s is the stuff Fascism fattens on.” - Shirley Jackson, when a student at Syracuse University in the 1939-1950 school year, writing in defense of #freespeech on […]

One of my students was gushing about Marvel today and we landed on the earlier Captain America movies and she said with a straight face “I feel like Captain America is just Straight White Male propaganda” Reader I HOWLED

There’s nothing better than getting together with good friends to talk about your favorite stories ❤️

When I started research for “Part of a Legacy,” I wanted to understand how trauma manifests. That’s when I found @asv.bsky.social “Equity-Centered Trauma-Informed Education.” Band aid practices don’t work unless the entire system is devoted to meeting our students’ needs substack.com/@teachingwit...

Have you listened to “Part of a Legacy” yet? Listen closely for a secret code for a prize at the end! Go to linktr.ee/TeachingW.Ma... to listen! It’s available on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music! #StarWars #Teaching #Ahsoka #Jedi #Mandalorian #CloneWars

I had SO MUCH FUN with TJ! Talking all things Tolkien.. and TJ was kind enough to ask me about my Signum U thesis!

8th grade boys are hilarious. They spend half their time acting up and showing off how cool and tough they are. They spend the other half telling me all about their lives like I’m a therapist. I love ‘em.

Part of a Legacy- now in audio and video format! Listen to the full episode for the secret code... and a prize at the end!

Today, I told a student “no is a complete sentence” when tried to badger me into sitting next to his best friend. Another student piped up “actually Ms C, it’s a fragment!” Touché child. I’ve never been more proud to be corrected.

Yesterday’s #flashbackfriday post on Substack: Teacher Feature of Master Yoda. Yoda’s path to exile and letting go of his Hubris allows him to fully understand and eventually teach Luke the intricacies and true meaning of the Force. open.substack.com/pub/teaching...

Student’s Dad: “your bag is looking a bit heavy, do you want to put some things in your locker?” Student: No, those are my books.” “Do you need five books at a time?” “Well, yea, those are my backup books. I need them in case I get bored with the book I’m reading.” Naturally, I was very proud

Hello #Pratchett fans! I’ve never read Discworld, but I’ve heard great things, especially about Tiffany Aching and Granny Weatherwax. Their names have popped up in the education sphere, so I’d like to tackle them soon for a Teacher Feature. Is there a specific book or order that I should read?

A Ph.D. Read that again. Most people can’t endure what it takes to complete a bachelor’s degree under the best circumstances. #BlackHerStory #KnowHerName Anna Julia Cooper nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stor...

Hi y’all- Some of you may know that I’ve moved the blog over to Substack. Most of my posts- like my Flashback Friday series and podcast posts-are free. I’ve added some paid content too- starting with my Science of Reading series- connecting my fantasy work to my dyslexia research.

My Little Smauglet was recently “diagnosed” (it’s complicated) with autism. This diagnosis just puts a name to the way he processes the world around him. But It’s been emotional. I’m scared of how others will treat him, and bc the US gov’t decided he’s not entitled to his rights anymore.

Flashback Friday: the Science of Reading is Magic! What is the Science of Reading, and how does it connect to fantasy? open.substack.com/pub/teaching...

Every Friday, my co-teacher and I host an Advisory (homeroom) dance party for the first 15 mins of the day. Students write their requests on the board and we vet the choices. There was a K*nye song on the board. While we were all talking, another student very quietly got up and erased it. 🧵 1/4

L’Engle gave this speech in 1963 - her words speak volumes to me today.

Why did no one tell me that Ursula K. LeGuin wrote a book about cats?!

Sticky notes, reading, and powerful conversations when the mood strikes. No lesson plan. No rubric.

Just registered!

PBS @pbsnews.bsky.social Classroom Educator Voice: "STEM is for everyone." — Seth Ogoe Ayim, robotics coach, on how he's working to bring STEM to youth in rural communities in Ghana Watch Ayim's interview at #VEXRobotics world champs: bit.ly/4aGUBae #EduSky #STEM #InventED #robotics

#currentlyreading This feels like an apt choice for the month. app.thestorygraph.com/books/39f61e...

Media Literacy! teaching about inter-war years and listening to part of War of Worlds broadcast. Reading skills - evidence/annotation. Built in modification for reading abilities - also translate into multiple languages - can follow along to English broadcast. Full lesson- historycomics.edublogs.org

Check out this online event! The #blackfantastic: The New Wave of #afrofuturist Fiction #sciencefiction #sff #books #bookstodon #afrofuturism https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-black-fantastic-the-new-wave-of-afrofuturist-fiction-registration-1232435871869

I love the fact that the Ceramics Teacher in my building just walks up to me with a full carafe of coffee and offered a refill. 🩷 that’s teacher support ☕️

New episode! @potterversity.bsky.social host Dr. Katy McDaniel joined me for a conversation about teaching history, lecturing, and active listening. We used Professor Binns as our lens to discuss ways of teaching active listening skills to help our students learn podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/t...

When Science and Lord of the Rings collide… you get a comic About the process of eutrophication in the Tathnan Duin (Willow River) complete with a Council of Elrond and (another!) Eucatastrophic Gwaihir moment. The kids are all right

OOOOO

BUT ACTUALLY

Baby Uruk in her little cradle🖤

Lovely obituary in the New York Times for Karen Wynn Fonstad, author of the masterful Atlas of Middle-earth. tinyurl.com/3vrxphct

drandrewhiggins.substack.com/p/exploratio... #Tolkien #Elvish #InventedLanguages

Of course I got a Héra Funko Pop who do you think I am?

Working on a Saturday ❤️

This blog post about how Tolkien incorporated geology and paleontology into his work was also super interesting.

💥 It's not the platform that sparks engagement, it's the content! 🔥🚀 #education #teachercontent #studentengagement

How’s everyone doing today? This is me right now…