Teacher. Writer. Reader. Researcher.
This blog post has been formulating in my head for YEARS. I have presented on this notion and attempted to spread the good news that Twitter is an excellent source of professional development (PD) for educators … if cultivated over time. While completing my undergraduate degrees, I found myself meeting educators through different internships, jobs,…
Following my revelation of changing things up in 2018, I want to provide reviews of what new-to-me music and podcasts I am listening to in 2019. Doing reviews of music and podcasts is new for me, but it showcases my appreciate of pop culture, a growing passion of mine. Thanks for reading!
After hearing about Greta Van Fleet’s three sold out shows in Detroit during the last weekend of 2018, I had to see what this Frankenmuth-based rock band was all about.
I have been listening to From the Fires, this past week. The EP is Greta Van Fleet’s second and has four songs from their first EP, Black Smoke Rising, and four new tracks.
Welcome to 2019! I started blogging on this website at the end of the 2017-2018 school year to change things up a bit. This notion of changing things up become the theme of my professional life in 2018. Here are other examples of when I did just that: Took on a leadership role with the…
With another semester of graduate school completed, I felt that it was time to refocus on the first “available” weekend. That weekend just so happened to also be a #25inFive Readathon weekend. The last #25inFive Readathon that I participated in was back in August. This month’s Readathon goal was to beat August’s total. Did I…
The following blog post is from a final project for a graduate class taken in the Fall of 2018 at Michigan State University – TE849: Methods and Materials for Teaching Children’s and Young Adult Literature. Blog post updated in November 2020 and December 2022 with resources utilized in the classroom for the teaching of The…
The following blog post is a final project for one of my graduate classes this fall at Michigan State University – TE846: Accommodating Differences in Literacy Learners. Disciplinary Literacy Project The project calls for a unit that I teach to be reviewed and revised to embed literacy support and accommodation. Instead of sharing unit and…
Class Dojo is one of my favorite apps that I utilize in my high school English classroom. Instead of using it as a classroom management tracker, I use it to monitor class discussion.
During the month of July, I attempted to follow my own advice and read for a suggested twenty minutes a day. I encourage my students to read for that amount of time each day to make consistent progress on their Independent Reading unit – Reading Bingo. This graphic finds itself in every one of my…
Preparing for a new school year is overwhelming whether you are a new teacher, a veteran teacher, or a teacher in the middle of your career. For me, I’m starting the school year in a new district, so I have a lot to do, such as setting up my classroom, organizing my classroom library, and…
True crime and crime fiction are two genres that have exploded in popular culture. I am just as guilty as the next person to be fascinated with the psychology of the killers, thanks to Criminal Minds; the plot surrounding a crime, kudos to Dateline with Lester Holt reruns; and the characters involved as depicted in…