The Twenty-Minute Lesson
This essay was originally published in the 2017 Chicken Soup for the Soul book, Inspiration for Teachers, although it was…
Teaching
Don’t Let the Door Hit You (On Your Rush To 2021)
My 7th grade math teacher was named Mr. Jerkovich. Yes, that’s true. And although he wasn’t a jerk, he did…
Locating Your Wings: What Butterflies Teach About Our Writing Voices
Finding our writing voice takes courage, strength and vulnerability. Learn about the surprising toughness of the fragile butterfly and what it teach us about those same characteristics.
Surprise Lessons
Assorted odors infiltrate my seventh period classroom. Thirty-two students—smelling of drugstore perfume, Dorito dust, and adolescent sweat—spill into every available…