Assessments, Education, High School, Middle School, One Pager, Teachers Pay Teachers, Teaching, Texas

One Pagers for the Win!

One pagers! One pagers are all the rage right now, and as a secondary English teacher I heartily support this movement. One pagers are a great way to get a snapshot of a student's understanding of a novel, story, character, or theme without assigning an essay. Through the elements of the one pager, you can… Continue reading One Pagers for the Win!

11 minute essay, Annotation, Assessments, Education, Grammar, High School, Middle School, Secondary ELA, Secondary English, state assessment, Test Prep, Texas

STAAR Prep for Secondary English- It’s never too early!

If you're like me, as soon as you return from holiday break you begin really thinking about STAAR prep, especially if you have an early test like I do. This 3rd quarter is down-to-business time for me because we don't have much time after spring break before we take our reading test. It's the same… Continue reading STAAR Prep for Secondary English- It’s never too early!

Classroom, Education, Freebies, High School, Lesson Planning, Middle School, Secondary ELA, Secondary English, Teacher Planner

Lesson Planning- Big Picture to Daily Schedule

Are you a planner? Or do you like to fly by the seat of your pants? In my 20 years of teaching, I've seen all kinds of planning personalities, and I've learned a lot about what works for me and what doesn't. Most people will tell you that I'm a planner extraordinaire. During our end… Continue reading Lesson Planning- Big Picture to Daily Schedule

Education, High School, Humor, Middle School, Teacher, Teacher Tribe, Teaching, Texas

Should You Stay, or Should You Go?- Addressing the Debate Over Teacher Attrition

It's been a minute since I've posted. I took a short trip to anxiety town, and then I took my youngest to see my mom. I'd much rather visit my mom than relive the anxiety that has been haunting me. Anywho, I digress. What I really want to talk about is something that I'm seeing… Continue reading Should You Stay, or Should You Go?- Addressing the Debate Over Teacher Attrition

Anxiety, Education, High School, Middle School, Secondary ELA, Secondary English, Teacher, Texas

Taming Summer Anxiety- What I Do During the Summer to Combat Teacher Guilt

Being a teacher is great. I've always loved that I get summers off from going to school to be with my daughters. Notice I didn't say "I like having summer off from work" because as most teachers I know will tell you, they work during the summer. Even if they swear they aren't going to.… Continue reading Taming Summer Anxiety- What I Do During the Summer to Combat Teacher Guilt