On January 23, 2020, I boarded a plane to Vietnam from China, thinking I was embarking on a lovely eight-day holiday for our Chinese New Year (CNY) break and that our busy lives at Concordia International School Shanghai would pick up immediately afterwards. Right befo...
When we learned we could not hold our Convention in Denver due to COVID-19, no one was more disappointed than I.
After two years of planning and working toward the “Confluencia/Songs of Ourselves!” theme—and developing a vision for the confluence of English language art...
On this day in 1958, American cartoonist William “Bill” Watterson was born. Watterson is best known for authoring the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes (1985–95).
For a learning activity that combines words and visuals, invite your students to experim...
The spring of 2020 has brought a sudden shift for many classrooms into an online setting around the world. Teachers are trying to adjust their instruction rapidly, and many are doing remote teaching for the first time. Experience matters, and it can be frustrating tryi...
In February 2019 the IB published a new guide on Language A: Language and Literature for the Diploma Programme, and in October of 2019 an even newer version replaced this document. As IB teachers know, changes to the guide come with changes to assessment and methods of...
The Experiences of LGBTQ Students in Middle and High Schools
At the 2019 Kansas Association of Teachers of English’s energizing KATE Camp last month, I attended a session focused on sexual and gender diversity and equity in the classroom. After sharing resources from GL...
Whether you’ve been back to school since August or started school this January, building classroom community is a priority for many teachers at this time of year. Fostering relationships with students is one of the best ways to create community .
One of the charges of the NCTE Standing Committee on Global Citizenship calls for members to “encourage the integration of global and international literature.”
On the surface, this charge seems straightforward and manageable. Howeve...
Last year I took four of my high school students to a nearby middle school to talk about writing. We had a great time, and on the way home, they started talking about new teachers in our school.
“It’s always an interesting social experiment when you get a brand-new teac...
