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The Forgotten Language Art

Erik Palmer, Middle Section, Aurora, CO: What does democracy mean to you? That was the writing prompt I gave to my class. I wanted a three-paragraph essay about the rights, duties, and responsibilities of citizens. Ryan asked if he could make a video. Of course, video creation is...

Stories from a Student Guest Speaker

Lynn Daniel, middle and high school reading, Phoenix, AZ: Early in my teaching career, I yearned to host a group of students on a study abroad venture. Because of my own commitments outside of school, I was not able to make that happen, but one year,...

Inspiring One Another

By Anna J. Roseboro, secondary section, Grand Rapids, MI: Learning together with other teachers can be both enlightening and inspiring. One such experience occurred during a summer writing retreat. The instructor invited us to describe our earliest memory experiencing the power of the written word. After...

Keep Your Heart Tender

By Valerie A. Person, high school English II and AP literature and composition, Currituck, NC: I once sat in a PLC meeting where a couple of colleagues complained that teachers who did "fun things" made it difficult for those who did the "real teaching." Although my name...

For the Love of Reading

By Amanda Holt, 6th grade English language arts, Lehigh Acres, FL: Over my short career I have focused on growing my classroom library. At first, I chose books I enjoyed when I was in school. My students hardly ever glanced at “my” library. I began asking...

The Power of Productive Struggle

By Rebecca Smith, High School Reading Intervention, Haltom City, TX: “Mrs. Smith, this is so hard! Can you read this for me and let me know what you think?” My response was simple: “Well, Bryan, what do you think? I am not the writer—you are!” I could see...

Soldier Learns to Love Writing

By Amy Touchstone, Secondary Section, Longview, TX:   A former student sent me a Facebook message several years ago. He had been in my classroom as a high school senior and had not liked the amount of writing we did.  A few years had passed and he...

Let Your Students Choose

By Terri Burg, 7th Grade ELA, Grass Lake, MI:   While this has been one of my favorite years as a teacher, the best moment happened on our last full day of school. I asked my students to look at the reading data they had been collecting...

The Best Teacher? Lifelong Learning.

By Nancy Wahl, AP Literature and Composition, Houston, TX:   This year, at the young age of 58, I began a Master’s degree program at Rice University. I teach senior English and work diligently to make learning relevant for my students. I seek to ensure that what...

After Commencement, Life?

By Gwen Gray Schwartz, College Section, Alliance, OH:   Sometimes graduation is not the happy event it's supposed to be for students, and letting go can be both a relief and a scary proposition for everyone involved. We often talk of the successes and the growth of...

The Power of Making Connections

By Jori Krulder, High School Language Arts Teacher, Chico, CA:   It’s only in the last few years that I have realized the value of making connections with other teachers. Of course, I’ve known that teachers learn the most from talking to other teachers and sharing ideas and...

A Voice from My Past

By Dr. Susan H. Smith, Former Middle School Teacher, Andover, MA:   There have been so many wonderful moments and memories after nearly 50 years of teaching! However, one recently came to me in a text, if you can believe it. Somehow a former student was able...