Sneaking through the woods, I stumbled upon a group of Grade 9 students, in a close circle, reading aloud from a zombie novel, while hiding from the threat of zombies. That strikes me as pretty rich learning. And this was the kind of experience I witnessed again and again throughout “Zombie Day”. The day itself, […]
On the day of the launch of my action plan, a classroom of ninth grade arms shot, with enthusiasm and pride, into the air. I had just asked “who, in this group, is a reader?” I was stunned by the overwhelming response; over 80% of the 40 students I’d gathered together that morning were describing […]
MY ACTION PLAN: TAKING A HARD LOOK AT MY OWN PRACTICE, AND WORKING FROM MY CLASSROOM OUT, I WILL STRENGTHEN THE READING CULTURE IN OUR SCHOOL. Because, as an English teacher, I feel like I’m good at getting my students excited about English; however, I’m not so sure I’m fostering a love of reading. (Yes, […]
Well, most importantly (I keep telling myself) we did it. We performed Shakespeare. And if I’m to consider it in terms of experiment – which it is – then I’ve achieved a necessary beginning on which to build. Sure enough, while the experience was NOT a total disaster, there is much building to be done. […]