I’m starting my fifth year as a high school English teacher. I have a M.Ed. in Educational Psychology, I’ve established myself as a solid member of a department that could give the X-Men a run for their money, and I’ve gained enough political clout to be relocated from a small, windowless classroom (which I affectionately […]
Alex Springer
Posted inOpinion
Jeff Bliss: Ignorance Is Bliss Or Is Bliss Just Ignorant?
Recently, I saw this video in which an angry student named Jeff Bliss went on a tirade against his teacher because he felt she wasn’t actively teaching the students in her class. After a few minutes of Internet surfing, I stumbled upon this article, in which Bliss is touted as the poster boy for educational […]
Posted inClassroom Management, Featured
Five Lessons For Everyone Who Works in Education for a Living
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] The dvd cover of the 1992 film Glengarry Glen Ross has the following tagline: “A story for everyone who works for a living.” Though the film is about a tumultuous weekend […]
Posted inFeatured, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Middle School
Teaching Through Trickery: A Snapshot of Theory vs. Reality
During my first year of teaching high school, I inherited a remedial reading class that consisted of about eighteen unmotivated juniors. Having just finished a graduate program in educational psychology with emphasis placed specifically on reading and literacy, I saw this as an opportunity to take all of those research-based best practices and make readers […]
Posted inFeatured, Instruction & Curriculum, Literacy, Uncategorized
Kill Your Idols: A Case for Contemporary Literature
When I go out to eat, I often eavesdrop on the conversations of my fellow diners. Not long ago, I listened in on a particularly interesting discussion that involved two teachers. They were discussing a familiar quandary among English teachers: What are the virtues of teaching classical literature to a generation who just doesn’t get […]
Posted inFine Arts, From the Front Lines, Instruction & Curriculum, Opinion
Based on a True Story: A Critical Look at Teachers in Movies
I remember having a romanticized view of teaching while I was in college. Though I can attribute some of this to a few overly idealistic professors, I mostly blame the movies. It was probably one week into student teaching when I came to the painful realization that I did not have the ability to magically […]