I love English Language Arts (ELA), but real world ELA can be eye opening. I have been teaching my Technical Writing class for two weeks now. And I have had my share of ups and downs. I’ve always taken myself seriously as an educator. My love of literature and writing always translates easily into the classroom. […]
Alice Trosclair
Alice has been teaching for fourteen years. She currently teaches English I, English III, English Language and Composition AP, and English Literature and Composition AP. She lives with her husband and son in south Louisiana. She also has hundreds of "adopted" children.
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
Part 2: Adventures in Real World English/Language Arts: Making Them Care
I’ve always had a high-stakes class. English III has been an EOC(end-of-cours)e since my second year in education, and while it has always been a lot of pressure teaching a high-stakes class, there has been a certain amount of comfort because the kids knew they had to pass a state test. I also teach AP […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
New School Year Advice from a Ten Year Teacher
Next week, I will celebrate the beginning of my tenth year in education. Teaching is a career that is always changing. One can never get too comfortable because before you know it there is something new. New standards, new strategies, or a new curriculum. One thing that never changes are the kids. The students are […]
Posted inAdult Learning, Instruction & Curriculum
Adventures in Real World English/Language Arts: The Planning Stages
I adore literature. Ever since I was a little girl, I loved books (I blame Beauty and the Beast). And eighteen years later, I am teaching American Literature and British Literature, it is a dream career. Then this summer things changed. The state of Louisiana realized that not every student is going to college, and […]
Posted inAdult Learning, Featured, Instruction & Curriculum, New Teacher Bootcamp, The New Teacher Chronicles
Dispelling Myths about Teachers
“Stop being such a martyr.” “All these teachers do is whine about how bad they have it.” “It is your choice to put so many hours in. No one is forcing you to do all this.” And my favorite, “You knew what you were getting into.” Yes, I write about the realities of education and […]
Posted inInstruction & Curriculum
The Triangle of Support All Students Need
We often speak of students saving our teaching career through notes or actions. Sometimes we even speak of other teachers helping keep our sanity, but we rarely speak of parents. Parents and teachers rarely seem to be on the same side which is upsetting because we have the same goal. We want what is best […]
Posted inFeatured
Am I Enough as a Teacher?
It is the end of the school year and every teacher is utterly exhausted. Yes, all of us. We are proud of our students, but the end of the school year is a trying time. As we finish up the school year, we wonder did we do enough. Are our students ready to move on […]
Posted inFeatured
One Standardized Test, Many Different Student Stories
Testing is upon us or was upon us a couple of weeks ago. Scores are coming back and no matter what, there are consequences to those scores. I have never made it a secret that I completely disagree with the way our system uses standardized testing. Standardized testing only measures where a student is now, […]