Having finished a year of this, I have to say that my assessment of online learning is overwhelmingly negative. However, there are elements of the online teaching experience that I will take into my classes even when Covid is a memory and the Zoom stock levels out.
teaching
To My Students (on the day before we start our online class)
This transfer of education from the classroom to the virtual world requires you to own your education and decide that regardless of what happens, you are going to make sure your learning does not stop.
That One Book
There are two kinds of readers. The first is that precocious kid who was reading before pre-k. The kid whose parents didn’t know what to do because he had already read every book on the (enter grade level) curriculum and… Read More ›
O Captain! My Captain!
Robin Williams turned me into a teacher. Turned me onto poetry. Made me want to believe in the power of words and music. Granted, he didn’t write the screenplay for Dead Poets Society, but I doubt it could have been told… Read More ›
Burn the Books, Save the SparkNotes
I have a confession to make. I hate The Scarlet Letter. I hated it in High School. I hated it in college. I hated it in Grad School. That might not seem like such a big deal to you, but… Read More ›
Reading Log Lies
Most nights, I go to sleep wondering if I am teaching my son to lie. It’s true. Straight up. Full disclosure. Maybe it’s because he’s the fifth child. Or maybe it’s just that I’m older. But every night when I… Read More ›
Dear Teacher
Dear Teacher, I am writing this to you because I have been in the education business for almost two decades and have been around the block, so to speak, in terms of teaching experience. I’m also a parent, so I… Read More ›
A Dear John Letter
Want to know how a book can affect someone? Here’s my letter to John Green after his book, The Fault in our Stars created havoc in the school where I teach. For the record, he did respond to me and… Read More ›