about me.
I’m a tech-loving, high school English teacher whose mission is to help students rediscover their love of reading. Even after 30 years, I’m still passionate about the classroom–as a teacher & a Lifelong Learner.
my approach to writing.
In many ways, teachers are like coaches. And because I’ve been with the franchise close to thirty seasons (even though I’m only 25 😬), I’ve learned so much along the way. Here are five of my key plays that inform how I approach writing instruction in the classroom.
my pledge to students.
Before I can ask certain things from my students, I need to make some promises of my own. The first assignment every year begins with a pledge. I share my own list of commitments with the students, and then they publish their own pledge to me.
when numbahs don’t lie (2025-6).
Students can’t be reduced to a number. They can’t be defined by their results on a common assessment, reduced to where they fall on a state test, nor limited by their SAT/ACT scores. However, sometimes numbers don’t lie. With a towering goal of helping students fall…
the gratitude project (2025).
Eight years ago now, during Thanksgiving week, I began assigning what I lovingly call “The Gratitude Project.” Essentially, I forced my students–and myself–to reflect on the Good in our lives in the midst of all of the Bad. And it quickly became one of…
why we stay.
Teachers are still leaving by the droves. Unless you’re on a media fast, you’ve heard all about it. But these aren’t newbies, 44% of whom typically quit within five years. (That’s pre-pandemic data, by the way.) No, these are seasoned teachers simply walking away…
WHERE OTHERS GO
THE LIFELONG LEARNER 