Creative English Teacher — Encouragement

A Message from My Podium: My Teaching Philosophy

August 14, 2019 • Encouragement • Teaching Ideas

Recently, I was asked to write up my philosophy of education. I hadn't done this since my college days. (You know, before I knew anything about teaching!) Needless to say, a few things have changed about my philosophy. To structure my philosophy, I used the three messages on my classroom podium, but I have to give credit where credit is due. Those messages were created by my wife, who has them in her classroom as well. (I'm a copycat.) So here is my philosophy of teaching. Hopefully, it will reinforce in your mind what an important job we have as teachers! Across...

A Word About Bolo, Our Mascot

July 19, 2019 • Creativity • Encouragement

When I doodled Bolo, I had no idea why he had fangs or bat wings. He was a complete figment of my imagination.

Finishing Strong

April 15, 2019 • Encouragement

At this time of the school year it seems like everything is on a downhill slide and only building momentum. How can you find the energy and drive to keep teaching?

Defeating the Doldrums

January 22, 2019 • Encouragement • Teaching Ideas

The doldrums are a region of the sea where the prevailing winds become erratic or fade away completely. Since January is sometimes seen as the doldrums of the school year, here is some encouragement to get us through!

Script-Stories: Making Reading an Experience Instead of a Struggle

November 10, 2018 • Encouragement • Readers Theater Script-Stories • Teaching Ideas

Just because in a traditional classroom students may be able to find the answers to multiple-choice questions by picking through a “reading” passage—ironically, without actually reading it—is this really what reading is all about? It may be a good test-taking skill, and it will hit the standards that we are supposed to cover. But what about those deeper, personal “standards” that we have secretly inside us? What about those of us who want our students to love literature?