Creative English Teacher — Teaching Ideas

We are the midst of a historic event. Now that many states are shutting down schools and looking at online teaching options, there are many swirling questions about education: When will we go back to school? How will learning continue in the meantime?  I feel for the high-school students who have to face the possibility of missing proms, sporting events, performances, and graduations. As troubling as all this uncertainty is, here is an encouraging thought:  Historic events like this one tend to reshape how we view our world and each other. Many previous generations have been defined by the obstacles they...

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...

Although I am a teacher of typical English courses as well, it was a mythology course that gave me the biggest challenge of my life. (You can read more about that adventure here.) Teaching mythology challenged me to develop my teaching style—prompting the creation of almost all the materials you will find on this website. So, needless to say, mythology is special to me. Beasts, quests, and monsters are all part of mythology, but at its heart is the hero. Not surprisingly, one of my favorite things to teach is heroes and the concept of the Hero’s Journey. If you...