The Joys of Teaching Literature

In this episode, I'll describe my topic-based approach to teaching the novel.  I'll also talk about how I assign reading.  

In this episode, I'll talk about why I love Virginia Woolf.  I'll read some passages from the novel To the Lighthouse . 

In this episode, I'll talk about how to connect the worlds of literature and technology in meaningful ways for high school students.  

In this episode, I'll describe how I use literature to talk about race relations in high school.

In this episode, I'll talk about the different components of my writing program for high school students. 

In this episode, I'll talk about how literature functions as a metaphorical map of real places.  

In this episode, I'll talk about how I try to pretend that grades don't exist in my classroom.  

In this episode, I'll explore how the psyche is a part of every work of fiction, and how I talk about it in class.  

In this episode, I'll talk about assignments where students demonstrate their understanding of literature through creative writing, film adaptations, or podcasts, instead of the traditional essay.

In this episode, I'll talk about how I introduce my students to the complex art of poetry.  

In this episode, I'll talk about the structure of the essay and how to get students to not feel trapped by rules.  

In this episode, I'll talk about the literary value of podcasts and how to use them in the classroom.  

In this episode, I'll talk about the similarities between popular music and poetry.  I'll also describe an assignment I gave where students could talk about their favorite song of all time.  

In this episode, I'll deal with an English teacher's least favorite task ... grading essays!  How can we make it a meaningful and stress free process?

In this episode, I'll briefly describe a project for my seniors I call "The Creativity Project".  

In this episode, I talk about what short stories can teach us about perspective and reality.  

In this episode, I'll describe three rules of thumb I follow to create a positive culture in my classroom.  

This is the audio for a video essay I created for my seniors.  Every year, I ask them to talk about how it feels to graduate and to answer a few other questions.  I complete the assignment myself, so this is my reflection on this school year.  

In this episode, I'll talk about all the reasons students might not read and describe how I assign reading.  

If there's one thing that virtual teaching has taught me, it's that less is more.

In this episode, I'll talk about why it's important for students to encounter new sources or ideas without plugging a term into a search bar.  

In this episode, I'll talk about how I try to simplify teaching complex literature in my classroom.