Category Archives: Room 137
Classrooms Without Borders
Imagine a 30 by 30 room, with students sitting silently in rows, ostensibly listening to lectures, text messages covertly being sent inside hoodie pockets, and whispers here and there. Eventually, … Continue reading
Reflections: Is Grammar Worth Teaching?
I teach English and I write professionally, but I don’t remember how I learned grammar. I’ve always been a reader, and my father is an excellent editor who helped me … Continue reading
The Digital Literacy Curriculum Gap
Are most teenagers inherently wired to seek out and use the internet for good? Absolutely not. Would I have harnessed the amazing connectivity and community-building power of the internet, … Continue reading
The Myth of the Super Teacher
I prepared for my first teaching gig undaunted by my lack of experience. After all, I had a literature degree from a prestigious liberal arts school, I had been mostly … Continue reading
The Power of Student Voice
One of my goals in our Unleashing Digital Storytelling elective course is to help elevate student voice through authentic media creation. Taking matters into her own hands, Kaylie created this … Continue reading
Thoughts On Writing Well
“All writing is ultimately a question of solving a problem. It may be a problem of where to obtain facts or how to organize the material. It may be a … Continue reading
Five Reasons Why Being a Teacher is Still Great
There is no other job I’d rather have right now. Sounds surprising, right? Especially after the Chicago Teacher Strike, after reading daily about how awful public schools and teachers are, … Continue reading
Student Guest Blogger: Career and Future Uncertainty
I’ve shared this blog with some of my students, an attempt to showcase how writing is “real” for me. As far as blogging goes, many students use Tumblr. I’ll admit … Continue reading
Struggling Writers: Is Personal Expression the Answer?
Glancing around the room, fiddling with his smart phone, and tapping his pencil, Michael will do anything but write. He’ll scribble a few sentences on the paper, and the chicken … Continue reading
