The Real World

I've mentioned before that I hate the term, "The Real World." We tell students that they're only doing/learning/seeing stuff for the purpose of the real world all the time. "This is something you'll need to know when you enter the real world." "You'll encounter this situation all the time in the real world." "Adults in …

English 101 with Coraline

Whenever I get the chance (read: I make the chance), I teach my students how to analyze literature using the movie Coraline. In my opinion, that movie is Literature 101. It has examples of so many different literary devices, not to mention poetry and plot analysis. Feel free to use my lesson plan if you …

Abysmally Cringe-worthy Test

I never took the ACT. It was only just becoming a thing when I was in high school, so I took the SAT. But no matter what acronym you give it, a standardized test is a standardized test. If you want to know the problem with standardized tests, and the school system in general, you …

Classroom “Management”

I want to start off right now by saying that I am fully aware that this blog will become a cathartic dumping ground for me after a long day of educating people who actively refuse to be educated. Hopefully you can get something out of it, too. The "About Me" page will say all this, …