by Gayle Sands 1.“Always leave a man a horse to ride out on.” I got this advice from my principal on my first assignment. It has served me well. When dealing with a student issue, it is important to leave them some dignity to walk …
Engaging Students in the Reading/Writing Classroom
Engaging Students in the Reading/Writing Classroom by Barb Edler Hello, readers. I am a retired public school Language Arts/Composition teacher from Iowa. Currently, I am an online writing tutor for Kirkwood Community College. My teaching instruction has been greatly influenced by the Iowa Writing Project, …
One Year to Live Differently: My Sabbatical Begins
I’m taking a one-year sabbatical. Not because I’m burned out or finished with my work, but because I want to return to it differently. With more clarity. More presence. More capacity for joy, for partnership, and for being in the world beyond my inbox. This …
What I Know to be True: Indulgence
What I Know to be True: Indulgence by Joanne L. Emery I’m not sure it’s because I’ve been teaching for forty-six years or that I’ve been at my present school for twenty-one years, or that I will be just one year short of seventy in …
From Then to Now: How ELA Teaching Has Evolved to Center Students’ Voices and Experiences
From Then to Now: How ELA Teaching Has Evolved to Center Students’ Voices and Experiences by Jolie Hicks Jolie Hicks, Ph.D., is a Teaching Assistant Professor of Secondary Education at Oklahoma State University, where she focuses on mentoring future teachers. The COVID-19 pandemic opened our …
How Teachers Can Make Sense of Our Current Book Banning Moment
by Henry “Cody” Miller I am writing this blog post in early February 2025. The last few weeks have been filled with headlines that cause despair and frustration: radical executive orders that mandate the erasure of BIPOC narratives and attempt to ban LGBTQ people from …
From Guide to Guerrilla: Teaching Anti-Racist ELA in Restrictive Times
by Dr. Michelle M. Falter Five years ago, my co-authors, Chandra Alston, Crystal Lee, and I published Becoming Anti-Racist English Teachers in the spirit of national reckoning. The call was clear: Listen. Reflect. Read. Interrogate. Act. For a brief moment, anti-racism moved from the margins …
Press Play: 10 Ways to Gamify Poetry
by Stefani Boutelier Who doesn’t enjoy a game? Whether a gameboard, a video game, an athletic competition, or a mental challenge–we can all connect to some form of engagement through gamification. I have had the pleasure of “playing with ideas” as I’ve been collaborating, learning, …
Teaching by Doing: A Step-by-Step Approach to Student Success
Welcome to “Tens of Reasons to Teach,” a celebratory series honoring 10 years of Ethical ELA by sharing the wisdom, strategies, and inspiration that shape ethical and inclusive English language arts instruction. Here is Dr. Leilya Pitre’s celebration. Leilya Pitre teaches at Southeastern Louisiana …
A Decade of Writing, Teaching, and Community: Reflecting on Ten Years of Ethical ELA
In early May 2015, I started this blog as a way to document my teaching experiences after earning my doctorate. Unlike many who pursue a PhD and then transition into academia, I made the deliberate decision to stay in the classroom as a junior high …