ELA with Avery

“We’re Bored!” It’s 8:17 in the morning. Rain crashes against the giant windows that span the length of our classroom’s back wall. Class has barely started, and I try desperately to suppress my own stifled yawns behind my steaming coffee cup as I let you all close your choice books and get out your notes. Your participation lately has been … reluctant. We’re all exhausted, but I am eager to get class started. Today’s lesson should be engaging, if not fun, for all. I have a bit of hope that today’s review of the trolley problem, with a plot-relevant twist, will spur some excitement. What is it about death that gets you students talking so much? But alas, it quickly becomes apparent that constant chattering, also a frequent issue, will not be an issue to triumph over with you all today. “What do we remember from Scene 2?” I ask. “Feel free to use your notes!” An eternity seems to pass as I look into the sea of your blank faces, dozens of pairs of unenthused eyes waiting for me to just g...

When I first decided that I wanted to major in education, specifically English education, I heard virtually the same comment from everyone I told: “Good luck keeping up with the grading.” I heard this from my parents, teachers, coaches, friends, the dentist, everyone.  I have to admit that each of these people had a point. I’ve seen how grading has stressed out all of my mentor teachers in each placement. I’ve seen the number of paper submissions grow on the “to-grade” list in Canvas in my current placement. I’ve watched that number grow and still had moments where I’ve had to close the tab because I read something I couldn’t quite compute in the moment or couldn’t figure out how to approach grading a students’ attempt, even with the rubric right in front of me. Grading takes time, especially in a subject like English where there is no one right answer and feedback is essential. But despite the issues with grading, I also kind of love it. Okay, I’ll admit it. I don’t love the idea ...

  The Need for Change The world we live in seems to be constantly changing, and often for the worse. Although some are certainly impacted more than others, it’s a dark time to be a student, regardless of your political beliefs. That’s why it is more important than ever that we educators cultivate classroom environments of safety and acceptance. We have to accept that the world that’s been given to us, and teach our students to stand up for what they believe in and for those around them, to make it a better place. We have to teach students how to think critically and for themselves in a world where AI can do work for them and misinformation can be found almost anywhere. We have to make our classrooms yet another source of change, a change toward social justice. The current educational system and traditions have failed too many students, and will continue to do so if we educators don’t work to improve it. We owe it to our students to center social justice and inclusion in our curri...

  The Trouble with Traditional Grammar Instruction Not many people have pleasant memories of grammar instruction from their school days. And who can blame them? Even as a self-confessed grammar nerd, I have to admit there’s not much to fondly remember. Who can find joy in endless red pen corrections with the sole purpose of highlighting exactly what you did wrong?  One common classroom practice that is slowly (and rightfully) being moved away from is Daily Oral Language (DOL). If that name isn’t familiar, the concept almost certainly will be. DOL exercises typically consist of a teacher projecting an erroneous sentence on the board and requesting that students mark up the sentence for mistakes, editing it until it is correct. DOL sounds like a good idea in theory, right? It seems like it would be quick, repetitive practice in an easy practice that forces students to engage in actively thinking about grammar. It sounds like it would build up their writing over time. In real...

  I recently had the privilege to attend the Kansas Association of Teachers of English (KATE) 2025 Conference, Empowering Voices, Inspiring Change: Navigating Change in Turbulent Times. As a pre-service teacher and an introvert to a fault, this was my first KATE conference, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I learned and the fact that I even enjoyed the experience. I was lucky enough to be able to attend every breakout session and learn from a diverse group of experienced educators and experts. Although I entered uncertain, worried that I was missing a day in the classroom and that I would just be overwhelmed, I left the conference feeling incredibly inspired and ready to make plans for my own future classroom. Spotlighting Reading in Your Classroom Every single Keynote speaker over the weekend was absolutely incredible, but the standout speaker was author and elementary educator Colby Sharp . Throughout his presentation, I found myself tearing up, and a look around the...

  On The Importance of Reading People don’t read about subjects that they don’t know about. So, when designing an antibias classroom, it is essential that both we educators and our students have access to a wide variety of books and other media in our classrooms to expand our worldview. As Tricia Ebarvia explains, books can be thought of as windows into other perspectives, letting us readers experience things we might never even think of or be able to empathize with otherwise. In addition to acting as windows, some books are more like mirrors, affirming a reader’s own life experience. Books are undoubtedly important, whether they act more like a mirror or a window. However, many students will only reach for mirrors. This isn’t their fault; it’s out of habit. Students will naturally gravitate toward the familiar. Additionally, many teenagers and young adults need the affirmation that a mirror-book can provide. As Ebarvia puts it, “students read what they need, whatever that may ...