Proof That Writing Rubrics in Oklahoma Are Designed to Fail Your Kids

I’ve been an English teacher for over 20 years. I know how to teach students to write essays. It is in my blood. I can usually take any student from a mediocre writer or a poor writer to a functional writer. I have worked in districts with zero vertical team and a micromanaging vertical team.

An 8 Step Collaborative Essay Lesson Plan Tailored to Your Student’s Needs

Let’s face it. Many of the prompts your state provides for your students are boring. The students will diligently write to the prompt, but the prompts are usually out of touch with current issues or topics that interest your students. So what is the answer? *Note: Before you launch this lesson plan, be sure to

The Day Job

School has been in session for a week and a half now and I must admit I am somewhat overwhelmed at times.  I have decided to start out the year teaching 11th graders a hard and fast course in grammar. The first week was nearly a wash in that we had two days of orientation,