Does Gatsby Really Matter? Combating Apathy in the ELA Classroom

Given that lately I am as burnt out as they come, I found myself wanting to do something unusual.

September is Friendship Month!

September is here, which marks the start of the new school year, new routines, new classes, and new friendships! 

If You Build It, They Will Read

Last week during her first week of school, I had a conversation with a fresh-out-of-college-first-year teacher who was spending her evenings typing up grammar practice slides to keep students busy and, hopefully, ward off behavior issues. 

Dates, Death, and Dybbuks—Oy vey!

Earlier this summer, my oldest son was making random conversation at dinner about the foolishness of dating aphorisms, like how you shouldn’t talk about politics or religion on the first date. He asked if we could even imagine his brother, our middle child, on a date with someone who didn’t share...

10 Questions to Ask Yourself as You Set Up Your Classroom This Year

We needed that summer break. We deserved that summer break. As my students would say, no cap!

Donuts and Deals with the Devil: A Love Story in Space—Kind of

No cap, I have the worst singing voice in the world. Birds have dropped dead out of the sky upon hearing it. My children used to fall fast asleep just to stop any lullaby I started. Glassware has broken from the notes I’ve hit—granted people threw that glassware at me, but the fact stands: I have a...

Cuban Pastries, English Tea–No Berry

Unpopular opinion–British Baking Show is way overrated. Okay, very unpopular opinion. I just don’t like it and feel it my mission in life to de-cultify people from machinations of Mary Berry.

Hits, Hoverboards, and Alternate Realities

Back in the days before television screens were flat, before we had televisions in every room of the house, before crazy high screen resolutions let us see every line, wrinkle, and flaw on previously unflawed celebrities, I remember watching a boxing match during the Olympics with friends and...

A Magical Must-Have

It’s Stranger Things season four that everyone asks you if you’ve watched yet.

Immigrant and Refugee Stories: The Sun is Also a Star

From speaking with students I’ve taught over the past ten years and interviews conducted by my student journalists about Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), immigration, and being undocumented in the U.S., I've learned that getting to America is one journey—staying is another entirely.