Science Fiction for Dummies (or Dilettantes)

For me, science fiction boils down to whether you’re a galaxy far, far away person or a space, the final frontier person.

#Neveragain—No, Really

From San Antonio, you take I-35 S until you hit Hwy. 90W just outside of the city limits. You’ll then hit Castroville, which everyone pronounces Casterville and drive a bit before getting to D’hanis. After D’hanis, you’ll pass through Sabinal, then Knippa, and about an hour and twenty minutes later...

Mental Health Awareness: Parachutes

It’s not a secret that people compare American schools with other countries’ schools, and Chinese schools are known as some of the strictest in terms of exams—particularly their college entrance exams called gaokao. In Kelly Yang’s book Parachutes, this topic is introduced right away. We find out...

Author Q&A with Timm Freitas

Want to learn more about author and Garden of English creator Timm Freitas? Tune into our new Author Q&A series! Learn who inspired to become a teacher, play a game of "this or that" and find out what his REAL favorite subject is (spoiler alert: it's not English!)

Mental Health Awareness: Mind Your Head

Juno Dawson is a prominent transgender activist and writer. Known for her fact-driven books, she focuses on topics teens wonder about or need to understand to live healthily. Mind Your Head offers vital mental health information, This Book is Gay examines sexuality, and Being a Boy dials in on just...

Mental Health Awareness: Yolk

In Yolk, author Mary H.K. Choi portrays a pair of estranged sisters. They’ve grown apart following their childhood in Texas and now both live in New York City separately. June is three years older, very successful in her vile finance job, and Jayne is in college and a bit egregious and...

Mental Health Awareness: All the Bright Places

You know those books that you hug at the end? This is one of those books. All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven is just plain good—heartbreaking, sad, fun, eye opening, and well written. It has everything you need to make an impact on readers, especially those who struggle with mental health. 

Mental Health Awareness Month: You'd Be Home Now

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. It’s also the last full month of school for traditionally-scheduled districts. I think mental health is the last thing on our minds as we rush through final units, encourage students to turn in missing work, improve those failing grades to passing ones, and...

Inaugural Poetry Discoveries

Like lots of others, I didn’t discover Amanda Gorman until she graced the country with, well, her grace, her presence, and her poetry at the inauguration ceremony of President Biden.

Rock Star Poets

The “Greatest Hits” album. All the greats do it—Creedence Clearwater Revival, Tom Petty, Elton John, Madonna, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Mariah Carey—so it only makes sense that poets would do the same thing.