eSCAping Type 1

Since this is the first September in 25 years that I’m not excitedly going back to school, I’d love to instead share some teaching tips for anyone out there who’s brave enough to be educating teenagers for a living. 

To prove that other teachers should read this, let me throw some credentials at you: I taught high school English for eight years (all grade levels, plus A.P. Literature), have a Masters in Literacy, and three NYS teaching certifications. And, I mean, if you want to put a “teaching with a disability” label on this, I did this all with a chronic illness. So, there you go.

I’ve actually been advised NOT to do this post, since it isn’t my blog niche.  If you’re not a teacher, I’m afraid you won’t find much interest in reading this. But it’s my way of coping with resigning, and not everything has to be about Ataxia, remember? 

So, as I tell my AP students while writing essays, let’s stop wasting the reader’s time & get right to the point, shall we?

Tip #1: Google It!

Google is, perhaps, the most useful tool out there. It is so much more than a Search Engine. It’s free. You can access documents anywhere there’s internet access. It automatically saves everything as you work. There’s unlimited storage. Need I go on? The amount of time and stress the internet saved me is unreal. Specifically these two programs:

Docs: When I couldn’t physically write anymore, those Erin Condren planners couldn’t save me, no matter how pretty they were. So, I did ALL of my planning using Google Docs. And you should, too. You can add emphasis with a quick font size or color change, you can link websites and online assignments so everything you need is a click away, it’s easy to make changes when things don’t go to plan, and then have a record of exactly what you accomplished with each class on each day, you can completely customize everything so it’s exactly what you need…

I also had my students use Google Docs to write collaborative essays, since multiple users can work on the same doc at the same time, using different computers.

Classroom: It is entirely worth your time to learn how to use this & to teach your students.

My favorite part is how students can submit essays online, and then you can type a billion comments, edit their grammar, grade it, and submit it back to them as soon as you’re done. No more printer issues, forgotten papers, grading hand cramps, accidental wine (I mean, water) spills…  Plus if they use Google Docs (which they should), you can creepily view a history to see exactly what they typed & when they typed it. Which means it can also help them learn time management, because it eliminates a whole ton of excuses.

There’s so much more that Classroom offers: polls, quizzes, discussion boards, fast & easy communication. I love(d) it.

 

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Tip #2: Stick to a Routine

I honestly believe no matter what age or subject you teach, having a routine is essential to accomplishing anything.

For example, my students had a Bell Ringer every single day. They knew, without me telling them, to sit down with their notebooks open and start writing when the bell rang. The prompt, displayed as they walked in on my projector, was sometime vocabulary or grammar or creative writing or a brainstorm…

No matter what lesson we were covering, they knew exactly what was expected for the first three minutes every single day as soon as they entered the room. And this never changed.

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Tip #3: Use YouTube

Why go through the stress of finding, planning, & paying for a guest speaker when there is a free endless supply at your fingertips, who you can watch ahead of time to know exactly what they’ll say?

There’s this stigma that watching videos in class is for lazy teachers, that kids stop paying attention once you turn off the lights. But you know when they really stop paying attention? When they hear only your voice for hours at end. Don’t get me wrong – group activities are where it’s at. But sometimes you have to lecture. Sometimes that really is the best technique to use. And that’s when to utilize YouTube.

Don’t let the videos do all the work; just pepper your speech with short clips to offer different perspectives & keep students’ attention.  John Greene was essentially my co-teacher. I also used Ted Talks for everything, movie trailers to introduce texts, Pixar shorts to teach theme, and author interviews to supplement books.

Tip #4: Stuff to Buy

Spending your own money on supplies isn’t ideal. However, here’s my list of essential items I could not survive without:

(This part contains Affiliate Links, which means I may earn some money at no additional cost to you if you use these links to buy these items. Though I recommend them regardless…)

Flair Pens: They come in so many colors, don’t bleed or run, and made grading bearable & my heart happy.

Label Maker: When Ataxia took away my writing abilities, I used this to make personal comments on worksheets.

Envelope Address Stickers: Printing your own stickers can make so many things easier: class rosters for labeling, Bitmojis for fun, numbers for grading…

Washi Tape: You never know when you need to divide up your white board, or make floor markers for games, or make a pencil pretty… The beautiful design variety of Washi tape makes you want to invent reasons to use it.File Folders: Whenever students turned in an assignment, I’d put it right in their designated class folder. If a folder had papers in it, I knew grading had to be done. (Graded papers were immediately moved to the Return Bin.) I highly recommend getting one set of good folders that won’t bend or rip or fold, no matter how many times you put them in your bag to go home and then leave them in there.

Single Serve Coffeemaker: Sure, we had a Keurig in the Teacher’s Lounge, but I can’t walk well, soooo… If you’re allowed to have a cheap one in your classroom, do it. First off, making coffee (or tea, or hot chocolate) keeps you awake while making your room smell delicious. Plus you can also use it to make Ramen, or EZMac, or soup, etc. for lunch.

Tip #5: Hello, Bitmoji!

I highly recommend creating a Bitmoji, for no other reason than it will provide you with bouts of entertainment throughout the day. Sure, it’s getting to be an old fad, and your students will not find it cool (though you might get some laughs) but it’s a great way to “professionally” express emotion and add a personal touch to whatever you want.

I primarily used her on my giant wall calendar to mark holidays and such. But I also threw her in my syllabus, and some worksheets, and Bell Ringers, and emails. You can also print some stickers out and use them for comments/grading. Have fun!

 

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Tip #6: Collaboration is Key

My school only had two English teachers total, so collaboration was sort of a given. And while she was an amazing coworker (and friend), there are only so many ideas TWO people can devise.

Enter Teachers Pay Teachers.

For those who don’t know, it’s a website with over “3 million resources” that other teachers have made, used, perfected, and then uploaded for you to purchase. If you need a worksheet on comma use, someone made that. If you’re struggling to keep attention during Lord of the Flies, someone else made an activity when they had that problem. Students just don’t understand rhetorical strategies, no matter what you do? Ah, there’s a game that 23 other teachers have used and swear by. It is such a helpful resource that lets you spend time actually teaching and having a life, because someone out there already did the work for you.

Also, Instagram. #iteachtoo #secondaryela 

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Tip #7: Teach What You Love

Of all the things that make me sad about resigning, I am genuinely depressed over the fact that I will no longer teach The Great Gatsby. Between the Soap Opera-like plot, my love/hate relationship with the characters, the overwhelming symbolism, Leo’s spot-on portrayal of Gatz, and Jake Gyllenhaul’s dreamy audiobook voice… I spent five weeks on it every year and never even came close to getting sick of it.

Which brings me to my final piece of advice: teach what you love. And if you don’t love it, pretend you do. (Don’t get me started on Nathaniel Hawthorne…) Great teachers are oftentimes great actors.

But really, if you’re not enjoying the lesson, I highly doubt your students are. So, figure out a way to make it fun for YOU. I know that’s easier said than done. How math teachers make anything fun is beyond me. But it’s worth the time and effort to actually enjoy what you’re doing (even if it’s only once a week).