[This piece was publishing by the Public School Notebook in June.] I choose to teach in the School District of Philadelphia. I don’t choose to teach in the District because the pay is lower and the physical conditions are worse than comparable suburban teaching jobs, or because class sizes are large and the bureaucracy and […]Read Post ›
[Cross-posted on Edutopia] Teaching would not be possible without time devoted to reflection and rejuvenation. In the same way that crops need to be rotated so that soil can be replenished, teachers need time away from the classroom to rediscover different parts of their identities and return to classrooms and students with renewed joy, creative […]Read Post ›
[Cross-posted on Edutopia] I remember the first time we put a brush in my then two-year-old daughter’s hand. Perched on the edge of tiny a red chair at her wooden table, she quickly realized she could use the blueberry juice we had placed in a cup to create unique marks on the page. It was […]Read Post ›
[Cross-posted on Edutopia] Sharing my rough writing with others is a miserable experience. I know that outside input is a crucial part of revision, yet I squirm uncomfortably as those I trust make comments and probe with questions. Inevitably I begin to feel resentment grow as I am forced to reevaluate passages that I thought were […]Read Post ›
[Cross-posted on Edutopia] I had been trying to start class for several minutes. Our normal post-weekend check-in had failed. Instead of hearing updates from each other, students were having side conversations about the school dance. Once I regained everyone’s attention, two girls walked in late and the whole class stopped to watch as they gave […]Read Post ›
Mr J Block 