This is what I'm up against. The battle against cell phones in the classroom is real, and I'm losing. Not only do students routi...

Last week’s blog was about strategies I already use in the classroom to save time grading homework, quizzes, and in-class assignments. S...

At the beginning of every quarter, I make the same goal: cut down on grading time. Since I teach composition classes, this inherently i...

What can you do when it's just before the holidays, your students can't concentrate, and you've depleted your bag of tricks? T...

 Halloween is the perfect time to bring some seasonal materials into your lesson plan. Here are some great ideas I found that you might be...

Before we begin a research paper in my composition classes, we start with a summary/response essay. I find that if students master the ski...

Descriptive writing prompts are a great way to get a writing sample at the beginning of the year. They are also a good warm-up for a na...