(Crossposted to my junior classes’ blog.) Each week, for the Student Blogging Challenge, there are four steps: You’ll be able to read the week’s blog post at this website and follow the instructions for the week. I’ll also post a link to the current task here on our class blog, along with any clarifications I … Continue reading Who am I? (Blogging Challenge: Week One)
Author: Ms Smith
Learning is not a one-time thing, nor does it end when you stop attending an educational institution. Learning is something we do every day, every moment, and it is what creates and re-creates us. When we stop learning, we stop living. I teach high school English and Humanities, am passionate about reading and writing, and although not a techie, am fairly comfortable in the online world.
You can find me on Twitter or Instagram (rarely) under @mscsmith3, or on my personal blog at http://ontheroad.edublogs.org.
To blog or not to blog
In the end, it’s all about connection. Learning is being able to connect with ideas, with people, with new places and new situations, with yourself, with the world around us. Students learn better if their teacher can build a connection with them. We all learn better if we connect socially. Collectively, (connectively?) we are infinitely … Continue reading To blog or not to blog
An Invitation…
Dearest friend, It’s been ages since we’ve seen each other. I’m headed to Scotland for the winter break, but I wanted to have a chance to catch up before I leave. I’m holding a dinner party on the 22nd at 7:30, just you and a few other close friends. I hope you’ll be able to … Continue reading An Invitation…
Prompts, Pictures and Posts
Writers’ block is a luxury that career writers (and those in this class) cannot afford. We write every day in order to remind ourselves that writing is not only an act of creation and art (which it is) but also a skill that requires development and practice. Daily Writing, Read Like a Writer and Writers’ … Continue reading Prompts, Pictures and Posts
Be Grateful to Be Happy
There’s a lot of talk in our class about depression, about sorrow, about zombie apocalypses … you get the picture. So I thought perhaps it would be good for us to consider something more on the positive end of the spectrum this week. Years ago, I kept a gratitude journal. It was my New Year’s … Continue reading Be Grateful to Be Happy
The best of the best
This week, I wanted to share a couple of the blog posts our class produced. (We are an incredibly strong group of writers, though, so we also encourage you to check out the rest of our blogs down the right-hand side of the page.) December 2, 2016 “Everyday Superpowers” by Danielle “Fantastic Mistakes and Where … Continue reading The best of the best
Human beings were born to grow
Some years ago, I decided to go back to university to get a Master of Arts in English Literature. I knew the work was going to be difficult – especially since I was teaching full time even as I was going to school full time at night. But this was something I really wanted to … Continue reading Human beings were born to grow
Combining Nonfiction and Poetry like a Ninja!
Edited to include links to the senior writing class’ found poems at the end of this entry. After the absolute and utter failure of any of my writing students to respond to my poll about whether we should do genre studies with nonfiction or poetry next, I made the unilateral decision to start with nonfiction. … Continue reading Combining Nonfiction and Poetry like a Ninja!
Writing Celebration
We have finished our first term together as a writing community and would like to share the amazing pieces of writing that we (by which I mean they) have created so far. There are poems and short stories to explore in genres such as horror, romance, fantasy, fanfiction and realism. Our authors have worked incredibly … Continue reading Writing Celebration
Writing Community versus Writing Class
One of my favourite educational bloggers, George Couros, blogged today, “It is easy to say “go do this’, but much more powerful when we are able to say, ‘Let’s do this together.’” His post was about leadership (primarily in a school administrative sense), but the comment also expresses what I want with our Writing 12 … Continue reading Writing Community versus Writing Class