AI in the Classroom: From Shortcut to Scaffold

Teaching students to prompt AI well isn't a workaround for critical thinking — it's an extension of it. Here's how shifting AI use to the revision and stress-testing phase builds the analytical skills history and ELA classrooms are actually designed to develop.

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EPL Needs to Give Man City the SMU Treatment

IMHO ManCity punishment should be: - it's ownership needs to be stripped and sold. -all players get a first pick on transfers. -all player agents knowingly involved need to be restricted and tossed out of EPL at the minimum but all UEFA leagues would be ideal. -all transfer fees for players are equal to original fees paid and go to charities of the players choice not new owners. -finally 100 point deduction and at least 2 year mandatory relegation. Additionally, the soccer oligarchs need to know they can't cook the books or launder their blood money in EPL or UEFA anymore. As a former Chelsea fan, this is why I don't want to support them anymore either.

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The Heart of the Final Frontier: Revisiting the Genesis Trilogy

Before streaming, science fiction was a scarce treat; you caught Star Wars when a network aired it and waited for Star Trek to turn up on TV. For me, three films defined everything. The Wrath of Khan, The Search for Spock, and The Voyage Home form one continuous story about hubris, friendship, and repair, and together they built the Star Trek we still picture today.

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Batman Day 2026

Be sure to head to your local comic book store today. It's Batman Day and there'll be new comics available and special one shots dealing with classic characters and some new stories. One of the things I'm really excited about is the new Hush 2 omnibus that's coming out. I look forward to getting a chance to read that story and the Batman 89 series with a digital code to own the movie too.

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A Young Voice Lost

I was saddened to hear of the passing of NPR culture editor Rose Friedman. Her work on the Book Concierge now called Books We Love was one the main ways I heard of new the great reads. We have lost a great editor and creative voice.  NPR Obit: Rose Friedman

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What If the United States Had Sent Troops to Cuba — With Longstreet in Command?

Cuban independence, the Ten Years' War, and the consequences of one general's absence from New Orleans Historical Grounding In October 1868, a sugar planter named Carlos Manuel de Céspedes walked to the slave quarters of his estate in eastern Cuba, called his enslaved workers together, and told them they were free. Then he rang the bell at La Demajagua to summon his neighbors to revolution against Spanish colonial rule. What followed was ten years of brutal guerrilla warfare -- the Ten Years' War (1868-1878) -- in which Cuban rebels fought Spain to something approaching a draw before finally accepting a negotiated peace that delivered neither independence nor immediate emancipation.

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What If Longstreet Had Been Delayed — and the Battle of Liberty Place Became a Massacre?

In September 1874, the White League's coup in New Orleans threatened Reconstruction, highlighting Rodolphe Desdunes' pivotal role in civil rights, especially in the historic Plessy v. Ferguson case.

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Introducing The American Crisis: Teaching the Civil War Era

A five-part series on the Civil War era built for educators — thematic, primary-source-driven, and focused on the questions that connect 1861 to the present. Start here.

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What If: The Red Summer That Lasted

The post-World War I labor unrest in America, if effectively coordinated, could have led to a revolutionary movement, fundamentally changing society and politics.

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Geographic Renaming by Executive Order: Why Process Matters in the Classroom (and in History)

Renaming places matters; how you do it matters more. What New Zealand and Australia teach us about geographic justice and why the process shapes what students learn.

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Belonging Before Proving: How Ted Develops Leaders by Creating Space First

Ted Lasso's real genius isn't inspiration talks. It's creating belonging first, then watching leadership emerge. Roy becomes a mentor. Jamie transforms. Nate spirals. Here's what their arcs teach us about developing students.

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Beyond Proving: Women Athletes, Belonging, and the Fight Against Exploitation

What if women athletes didn't have to grind themselves into nothing to prove women's sports matter? Ted Lasso's Season 3 asks this question. Keeley, Rebecca, and the team show what belonging-first leadership looks like.

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The Wisdom of Coach Beard: Creating Classroom Space for Growth Through Reading and Interconnection

#CoachBeard isn't the obvious heart of #TedLasso. But his reading life—carefully built across multiple texts about systems, strategy, and interconnection—offers educators a philosophy for creating the conditions where students genuinely grow and learn.

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Ted Lasso and the Power of Literary Connections

What does Ted Lasso teach us about reading? More than you'd think. The show's careful attention to matching the right book to the right reader at the right moment offers a framework for thinking intentionally about classroom culture and student growth.

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Book Review: Hiroshima by John Hersey

A classroom-ready review of John Hersey's Hiroshima for high school history and ELA teachers. Covers narrative nonfiction, WWII remembrance, and discussion questions.

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Sports In Politics: FIFA 2030 World Cup Rights Sale

UEFA has voted unanimously to boycott the 2030 World Cup if FIFA proceeds with selling media rights to private investors. This isn't just a dispute over broadcasting contracts—it represents a fundamental corruption of how international sports governance should function, with implications for global tournaments and the principle of democratic accountability in international institutions.

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CAMPEONES 2026

Congrats to La Roja for an amazing tournament.

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Forever Now: Switchfoot Comes Home to the Guitars

Switchfoot's Forever Now is a joyful pivot back to the band's heavier, guitar-driven roots; think Nothing Is Sound and Native Tongue more than "Dare You to Move." With surf-rock echoes on "Ride or Die" and a title track that turns faith into a call to action, this is the most alive the band has sounded in years. #MusicReview #Switchfoot #ForeverNow

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What Kind of Nation Are We at 250?

On America's 250th birthday, we still hold these truths to be self-evident. Launching a year-long US History series for educators at BFWClassroom.com. Government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish. #America250 #eduhistory

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Independence, Imagination, and the Long Arc of Freedom: July 2026

"Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point." — C.S. Lewis (fellow Inkling and close friend of J.R.R. Tolkien) July arrives in full summer heat, and with it comes the deep American impulse to celebrate. But July has always been more than fireworks and barbecues; it is the month when the nation’s most fundamental questions — who belongs, who is free, who counts — come into sharpest focus.

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Not At ISTE 2026?

Can't make it to ISTE this year? Adobe's #NotAtISTE brings the conference to you. Three days of live streams and Instagram Lives covering creative archetypes, comic creation, and student collaboration tools. Join in, create, and share your work!

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Their Words, Your Classroom

Three classroom-ready oral history assignments using Adobe Podcast — student portfolios, semester reflections, and community interviews for high school social studies. #AdobeEduCreative #NotAtISTE #SummerPD #EdTech

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Teaching Toward Truth: A Reflection on the 2026 TOLI Summer Institute

TOLI seminar at Berea College transformed the author's approach to teaching human rights, shifting from isolated lessons to a comprehensive framework, emphasizing collective responsibility and community engagement in understanding history and its impact on students. #TOLI #USHMM #BereaCollege #UKY

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Summer 2026: Professional Learning and New Curriculum

A Kentucky social studies educator shares his summer 2026 professional development plans — Holocaust education, the 14th Amendment, and America 250. #2026KEDC #TOLI #BelferConference #USHMM #America250

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The Most American Team on Earth

The U.S. men's national soccer team achieved a historic 4-1 victory over Paraguay, showcasing a diverse roster of dual nationals. This celebration underscores the importance of the 14th Amendment and birthright citizenship, positioning immigration as integral to American identity. The team's success represents unity and the essence of belonging in America.

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Audiobook Review: The World of Tolkien

Dimitra Fimi's Great Courses lecture series on Tolkien is essential listening for teachers. Thirty-minute episodes, expert scholarship, and a standout lecture on gender and race make this a classroom must. #Audiobook #BookReview #Tolkien

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The Devil’s Bible by Steve Berry

Berry's latest Cotton Malone thriller has a sharp geopolitical premise—but the Thirty Years War history that inspired it never gets the room it deserves. #BookReview #SteveBerry

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What If: Edict of Nantes Had Never Been Revoked

Louis XIV's revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685 led to significant Huguenot emigration, causing economic decline in France and political repercussions across Europe.

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Book Review: The Thirty Years’ War: Europe’s Tragedy

Peter H. Wilson's The Thirty Years' War: Europe's Tragedy, a comprehensive 33-hour audiobook, deciphers the complexities of the Thirty Years' War beyond the religious conflict narrative. It reveals shifting alliances and the war's long-term impact on European politics. Ideal for advanced high school and undergraduate courses, it emphasizes historical nuance and methodological rigor.

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AI In The Classroom: The Architect’s Dilemma

AI agents can make classroom activities run more smoothly — and quietly remove the cognitive friction that made them worth doing. Here's how to design AI-assisted activities that preserve metacognitive load instead of offloading it.

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