Teaching can be so draining because we often end up absorbing the emotions of our young people, and any negatives can build up like a clog in our own emotional plumbing. At the same time, we can experience the doubling of joy that comes with sharing, which can knock all the gunk loose.

Oh hiiiii! Guess who's presenting at the fall @wafltwa.bsky.social conference in Yakima? I'll see y'all there for two sessions!

A weird positive to having been stuck at home, sick, is that I’ve been missing my students. And it’s making me be like…woah, my work is cool. I like my kids. I like my job.

Day 4 of being home sick. I’m about to hit the Panic Button and assign a movie for my sub to show all my classes…running out of stuff for students to do more or less independently that’s unit content-related

"It’s easy to tell a simple story. Schools made a change, and we should go back. Nostalgia is a tempting narrative." I really really really wish the nuance/wisdom in this post was more of the norm in education discourse. fivetwelvethirteen.substack.com/p/dont-fall-...

Don’t Fall for a Simple Story

Sold a Story season two is coming

fivetwelvethirteen.substack.com

I have been obsessed with this game since learning about it, and have played it with all my classes in the past few weeks. Check out my blog post about The Survey Quiz Game! mrfishersays.com/the-survey-q...

The Survey Quiz Game: Instant Personalization and Repetition

I really have been trying to limit the amount of “new” I introduce into my teaching practice lately. It helps me stay focused, and lessens the paralysis I feel when sitting in front of …

mrfishersays.com

One mistake I made early on in teaching: relying 100% on the showing and not nearly enough on the telling, especially when it came to my own perspective. So a boring answer but important, I've found: I tell them. I'm intentional in sharing w/ them how much I love teaching, the purpose I see, etc.

Andrew Boryga@borywrites.bsky.social · last wk.

For my teachers: How do you show your students you genuinely love what you teach? Maybe it’s a tangent you can’t resist, a question that excites you, or a favorite text or problem you keep coming back to. What do you do, and how do your students respond? Let me know! I’m genuinely curious to hear.

I went with my husband to the Paramount Theater in Seattle last night to watch the movie "Metropolis" (1927) because my ASL teacher colleague was interpreting the opening and closing remarks and 1) that movie is just Right Now, except a hundred years ago and 2) ASL interpreters are SO RAD!!

Okay, well ⓵ I did way better than I thought I would and ⓶ definitely learned a few terms I had never heard of before! Anyone think they can beat 77% on this @edutopia.org quiz? www.edutopia.org/quiz/quiz-wh...

The Department of Education on Monday officially rescinded the Biden-era Title IX rule, which extended protections to LGBTQ students. The move, Education Secretary Linda McMahon said, will give parents “greater comfort” www.the74million.org/article/educ...

I've been playing this game with my classes and it is a BANGER. Write statements using target vocabulary & kids from class. Have class guess if they're true/false. Ask the kids. +1 point per correct guess. Then PQA the hell out of it. SO COOL todallycomprehensiblelatin.blogspot.com/2026/09/true...

On today, the day after Back to School Night, we will be reflectionmaxxing, in-class gamemaxxing, Herr Fisher-Rodriguez sittingmaxxing -

Gave a survey to my level 3 and 4 students and on average, they want to read about 40 minutes a week in German...yes...yes...all according to my plan...

I NEVER regret giving students a survey asking how things are going in class, what they need, what they want to learn. I always learn so much, and it becomes a great puzzle-like challenge for me as a teacher to put together all the needs and wants.

Dang, the beginning of the year crud has struck. Lots of missing kids in each class. Doing salt water rinses, drinking vitamin C, and washing my hands obsessively from now until forever

I really enjoyed this book! Chapters are short and to-the-point, and what I learned was easy to apply to my own content area. Recommend!

Pooja K. Agarwal@retrievelearn.bsky.social · 2w ago

Explore innovative learning strategies with my book "Smart Teaching Stronger Learning," co-written with 10 cognitive scientists (who are also teachers!). Get your copy today and dive into proven methods to enhance student success.

I need to stop hanging out with my PLC, they got me acting wild and crazy and (checks notes) submitting spontaneous session proposals to my state conference!

I've been toying with this idea for a while, and on Monday, I'm finally going to do it: We're going to have a gender reveal party, but for German nouns.

Me to class of 39: "Sorry I haven't got your compositions back to you, I accidentally scheduled it for the same day 2 of my other classes wrote compositions & I haven't had time to catch up." Student: "But, hear me out, if you didn't EVER assign anything...then you wouldn't have anything to grade!"

“In my class of 39” shouldn’t be allowed to be something teachers say

Ben Fisher-Rodriguez@mrfishersays.bsky.social · 3w ago

Yeah in my class of 39, I am really struggling to have any little rapport-building conversations during work times. So many needs, so much energy to manage.

Did a Condensing Content activity today: students took a reading, copied the 5 sentences they thought summarized the story best, and then had to come to a consensus with a partner about 5 sentences. Rereading, speaking the sentences aloud, listening, reasoning, building writing muscles...

Just walked into my ASL teacher colleague's classroom, and two former students (brothers!) had come just to chat it up with him in ASL. Warmed my lil heart!! Kids notice the love we put into our work!!!!

We rounded up teachers’ strongest bell ringer activities! 🔔

23 Bell Ringers Teachers Love

We asked teachers for their favorite ways to start class. Nearly 400 responded—here are some of their best ideas.

edutopia.org

Accidentally increasing my percentage of Target Language Usage because I get annoyed at having to speak English, my native language

This is still the best metaphor

Paulrus of West Bumblefrick@paulrusof.bsky.social · 3w ago

Good stuff.

This echoes a study we read for the pod re: school improvement: teachers who engaged in peer observation showed great growth in their teaching (vs. evaluative visits by administrators). BUT: time needs to built into their day for reflection, observation, and discussion. slayyypod.com/p/ep-07-slay...

Ep. 07 SLAyyy Observations

Gaslight: When have observations not been ideal?

slayyypod.com

Aaron Ainsworth@ajainsworth.bsky.social · 3w ago

I’m excited to share a new EdWorkingPaper with @andydebarros.bsky.social. Evaluations are an increasingly common way school systems globally are trying to help teachers improve, but is more always better? A 🧵 doi.org/10.26300/ms3...

What's happening with Alpha School is a massive scandal. It is the Theranos of education. What they are doing to children, denying the help of adults so they can beta test software, is *immoral*. I have worked in education for 20 years, this is the worst actor I've ever come across.

I'm still in the part of the year where we're setting up routines and it is SO ANNOYING. Organize your binder this way, turn assignments in this way, respond to my questions this way. UGH. But man, when all of the routines are hitting in a couple weeks and we're just in 100% Learn Mode...worth it.

Ben got to meet Sara Lee in person this weekend! We interviewed Sara on episode 15 about supporting students with dyslexia: rss.com/podcasts/sla...

Ep. 15: SLAyyy Supporting Students with Dyslexia with Sara Lee | Podcast Episode on RSS.com

GaslightLack of Training and PreparationReading IEPs and 504sDiagnosis - or No?Gatekeep - Sara Lee, 2024 Southwest Conference on Language Teaching TOYFormative Assessment to Evaluate Strengths and Nee...

rss.com

Ben Fisher-Rodriguez@mrfishersays.bsky.social · 4w ago

Really enjoyed learning from GEM Sara Lee about serving students with ADHD, autism, and dyslexia!