Despite the busyness, I’ve managed to squeeze in a few minutes of Substack reading here and there. Here are the educational takes that stood out to me.

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The Science of Education — Paul Kirschner

Paul Kirschner

The Science of Education

Dunglish checked by ChatGPT…

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15 days ago · 56 likes · 10 comments · Paul Kirschner

Paul Kirschner is an educational psychologist, researcher, and emeritus (retired) Professor of Educational Psychology from Open University in the Netherlands. In this article, he unearths psychologist and educational reformer John Dewey’s The Sources of a Science of Education (1929), and makes an argument that applying individual research findings directly to classroom practice misapplies scientific practices on a fundamental level. Implicity in his article is the thought that, instead of using research to engender further questioning and challenge, schools, instead, welcome new research-based frameworks–blindly almost–as one-size-fits-all solutions to their complex problems, enforcing fidelity to such frameworks in search of desirable statistical outcomes. This notion is especially relevant for teachers, who year after year find themselves navigating new district initiatives and instructional frameworks labeled “evidence-based,” yet are hardly ever effective. Kirschner doesn’t imply that these frameworks don’t work. They can. But they shouldn’t be treated through a black-and-white lens. Research creates new questions as often as it answers old ones, and a single finding only captures part of the problem and part of the solution.

My Takeaways

• “Science should improve the quality of a teacher’s judgment and not replace judgment with compliance.”

• Don’t confuse one “evidence-based” study as a classroom prescription.

• Just because something is labeled “research-based” doesn’t make it universally effective.

• Human beings are complicated; the research changes as often as we do.

Emily Hanford’s Story Was Basically Wrong — Michael Pershan

Pershmail

Emily Hanford's Story Was Basically Wrong

Back in November 2022, shortly after the release of “Sold a Story,” Emily Hanford took to Twitter to address critiques of her work…

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24 days ago · 51 likes · 32 comments · Michael Pershan

Michael Pershan is a New York-based teacher and writer who uses this opinion piece to push back against the simplified narrative surrounding Emily Hanford’s reporting on literacy and phonics. When I started reading the piece, I couldn’t help but notice a much larger social tendency: we love a scapegoat. Read the New Yorker’s recent article on Fauci and you’ll see a similar story. There’s nothing like blaming one person for the fault of many. But like Sorkin puts it, “idolatry is a group effort.”

To make something as complex as a reading program actually work, it would require immense support—and this is something many, if not all, schools are severely lacking in. Pershan says that “the daily conditions of teaching pull towards meh-ness.” In an attempt to rationalize the difficulty of implementation, he illuminates the classroom conditions that teachers are actually operating under: max-capacity student rosters, limited planning time, growing accommodations, and limited intervention resources. He argues that implementing any instructional approach with fidelity is far more complicated than it sounds on paper. Actually, it’s almost impossible.

So, yes, Emily Hanford was wrong about phonics. She was wrong about teacher’s reluctance to teach it. It’s not that they didn’t want to or try to, they simply couldn’t.

My Takeaways

• Was Hanford wrong about phonics? Yes. Should she be burned at the stake? No.

• It’s not that teachers don’t want to teach phonics. They do, but the conditions are not always conducive to maximum learning potential.

• Be wary of turning complicated educational problems into simple stories with simple villains.

• A strategy can work in theory and still be incredibly difficult to implement.

The Importance of Sentence Study — Kelly Gallagher

Kelly Gallagher

The importance of sentence study

In 1963, noted educator, author, and researcher Francis Christensen said, “We think naturally in primer sentences, progress naturally to compound sentences, and must be taught to combine the primer sentences into complex sentences—and that complex sentences are the mark of maturity.” (italics emphasis are mine). Christensen’s theory was simple: Becoming…

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16 days ago · 49 likes · 5 comments · Kelly Gallagher

Kelly Gallagher’s article is, plainly speaking, about why studying sentence types is critical to producing strong writers. But there really is something in his work that can be applied to any teacher, English or not. And that is: revision is the key to mastery. Gallagher doesn’t teach a skill once and move on. He intentionally revisits concepts his students are still struggling with, giving them opportunities to return to their notes, practice again, and demonstrate their understanding. If you’re familiar with AVID strategies, it has Focused Note-Taking written all over it.

What I find most admirable about Gallagher’s teaching philosophy, and why I always go back to reading his work, is his dedication to fostering student agency and accountability. He writes, “I might say: “I noticed that some of you are still having trouble with FANBOY sentences. Because of this I will continue to ask for them on random Friday quizzes. If you are still having trouble, revisit your writer’s notebook—you have written the rules down and have examples there.” Instead of endlessly reteaching the same rules to the same bored class and eating up instructional time, he puts the ball back in the student’s court. The learning becomes theirs.

My Takeaways

• “I didn’t teach the skill once and move on; I recycled it frequently in an attempt to motivate students to learn it.”

• Revision is the key to mastery.

• Don’t teach a skill once and assume students have mastered it.

• Recycle previously taught concepts frequently.

• Use student struggles to determine what you revisit (responsive teaching).

• Maintain high expectations for your students and their abilities.

Students Should Only Use AI for Things They Already Know How to Do Well - Daniel Willingham

Daniel Willingham

Students should only use AI for things they already know how to do well.

Most educators agree that there should be some guardrails regarding how students use AI in their independent work. Here, I argue for this guiding principle: Students should only use AI for things that they already know how to do well…

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14 days ago · 194 likes · 20 comments · Daniel Willingham

I don’t want to beat the dead horse with AI. At this point, most of us can agree with the basic premise that students shouldn’t outsource thinking they haven’t yet learned how to do themselves. But the question I’ve been struggling with is: when do we actually know they’ve learned it? Or, at least, learned enough to use AI?

Psychologist and professor Daniel Willingham points out that students work to produce essays, solve math problems, and complete assignments, but claims that those products are seldom the point of learning.

The point, he indicated, is the mental process required to complete it—and the learning that happens throughout that process. This is where the conversation around AI gets interesting. We can talk about AI as a scaffold, but if the technology removes the very thinking students are supposed to practice, what exactly are we scaffolding? And while AI can theoretically help students critique their work or generate counterarguments, we also have to account for human nature: why oh why would a student willingly choose the harder mental path when the easier one is sitting right in front of them?

They don’t. And I don’t blame them. I would too, if I was twelve.

This is one of the many reasons why I’m keeping AI out of my classrooms this year and using mostly pencil and paper.

My Takeaways

• AI becomes problematic when it removes the thinking we’re asking students to practice.

• Students need foundational knowledge before they can meaningfully evaluate AI output.

• The product isn’t always the point; the thinking required to create the product is.

• Before using AI, ask: What thinking are my students supposed to be doing?

• A new technology isn’t automatically a better solution.

How Nicholas Ferroni Is Rewiring His Classroom for Human Connection — Podcast

Nicholas Ferroni is a high school history teacher and well-known education activist who has, undeniably, made his way to your Instagram or Tiktok algorithm at one point or another. On the latest episode of Edutopia’s School of Practice, he discusses his experience in dialing back the role of technology in the classroom and what it could mean for other classrooms around the country.

The detrimental effects we’ve seen in this heightened technological age are impossible to ignore with kids, and even adults, being more isolated than ever. According to a 2022 Pew Research report, 46% of teens indicate they are online “almost constantly,” which has coincided with growing concerns around emotional dysregulation, depression, and social anxiety. This isn’t hard to observe. When screens become the default way we communicate, learn, and entertain ourselves, they can also become a distraction from the very things we’re trying to accomplish. Another 2022 study on tweens and teenagers’ screen use found that, “In learning contexts, using digital tools activate… a leisure context model, which will favor non-optimal learning behaviors, including shallow attention and distraction.”

As educators, I think we need to be intentional about creating opportunities for students to disconnect from technology—not just to enhance their learning experience, but to really connect socially with one another. For educators who would like to create a less tech-reliant classroom, one way to start would be to host a Tech-Free Friday, as Ferroni suggests. As the name implies: a Friday with no technology. I tried it a few times last year around the holidays and noticed students getting creative with what they brought and finding more commonalities with each other than they otherwise might have.

My Takeaways

• Students can be surprisingly engaged by analog learning (mine love taking notes)

• Keep technology for things where it genuinely adds value: presentations, research, and—for me—warm-ups.

• Not every learning experience needs to be technologically advanced.

• Sometimes the best solution is simply removing what’s getting in the way.

I hope you have found value in this August 2026 installment of The Educator’s Digest.

As always, happy teaching.

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Five years into teaching, and I still get nervous when August rolls around. This is because the first week is filled with uncertainty: we don’t know our students yet, we haven’t established any rapport, and we don’t know what they’re bringing into our classrooms. It’s also a time when students are trying to figure us out. In these first weeks, they decide if we are the kind of teachers who stick to our expectations in the face of hardships or the kind who don’t.

My first year of teaching, I made the mistake of thinking that as long as I was nice to my students, they would naturally respect me and the classroom would more or less manage itself. Not only was I wrong, but I was left paying for it in daily after school crying sessions where I drafted my reteaching procedures in a fierce attempt to regain any control I could over instructional time.

To help myself—and hopefully help you—placate those back-to-school jitters, I’ve curated a collection of articles, essays, and podcasts that help shape the way I think about teaching, classroom culture, and the first few weeks of school.

It’s important to note that these aren’t one-size-fits-all solutions. Instead, I’d encourage you to think of them more as frameworks to help you reflect on the kind of teacher you want to be.

Most of these resources focus on setting expectations early and reinforcing them so they stick. If we get that part right, it ends up saving instructional time, preserving our sanity, and making learning a whole lot more enjoyable for everyone involved.

Integrating Good Teaching and Classroom Management - Fred Jones

One of the biggest misconceptions this article challenged for me is the idea that classroom management and instruction are separate things. Fred Jones argues that many behavior problems stem from ineffective teaching rather than student defiance. When students spend most of the lesson listening instead of doing, engagement declines and the opportunity for distraction intensify.

The best method, according to Jones, is simple: Input, Output, Input, Output, Input, Output, where students are actively engaging with, grappling with, and practicing the skills being taught.

Rob Henderson, in an essay titled The Paradox of Work, writes, “People say they want comfort but feel better when tasked with challenges that match their skills.” The same is true of students. We prevent undesirable outcomes when we challenge students—not by meeting them exactly where they are, but by standing just beyond their current abilities and encouraging them to move forward and to meet us there.

My Takeaways

• Excessive teacher talk can muddy your teaching potential.

• Students should be doing the heavy lifting.

• The most effective lesson structure is: Input, Output, Input, Output.

• Use the Say, See, Do model:

  • Explain the skill or concept.

  • Model the skill or concept.

  • Have students practice independently while you coach and provide feedback.

• Learning takes place one step at a time.

• Use formative assessments frequently:

  • A/B partner talk

  • Cold calls

  • Exit tickets

• If students are disengaged, ask yourself whether you’ve given them meaningful work that actually challenges them.

A Step-by-Step Guide on How to Set Expectations - The Unteachables Podcast with Claire English

Claire English is a veteran teacher and host of The Unteachables Podcast. I stumbled across her work this summer while searching for new educational media and immediately found her practical approach to classroom expectations invaluable.

My Takeaways

• Telling students something is different from teaching it.

• Effective instruction follows the cycle:

  • Explain, Model, Practice, Correct, Practice, Refine

• Prioritize expectations rather than rules.

  • Instead of saying:

    • “Do not talk while others are speaking.”

  • Try:

    • “Students in this class listen while others are speaking.”

• Model every expectation you want students to follow.

• Use “If, Then” statements to maintain accountability.

• Consider expectations through three lenses:

  • Student to teacher

  • Teacher to student

  • Student to student

When Your Classroom Management Goes Off the Rails - Jennifer Gonzalez, Cult of Pedagogy

As teachers, and as human beings, we often want to be liked. It feels good to be well received. We want students to feel comfortable around us, and we want our classrooms to be safe spaces. But this article reminded me that safety comes at a price.

That price is firm structure, expectations, and accountability.

Jennifer Gonzalez discusses Michael Grinder’s distinction between being approachable (liked) and being credible (respected). Many teachers lean heavily into being approachable because they fear that enforcing expectations will damage relationships. In reality, however, credibility strengthens relationships because students know what to expect.

Students, I’ve found, love structure as much as they claim they don’t. Expectations communicate safety, consistency, and care.

My Takeaways

• Inconsistent reinforcement weakens expectations over time.

• If classroom culture begins to slip, reset expectations and start fresh.

• Students will test boundaries—especially after a reset.

• Being credible does not mean sacrificing relationships.

• Students feel safest when expectations are clear and consistently enforced.

• Temporary discomfort often leads to long-term success.

• Ask yourself:

  • What do I want to see from my students?

  • Am I modeling that myself?

• We set the emotional tone of the room.

The First Day of School and The First Five Minutes - Harry Wong

I’ve attached two essays from Wong that I’ve found invaluable over the years—The First Day of School (annotated) and The First Five Minutes. After five years in this profession, I can confidently say that the tone for the rest of the school year is set on the first day of school. Similarly, the tone fro the rest of each class period is often set in the first five minutes of class.

Both articles provides strategies for making those “firsts” run efficiently and intentionally. It also offers examples from teachers across different subject areas, which can be helpful for informing your own procedures.

First Day of School (annotated)

First Five Minutes

My Takeaways

• Always begin class with a purposeful warm-up.

• Effective warm-ups generally fall into three categories:

  1. Practice of previously learned skills

  2. Activating background knowledge

  3. Student self-assessment

• Make positive expectations visible.

• Challenge students appropriately:

  1. Too easy = boredom

  2. Too hard = frustration

• The first days of school set the tone for the rest of the year.

• Assign seats from day one.

• Introduce yourself in a positive, confident way.

• Effective teachers have procedures for:

  • Beginning class

  • Dismissal

  • Absent students

  • Seeking help

  • Turning in work

  • Moving around the room

  • Getting the class quiet

• Teach procedures using the cycle:

  1. Explain, Rehearse, Reinforce

• Occupied students are far less likely to create discipline problems

I hope you found this installment of The Educator’s Digest helpful, and I wish you a pleasant back-to-school season.

As always, happy teaching

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I’ll give myself some credit—I knew money was being taken out of my paycheck every month and carefully placed into a pension to be opened later, and I understood through the loose conversation of my colleagues that I should open a 403(b), but beyond that was nothing.

Being the new teacher that I am, I decided best practice was to ask the veteran teachers at my school site. They, surely, would know best.

So I went around asking:

• What age should I retire to maximize my pension?

• How much should I actually be investing each month?

• Would my pension be enough to sustain me in my old age?

• How much even constitutes “enough?”

But the more I asked other teachers these questions, the more I realized they didn’t know either. What I kept hearing were stories of teachers retiring earlier than they intended only later to realize how much it damaged their monthly benefit. Others were being charged exorbitantly high fees from the smiley on-site vendors, their retirement savings quietly shrinking before their eyes.

I didn’t want future me to inherit these same problems.

So I did what any rational person would do: I Googled it.

The firm that stood out to me

After researching a handful of financial firms specializing in serving teachers, Pension101 was the one I kept revisiting for two main reasons:

1. Their online pension calculation tool was the most user-friendly I had used.

2. They offered a complimentary financial counseling service with no account minimums or obligation to sign up for their services.

On a more general level, I also appreciated not being barraged by ads or required to provide personal information in order to access their tools.

The formula

At first glace, the CALSTRS pension seems surprisingly straightforward to calculate as it’s simply:

Service Credit × Age Factor × Final Compensation

• Service credit is the number of years you’ve worked in district, available on your pay advice.

• Age factor is the percentage determined by your age when you retire

• Final compensation is your salary during your highest earning years.

While this monthly retirement benefit can be calculated by hand, I recommend using Pension101’s online pension calculator for a more user-friendly experience including personalized graphs and projections.

That said, I quickly realized the formula could only take me so far. It helped me understand how my pension works, but it didn't answer any of the bigger questions like: Am I saving enough to meet my retirement goals? What longevity milestones should I be planning for? How does unused sick leave affect my retirement benefits? Which beneficiary option makes the most sense for me? And how will inflation impact the value of my retirement income over time?

For that, I needed to speak with someone.

Complimentary Consultation with a Counselor

Even though I enjoyed the calculation tool, and it’s ability to grant me insights I never had before, I still wanted answers to my more personal questions: How much should I be investing each month in a 403(b)? Which vendors are most viable for my goals? How much money do I need to save to retire comfortably while maintaining my lifestyle?

So I scheduled a consultation with one of their financial counselors and walked away with more information than I knew what to do with.

Perhaps the most jarring new reality I learned is that the pension is only a piece of retirement—a small one at that.

According to CalSTRS, the pension only replaces about 50–60% of a teacher’s pre-retirement income, and, unlike other professions, most California teachers also don’t pay into Social Security, leaving them in a precarious position when it comes to their savings.

The remaining portion of retirement, thus, needs to come from personal investments like a Roth IRA or a 403(b).

Why I Appreciate Pension101

What I appreciated most about my time with Pension101 was the clarity and reassurance they gave me about my finances. They congratulated me on my financial achievements thus far, gave me actionable steps towards meeting my goals, and ensured I knew my many options for financial security moving forward in my career.

Not once did they mention any fees required to have a conversation, nor did they push a particular investment product.

It was just what I needed.

Questions Worth Asking

Whether you meet with Pension101 or another financial professional, here are a few questions I’d encourage every teacher to consider when planning their retirement:

• At what age will I maximize my pension benefit?

• How much income will my pension realistically replace?

• What are the respective benefits of a Roth IRA and a 403(b)?

• Based on my lifestyle goals, how much should I have saved by retirement?

• How will inflation affect those projections?

Retirement is one of those things that is easy to put off because it always feels far away, but the more we put it off, the more we miss out on taking care of our future selves.

If you are interested in learning more about your personal retirement plan and speaking with a trusted counselor, I recommend learning more about the options that best suit you through a complimentary consultation with Pension101.

As always, happy teaching (and saving).

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I posted this activity on TikTok and Instagram and received an outpouring of love and support, so I figured I’d share the accompanying slides and PDF for your use.

The Purpose

The goal is simple: students create a tangible object that symbolizes something—anything—from one of their independent reading books.

Some students choose a literal representation, while others take a more abstract approach. Both work. What matters is that they can explain the connection between their artifact and the text.

Make a Copy of My Slides

I love this project because it allows students to showcase what they’ve read while exercising creativity and critical thinking. It also creates a wonderful opportunity for students to share books with one another at the end of the year.

Tracking Reading Progress

Of course, one of the prerequisites to this project is ensuring that students are actually reading independently.

I am fortunate enough to teach on a two-hour block schedule, which allows my students to participate in 20 minutes of Silent Sustained Reading (SSR) each day. Throughout the year, they are expected to read multiple self-selected books.

I understand that this is not the reality for every ELA classroom.

When I taught 7th and 8th grade last year, I used a weekly independent reading assignment to help keep students accountable. You’re more than welcome to borrow or adapt the system if you find it helpful.

Materials

• Air-dry clay: I used Crayola air-dry clay. It works well, but it dries fairly heavy. If you’d like a lighter finished magnet, I’d recommend Magic Clay.

• Toothpicks: Used in place of sculpting tools.

• Parchment paper: Helps protect desks while students sculpt and paint.

• Acrylic paint: Fast drying and easy to work with.

• Gorilla Glue or a hot glue gun: For attaching magnets.

• Mini magnets

All materials can be found on my Amazon Storefront here.

Crafting Materials

Sculpting Tips

The one thing I did not explicitly include in the slides is this:

Make sure one side of the artifact is completely flat.

Students often get caught up in the sculpting process and forget that the finished product needs to sit flush against a whiteboard (and eventually a refrigerator). If the back isn’t flat, there is no guarantee the magnet will hold.

I also encourage students to take their time smoothing the clay. There should be little to no cracking in the final sculpture, lest it break completely (which we want to avoid at all costs). If cracks begin to appear, have students smooth them out with their fingers or a toothpick before the clay dries.

This process takes patience. Students will inevitably get frustrated, which is okay. Learning to slow down work intentionally is part of the process.

Gallery Tags

Once students finish sculpting, they can complete their gallery tag.

PDF Gallery Tags

I encourage them to use as few words as possible while still clearly explaining the connection between their artifact and the book. It’s a surprisingly effective exercise in concise writing.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment or message me in the Substack chat.

As always, happy teaching!

This guide now serves as my attempt to answer that question.

Over the past month, I’ve spent a great deal of time researching, reading reviews, speaking with librarians, and curating titles that I personally believe will challenge and inspire readers everywhere, but more specifically our younger generation.

As you’ll see, many of the titles are paired with companion texts, short stories, films, or other media. I’ve also done my best to include links to where these resources can be purchased or streamed for your convenience.

Additional Resources

If you have not done so already, I highly recommend checking out Common Sense Media while exploring films or TV shows to watch with your family, Their reviews provide thoughtful guidance on age-appropriate content and make it easier to find media that aligns with family values. I consult their website frequently when deciding the type of content to show in my classroom.

If my reading guide is not exhaustive enough for your voracious readers, I encourage you to explore the ALSC Notable Books for Children List, the Newbery Award Winners List, and the Scholastic 100 Greatest Books for Kids—all excellent resources that inspired the creation of this guide.

You may also find links to Time for Kids and Honest History—both excellent kid-friendly magazine services—at the bottom of the guide.

The Complete Summer Reading Guide

Click below to access the Complete Summer Reading Guide for Young Scholars!

Complete Summer Reading Guide

As you peruse the selections, please consult the recommended reading level as some items are more mature than others.

Also, this is a living document, so you may see some additions here and there, most notably in the “Extras” section.

If you have any questions or would like to give me feedback, please feel free to contact me via Instagram or Substack.

Happy reading,

It’s also a time I let them roast me—gently.

The activity itself is a trivia-style game made up of multiple choice, true/false, and short-answer questions that become increasingly more vulnerable to roasting as the game progresses, starting with “Multiple Choice: Where did Ms. Richards grow up?” and building to “True or False: Ms. Richards was popular in high school.”

My preferred gamified platform for this activity is none other than Wayground (formerly Quizizz). I love this platform for a number of reasons (more on this in a later article), but, for this type of trivia-style game, for its ease-of-use.

Wayground is the most—yes, I said it—the most user-friendly ed-tech platform for gamified activities, exams, you name it. One of my favorite features, for example, is the ability to source activities from their wide selection of teacher-made interactive lessons and quizes. Simply go to the search bar, type in your topic, and discover countless activities. Then, select the three dots and select “copy” to duplicate the quiz and make it your own.

Try it here with my “How Well do You Know your Teacher” Activity Template.

When it comes time to play with your class, I encourage you to opt for the “teacher-paced” option. This way, you can pause and discuss the answers after each question. It also heightens the tension of the room (which we all love).

If you have any questions about the activity or have feedback for me, please comment below or reach out via the Substack Chat.

As always,

Happy teaching.

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I first experienced the concept of paper plate awards when I was a freshman—”plebe”— at the Naval Academy circa 2017. I was on the sailing team then, and come the end of the season, our head coach figured a paper plate award ceremony would suffice as the proper send off to summer break. He was right. The ceremony was both formal and informal, serious and unserious, and, for that reason, our team left with a stronger bond than we had coming in. The whole experience stayed with me because of it’s simplicity and, now, it’s a tradition that I carry in my classroom year in and year out.

Personally, I like to do my paper plate awards in superlative style. This way, there’s flexibility with the seriousness of it, depending on the class. Plus, the kids always walk away with a new word in their back pocket: superlative.

su·per·la·tive (adjective)

1. of the highest quality or degree.

   “a superlative piece of skill”

On Collecting Votes

To allow students the pleasure of casting their votes, I suggest creating a Google Form. You can opt for:

• Multiple choice voting (best for elementary or one-classroom teachers with one class)

• Free response voting (best for upper grades or teachers with multiple class periods)

As for the superlatives, I usually split mine between:

• Wholesome awards

• Slightly unhinged middle school awards

The right balance depends on your relationship with your students, and their relationship with each other. Last year, my 7th and 8th graders were very close, many of them being best friends, so some of our superlatives leaned on the joking-around side. I definitely would advise against using all of these with every group of students.

Make A Copy of My Google Form Here!

The Awards Ceremony

After the voting window closes, I choose a day for our Awards Ceremony.

It takes me around three days leading up to the Ceremony to physically create all the paper plate awards (since I have over 100 students). I do this by simply writing the name of the award and the recipient on a paper plates with a sharpie—it’s really that easy!

On Award Day, I call students up to collect their awards, and the class is expected to applaud the recipients. Super simple. Super memorable.

If you have specific questions that I did not answer here in the article, please feel free to drop a comment or contact me directly via the Karma Teaches Substack Chat.

I hope you found this helpful.

Happy teaching.

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Edtech giant, i-Ready, is getting sued for privacy concerns and the first official technology restriction in the United States has just been put into effect in Los Angeles county.If you haven’t read up on these, I would put it at the top of your to-do list because things are changing, and they’re changing fast. In carrying on with that theme, this month’s edition of the Educator’s Digest will focus on education technology–its overnight popularity amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and the backlash it now faces in the wake of Jonathan Haidt’s and Jared Corvath’s screen-free movement.

You’ve Been Told It’s Research-Based. But Is It Really?

The Science of Learning

You’ve Been Told It’s Research-Based. But Is It Really?

Highlights…

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5 months ago · 78 likes · 22 comments · Nidhi Sachdeva and Jim Hewitt

Nidhi Sachdeva and Jim Hewitt break down the overuse and misuse of the phrase “research-based” in education. Strikingly, language around the terms “research” and “evidence” are everywhere in education, yet there is little to no agreement as to what those terms actually mean.

Ideas that promise backing by “evidence” often gain traction not because they are actually well-supported, but because they align with what people already believe to be true. Thus a toxic cycle begins. Outcomes are promised, frameworks are invested in (and they’re not cheap), and new strategies begin to circulate classrooms in troves, creating a merry-go-round of enthusiasm, adoption, and, eventually, a slow abandonment. Think Lucy Calkins. To protect ourselves from bad research, teachers should ask:

• Does the study design actually allow researchers to answer the question?

• How large are the groups being compared?

• How much data is missing?

• How is learning measured?

Key Takeaways:

• “Research-based” is often used loosely, without shared understanding of what it means

• Weak and strong studies are frequently treated as equally valid, without much investigation

• Ideas spread because, not because they are research-based, but because they align with preconceived notions of what education ought to be

Here is a guide to help you better understand the trustworthiness of an “evidence-based” framework using Claude or ChatGPT, as provided by Nidhi Sachdeva and Jim Hewitt:

A Teacher’s Prompt for Evaluating “Research Says…” Claims

States Are Learning the Wrong Lesson From the ‘Mississippi Miracle’

Mississippi’s dramatic rise in reading scores has sparked the attention of the entire education system. While the Science of Reading (SoR) has been largely credited for their success, the full picture is much more complex. What set Mississippi apart wasn’t just the implementation of a literacy framework. Enforcement of accountability through grade retention (3rd grade, specifically), commitment to parent communication, and policy consistency across districts were the hidden keys to success.

As states, like California, begin to replicate this success, they are adopting the visible components of reform without committing to the underlying structures that actually made it effective.

Key Takeaways:

• Mississippi’s success is not solely due to the Science of Reading

• Accountability systems (retention, enforcement, consistency) played a major role in state-wide success

• Sustainable change requires both framework and accountability

The Viral Video That’s Getting EdTech Wrong — Again

Think Forward

The Viral Video That's Getting EdTech Wrong — Again

A neuroscientist’s Senate testimony has been viewed over two million times. Parents are showing up to school board meetings with copies of his book. Sixteen states have introduced legislation to restrict devices in schools. And districts from Kansas to…

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5 months ago · 59 likes · 10 comments · Andrew Marcinek

If you haven’t seen Dr. Jared Cooney Horvath’s testimony at a U.S. senate hearing earlier this year, please watch it. The original video is now sitting at over 2 million views on youtube, and has been cycled countless times over social media. What he says is simple: Once countries integrated technology into classrooms, performance dropped. Therefore, technology is to blame. Right?

The current backlash against edtech is built on a narrative that makes so much sense. The integration of screens in the classroom has harmed our students, and, as such, we should take them away. There is definitely truth to that concern–I see it in my classrooms–but the reality of the viral “students-can’t-read” situation is much more complicated than Horvath leads us to believe.

In his testimony, Horvath cites an OECD analysis when making the claim that students who spend more time on devices score lower. But what wasn’t mentioned was that the study measured the amount of time students spent on devices for leisure at school.This distinction matters significantly..

Technology was introduced overnight with the promise to solve the education system’s problems. But there was no clear purpose for it, no clear training for teachers, and no clear goals for instruction. Factor that in with global pandemic, chronic absenteeism, and the rise of social media outside the classroom, and the consequences are devastating. Removing technology, however, poses the risk of oversimplifying a much deeper issue, attractive as it may be.

I agree with Horvath that technology poses a threat. However, the threat is in purposeless technology.

Key Takeaways:

• Edtech was widely implemented without clear purpose or training

• Declining scores cannot be attributed to technology alone but also to a global pandemic, rise in chronic absenteeism, and increased global social media use

• Purposeless technology causes harm to students

The Future Role of Teachers: From Instructor to Guide

Haili Hughes

The Future Role of Teachers: From Instructor to Guide

I was lucky enough to spend the last couple of days with my friend and colleague Carl Hendrick whose work at Alpha School in Texas has fascinated me. I cannot even begin to understand the full scale of the work going on and I would love to know more. But, as an expert (and self-professed) geek in mentoring, coaching and teacher development, our conversations about t…

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4 months ago · 12 likes · 9 comments · Haili Hughes

This shift from teacher-as-instructor to teacher-as-guide in an AI-driven classroom is one that does not read well…to me, at least. With the rise of AI tools, schools like MacKenzie Price’s Alpha School are reframing what the role of a teacher looks like. Instead of being the disseminators of knowledge, they are now acting as facilitators of student independence.

While the claims about AI-driven learning environments remain largely unproven, there is substantial evidence that AI can support personalized learning, engagement, and access. At the same time, the risks can’t be ignored. Over-reliance on AI weakens students’ critical thinking, reduces their ability to socialize, and removes much of the cognitive work that is crucial to the process of learning.

I don’t think AI is going anywhere anytime soon. That in mind, I do find it necessary that we handle it in such a way so that it doesn’t replace the thinking it’s meant to support.

Key Takeaways:

• For some schools, AI is shifting the role of the teacher from instructor to facilitator

• Evidence does not support extreme claims (e.g., “2x faster learning”)

• Moderate benefits of AI include personalized instruction, increased engagement, improved access to resources

• Risks of AI include overdependence, reduced critical thinking, decline in social and emotional skills

I hope you found this edition of the Educator’s Digest helpful.

As always, happy teaching.
Karma

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Here’s one I recently tried with my 6th graders during our class novel, Out of My Mind, and, while it works with any novel, it’s especially powerful for characters students may struggle to relate to. At its core, it’s a project in empathy, and it taps into one of their biggest interests: music.

The project is best suited for an argumentative unit later in the year, once students are comfortable with CER and can handle more abstract thinking. I used a CREC structure (claim, reason, evidence, commentary), but you can easily simplify to CER depending on your students.

This time, I had students choose a song only for the protagonist. If you’re teaching an upper grade or want to push students further, I’d recommend assigning different characters and building a class playlist. For example, if you’re teaching The Outsiders, you might have 8 students choose songs for Ponyboy, 8 for Dally, and so on. You could also have students present their choices as a Google Slides deck instead of a poster— completely up to you.

I’ll spare you the full run-down and let you explore. I’ve always been a “skip to recipe” gal myself.

Prompt and Supplemental Resources

Please find the prompt, rubric, sentence frames, and exemplars here! You can also supplement the project with these slides and visual exemplars

If you try this out, I’d love to hear how it goes and what feedback you have. As always, feel free to drop a message in Substack chat or DM me on Instagram.

Happy teaching!

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To keep the whimsical spirit of spring in mind, I initially set out to keep this a light read, and it can still be that to some extent. Much of the reading in this March installment of the Educator’s Digest reflects truths that exist in education but often go unacknowledged and unspoken. They are the things that linger in the back of our minds, waiting to be read on a page or heard out loud before they can be realized.

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1. “PowerPoint is Not Pedagogy” by Laura Burke

Laura Burke's Substack

PowerPoint is not Pedagogy

Walk into many classrooms today and you will see the same thing: a carefully designed slide deck driving the lesson. Instructions are pre-written. Tasks appear in a neat box. Key questions typed out. Sometimes even the model answers are waiting patiently on the next click…

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6 months ago · 151 likes · 18 comments · Laura

This one struck me because it is something that has rarely been said out loud. Walk into any teacher’s classroom—or better yet, take a peek at their Pinterest boards—and you’ll see a collection of content that is cute, classroom-ready, and cluttered. Yes, cluttered with images, text, and perfectly-curated color palettes.

It’s what always felt expected of us teachers, yet something I never fully subscribed to. Much of that comes from my own preference for minimal design and the burning sensation of my pocketbooks more than anything else. My classroom has always been fairly bare bones.

What Laura Burke explains makes complete sense. A cluttered slide deck increases cognitive load which, coined by John Sweller, suggests that excess information impedes processing and makes learning harder for students.

When teaching with slides:

• Keep design minimal and focus on key concepts

• The crux of the information should be spoken and elaborated on, not displayed in paragraphs

• There should be a clear transfer of knowledge between teacher and student through inquiry, modeling, and note-taking

• Slides should be treated as an anchor, not the lesson itself

She writes that explaining concepts “is not about displaying more information. It is about selecting the most relevant material, presenting it in manageable steps, and deliberately repeating and reinforcing what matters.”

This becomes difficult when students are inundated with distractions from a slide deck or even from the classroom environment itself.

Key takeaways:

• Student learning should not be beholden to a pacing guide, but to the discretion of the teacher (responsive teaching).

• Minimalist slides with essential information foster increased learning.

• The learning does not live within the slides, but in the exchange between teacher and student through modeling and think-alouds.

We place so much emphasis on the aesthetic that sometimes we forget real teaching can look bare, boring, or even ugly.

2. “Bring Back the Try-Hard” by Tim Daly

The Education Daly

Bring Back the Try-Hard

Teen cinema has always laughed at the try-hard…

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6 months ago · 52 likes · 6 comments · Tim Daly

Related reading: Why Don’t Kids Like School, What Will Improve A Student’s Memory, Our Experience with i-Ready

Tim Daly references teen cinema’s historical dismissal of the “try-hard,” comparing it side-by-side with modern education’s acceptance of work apathy in the name of equity. It’s all very Harrison Bergeron if you ask me. Everyone is handicapped in one way or another, and the solution has been to stifle effort altogether.

Instead of differentiating curriculum, we are now teaching to the middle through universal design for learning. There are no advanced classes for the academically gifted, no such thing as skipping grades to get ahead, and no more holding students back for failing to meet standards. Everyone is made out to be on an equal playing field with one another.

Daly writes, “collectively, we’ve watered down the notion that it takes effort to succeed—that trying is a key part of a student’s job.”

The reduction of friction comes in many forms, but the ones he outlines are:

• Inflated grading

• Normalized absenteeism

• Lowered graduation requirements

This is a merry-go-round.

Lack of funding leads to fewer teachers and more students. For reference, my average class size is 36, with over a quarter of students qualifying for special education services or 504 plans. Despite legal requirements, it is physically impossible to service all of those students according to their IEPs. And instead of hiring more teachers and reducing class sizes, we are lowering expectations, teaching to the middle, and allowing students who are functionally illiterate to graduate. This is not what anyone wants.

We want students to feel supported, empowered, and academically challenged in school.

To bring back “try-hard” culture,Daly suggests:

• Creating a classroom culture founded on high expectations and high support

• Resisting grade inflation

• Treating time and effort as student currency

• Reinforcing school attendance as non-negotiable

• Recognizing high achievement (honor roll, perfect attendance, most improved, etc.)

• Teaching effort and the art of pushing through discomfort

I am partial to Roosevelt’s “The Man in the Arena” as a framework for motivation, courtesy of my time at the Naval Academy.

3. “Ed tech is not the answer or the problem” by Matthew Yglesias and “Don’t blame technology” by Holly Korbey

Slow Boring

Ed tech is not the answer or the problem

A parent’s complaint about his child’s experience with a popular piece of education technology called i-Ready went viral recently, seemingly earning applause from two of the major education schools of thought: parents upset that schoolwork isn’t challenging enough for their kids…

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5 months ago · 176 likes · 307 comments · Matthew Yglesias

The Bell Ringer

Don't blame technology

Hi there, Bell Ringers—there’s a big backlash against education technology brewing among teachers and parents. They’ve had enough, and with good reason. Today’s newsletter looks at why parents and teachers are revolting, why we are so gullible for silver bullets in education, and what the public should know in order to inoculate themselves from the next…

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5 months ago · 64 likes · 27 comments · Holly Korbey

I initially intended to only include, “Don’t Blame Technology,” with Matthew Yglesias article as a related read, but they work so well together, I simply had to feature them both. At their core, both discuss modern education’s relationship with digital platforms, and the failed promise that it would solve all of our problems. News flash, it hasn’t, but things have invariably changed.

Now, students have greater access to learning tools than ever, but nationwide scores have not increased. If anything, they’ve actually fallen.

Korbey writes, on Education Next, that American students are consistently scoring lower in mathematics than they have in previous decades, as determined by the NAEP and PISA exams.

The cause of this decline is likely due to:

• Chronic underfunding

• Larger class sizes

• The pervasiveness of technology

• The increasing number of students with accommodations

Korbey writes that “students today don’t get enough time to practice” skills, often due to competing instructional priorities and the pressure to cover a wide range of standards by a set date. Removing technology, while tempting, is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and would cause harm to a number of students who rely on it.

Yglesias, in a fantastic analogy, compares digital education platforms to whiteboard erasers. If they should disappeared tomorrow, teachers might feel inconvenienced, but they would soon adapt. This shows that the presence of edtech does not make or break a school—the teachers do.

The slow solution, some already alluded to by Daly and Burke, are to:

1. Let it be known that academics are in no way, nor should they be, easy. Many things in life come naturally, but reading and mathematics are not one of them.

2. Use background knowledge to teach new ideas instead of only reinforcing old ones.

3. Lessen as many distractions in the classroom as possible. I do this through a solid classroom management system with clear routines, and I get digital support through Blocksi. On there I can restrict tabs, block websites, you name it.

4. Revisit past learned material as often as possible. This is where the learning happens (thank you AVID focused note-taking)

5. Memorize more! This information is stored in their long-term memory and will help them in future endeavors, academic or not.

6. Practice skills often. Classwork, homework, and assignments are all ways for students to practice their skills and teachers to check their understanding.

Key takeaway:

Edtech is neither the solution nor the problem. Like any tool, its impact on students depends entirely on how it’s used. When used as a supplement to quality teaching, it can benefit students. When used as a replacement, however, it can be devastating.

4. Teacher on Fire Podcast hosted by Tim Cavey

I recently came across the Teacher on Fire podcast by Tim Cavey as a supplement to one of my favorites, Teachers Need Teachers. In this episode, he sits down with fellow educators and hosts of After the Bell, Martin Stuble and Roy Hunt, to discuss teacher burnout, the role of AI in education, and technology in the classroom.

On Teacher Burnout

• Talk to yourself the way you would talk to someone you love.

• If you can show compassion to your students, you can extend that same compassion to yourself.

• Practice mindfulness; recognize what you can control and what you can’t.

• Get out of your classroom when you can and reclaim a shared space (a staff room, a quiet corner, anything).

The work is challenging and, as easy as it is to sequester yourself in your room, you are not meant to be in isolation.

On AI in Education

• When used as a tool, AI can support student learning, but it can also offload thinking.

• As soon as it replaces cognitive effort, it becomes problematic.

• There are real concerns around data privacy, which we’ve already seen surface in lawsuits.

On Attention and Technology

Referenced: Digital Delusion by Jared Cooney Horvath

• Technology fragments attention.

• It encourages multitasking—doing several things at once–and not one of them done very well.

Key takeaways:

• Teaching was never meant to be done in isolation. Lean on each other for support. Reclaim a common space to build your school community.

• Students should learn to think and create by themselves before consulting AI.

• To rebuild our attention spans, we must engage in prolonged activites that demand sustained effort.

The above pieces all point to a change in education and in the expectations we’ve set for ourselves, our students, and our curriculum. The way I see it, a positive first step in the right direction starts with deepening our understanding of how we learn. Once we can do that, the rest will fall in place.

If you’ve found this digest valuable, consider sharing it with a friend or colleague. Your support means the world to me.

As always, happy teaching.

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I’ve been trying to push myself to read what makes me uncomfortable. Things I typically scroll past because they stir up all those unpleasant emotions I’d rather avoid. Anger, nervousness, uncertainty. Things that explore controversial ideas. Ones that don’t exactly align with my values or perception of reality—my reality, at least. These are truths that aren’t part of my day-to-day experience, but truths nonetheless.

So for this installment of The Educator’s Digest, I’m sharing articles that moved me this month, in one way or another.

Recursive-Self Improvement Before Graduation: Education (and Society) Is Not Ready for What Is Unfolding by Stefan Bauschard

Education Disrupted: Teaching and Learning in An AI World

Recursive-Self Improvement Before Graduation: Education (and Society) is Not Ready for What is Unfolding

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7 months ago · 3 likes · Stefan Bauschard

This first article tackles one of the hottest topics blazing through education right now: AI.

It’s daunting. And if I’m honest, I struggle in rooms where educators publicly shame anyone who has even considered using it. I understand the fear. It does feel very Orwellian. We see the satire online—students writing essays with AI, teachers grading with AI—and while it’s funny, it’s also sobering. I’ve read Fahrenheit 451 and “The Veldt,” too, and I see how we could be sliding into something dystopian.

At the same time, we can’t ignore AI’s involvement in our lives. There is no realistic version of the future where it disappears, and the more we lecture students about not using it, the more they will—those rebels. If we’re honest, we may be doing them a disservice by refusing to prepare them for the world they’re actually entering. As much as I’d liket o ditch tech altgoether for paper and pencil, a balance between the two must be had.

My takeaway? We don’t know what the job market will look like in five to ten years. And what many experts are suggesting is… unsettling. Gone are the days of “work hard, get good grades, follow the path, and a stable career will be waiting.”

Bauschard argues that we should help students learn to work with non-human intelligences. If AI reshapes white-collar work, and those fluent in using it gain advantage, then we aren’t really preparing students for the workforce. Similarly, as AI progresses, we need to be more straightforward about what’s happening. A student who understands this world can prepare for it where one who doesn’t will be blindsided.

It’s the reality I didn’t want to read about. And for that reason, I did.

My question is: How should we be incorporating AI into curriculum so that we can actually prepare students for the world they enter?

If you’d like to read more, I recommend pairing this article with Annie Lowrey’s “The Worst-Case Future for White-Collar Workers” from the The Atlantic.

Stop Meeting Students Where They Are by Walt Hunter

“Meet students where they are” has become one of those sacred phrases in education. It could sit comfortably on a professional development bingo card next to “equity” and “scaffold.”

But Hunter pushes back on this widely-received mantra.

He points to a reality many of us are seeing in our classrooms: declining reading stamina. Colleges are seeing it too as students arrive unprepared to read full books.

My takeaway? We are teaching a generation raised in a world where attention is currency and, as a result, boredom feels unnatural.

I can’t help but think of Tristan Harris and The Social Dilemma in these moments:

“If you’re not paying for the product, you are the product.”

For many students, reading has become the last choice, and it’s not because they don’t enjoy escaping into other worlds. They do. It’s that corporate giants are now competing aggressively for their attention, and when given the choice between a phone and a book, the phone wins most of the time. It can be demoralizing. However, if we teach our students that time is a currency they can reinvest in themselves rather than give to someone else, then reading becomes an act of protest.

Our attention belongs to us.

If you’d like to learn more, I’d recommend pairing this article with Byrne Hobart’s “Read.”

America’s Future Leaders Are Learning to Become Grifters by Rob Henderson

Rob Henderson's Newsletter

America's Future Leaders Are Learning To Become Grifters

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7 months ago · 299 likes · 10 comments · Rob Henderson

This one caught me off guard.

When I think of elite universities, I think of excellence—academically, athletically, ethically. So seeing “future leaders” and “grifters” in the same sentence was jarring.

The article examines rising disability claims and incentive structures within educational institutions. It raises uncomfortable questions about how compassion can be gamed and how incentives can engender opportunistic behavior.

In my own experience, economically advantaged students often have advocates—parents, lawyers, resources—to guarantee their supports, while disadvantaged students who have the same, or even more, need often go without. Where’s the equity in that?

The question for me is: “What behaviors are we incentivizing?”

If systems reward bending the rules, we can’t really be surprised when young people learn to bend them.

What’s Love Got to Do with Books? by Kristen McQuillan

Quill and the Classroom

What's Love Got to Do With Books?

When I first started teaching, I heard often that my charge as a teacher was to help kids “fall in love with reading.” Not just on Valentine’s Day, but all year round…

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7 months ago · 26 likes · 9 comments · Kristen McQuillan

This article wrestles with something I’ve felt in my classroom for years: we say we want kids to develop a love for reading, but sometimes that love is confused with comfort, and that comfort comes at the expense of resilience and stamina in the face of difficult text.

Loving reading cannot mean loving only easy reading.

My takeaway:

• It’s okay for students not to love reading, as long as they know how to read.

• Love is often the result of a long process—one we don’t always get to see.

• Persisting past discomfort and reading whole texts will build confidence and success, which can eventually compound into a love of reading.

McQuillan points out that, contrary to popular belief, “success precedes motivation.” That’s why independent reading is such a non-negotiable—it gives students the opportunity to experience success by finishing a book, any book. That experience builds both their love of reading and their willingness to persist.

But building a culture of reading is not as easy as sustained silent reading, nor does it always start with books.

This year, my class built a reading community I’m incredibly proud of.

It started with pens.

My question is: How do we build a love for literature that persists when the reading gets tough?

Each of these pieces, in its own way, asks the same question: What happens when we avoid discomfort?

It’s easy to live in our hyper-personalized, algorithmic bubbles. At some point, they become echo chambers of the things we already believe to be true. Familiarity begins to feel like truth. And the more we push past what’s familiar, the better we can understand the highly complex world around us.

As always, happy teaching.
Karma

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In a recent article about the financial state of education in California, the CTA writes:

“The 2025–2026 approved state budget underfunded Prop. 98 by $1.9 billion, and students and teachers are still grappling with the devastating impacts of those cuts.”

We feel those cuts. The class sizes are massive. The classroom support is minimal. And teachers are still expected to pull from their own paychecks to fund an optimal student experience. And they do. Every. Single. Time. Because no one goes into education for earning potential.

To be transparent, I spend upwards of $1,000 of my own money every year on my classroom. And that’s not counting the fairy lights or decorum. I’m just talking necessities: poster paper, whiteboard markers, highlighters, tissue, hand sanitizer. Necessities. Curriculum comes into play, too.

For new teachers, or those looking to incorporate fresh materials, these costs add up fast. Purchasing from Teachers-Pay-Teachers can cost anywhere from $10 for a single lesson to $300 for entire units. Similarly, the most viable of educational platforms charge hundreds of dollars annually—more on this at a later date.

As much as I believe that education should be free, the truth is that it isn’t. Education, like everything else, is a business.

So, in an effort to save the next teacher from spending their hard-earned cash to fund the student experience, I’ve compiled a list of free educational platforms with classroom-tested materials that I trust and consistently use. I hope you find it useful.

The News Literacy Project

newslit.org

• A phenomenal hub for teaching media literacy in a way that’s relevant and student-friendly.

• Check out The Sift: a weekly roundup of the latest stories in news literacy, delivered right to your inbox with ready-to-go lessons, slides, and articles, backed by reputable research.

• Their Daily Do Now Google Slides are easy to use and are constantly updated with real-world media examples. I recommend using them alongside an informational unit so students can practice critically analyzing sources and spotting misinformation—something AI has made nearly impossible to do these days.

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Facing History and Ourselves

facinghistory.org

• Best used alongside period pieces and social studies crossovers: The Diary of Anne Frank, the Holocaust, the Civil Rights Movement, etc.

• Check out their ELA Unit Collections: Borders and Belonging and Coming of Age in a Complex World, two deeply relevant case studies on identity and what it means to belong in a community. I recommend pairing these units with novels like The Distance Between Us, Crossing the Wire, Brown Girl Dreaming, or The True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

• Their materials are thoughtful, historically grounded, and especially effective for building empathy, critical thinking, and civic engagement.

Newsela

newsela.com

• Student-friendly current events, with a built-in Lexile leveler and annotations tools.

• Texts are aligned with state standards and include as-you-read comprehension checks. Articles can be read digitally or printed as PDFs, making them ideal for annotation practice

• CAASP practice questions are available through their partner platform, Formative.

• Head over to newsela.com/community for periodical essay contests—a great way to foster a love of writing and boost engagement, especially in ELA classrooms.

Pair with my Sub Plan Template: Use my editable Google Doc version here

CommonLit

commonlit.org

• Free digital library of high-quality texts (fiction, nonfiction, poetry).

• Resources are aligned with standards and include pre-written guides, editable Google Slides, discussion prompts, and scaffolded supports.

• Their 360 curriculum offers full, ready-to-use units for middle and high school, which I especially recommend for new teachers or anyone needing curriculum inspiration that’s immediately viable.

• Check our the 360 curriculum for 6th grade English, featuring novel study on The Giver (log in through Clever, ClassLink, or Google required).

• Find their skill-focused, grade specific target lessons for grades 3-12 here ((log in through Clever, ClassLink, or Google required).

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Prestwick House

prestwickhouse.com

• Tons of free lessons, worksheets, graphic organizers, and skill-based activities which can be found here

• They also offer high-quality literary guides for texts like Macbeth, Of Mice and Men, and The Giver.

• I once ordered one of their ELA mystery packs (great for gifting) and had such a kind exchange with their team that I now recommend them every chance I get.

• If you are in the market for class sets, Prestwick is especially worth considering for their educator discounts.

• Find their free Grammar and Writing Resources Roundup here

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If you have a tried-and-true resource platform I missed, feel free to drop it in our Substack Chat.

Happy teaching,
Karma

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If you’ve somehow missed them, they are posts across TikTok, Substack, and Instagram that curate long-form, high-quality content largely in protest of doomscrolling. It’s an intellectual rebellion. And, as a teacher, I love it. Check out some of my favorites below:

Instead of Doomscrolling

Books to Read This Month Instead of Doomscrolling

In this last stretch of the year, I have found much refuge in books. The temperature has dropped, responsibilities are piling up, the holidays are coming soon, and a linger of existential dread can be felt in the air. There is so much joy and excitement as we begin to close the chapter of this past year, but also a lot of uncertainty as we get ready to …

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9 months ago · 342 likes · 15 comments · Mapu

But what I haven’t found yet is a teacher-facing syllabus. Something that doesn’t just romanticize academia, but actively supports educators in their craft. As much as I’d love to build my aesthetic around Lord Byron and The Beat Movement, what would actually serve me best is content that feeds my love for teaching.

So I decided to create it myself. This post kicks off a monthly series of curated, consumable content for educators: thoughtful reads, podcasts, Substack essays, and classroom-facing research that I think are worth your time.

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1. “The Two Languages of Teaching” – English Classroom Architect

This piece explores how to use AI to translate academic objectives into language that actually makes sense to students.

Before you roll your eyes at the mention of “AI,” hang with me for a second. This isn’t about replacing you or your beautiful mind. If anything, this article is a stark reminder that we, as the teacher, are still doing the heavy lifting: writing lessons, crafting objectives, delivering instruction. But tools like ChatGPT can help bridge the gap, especially when it comes to generation specific language and experiences.

The author of the article, Danielle Hicks, talks about a common problem that we share in the classroom: the problem of translating, namely, communicating academic objectives in a way that shows a practical, real-life application. For instance, you might be teaching a lesson about citing reputable sources. Instead of presenting the lesson with the objective head first, “students will be able to cite reputable sources,”you might want to pique student interest by asking “How can we know what we consume on the internet is true?” As objectives get more abstract, and framing them in a student-friendly way gets harder, use this prompt to help:

“I’m teaching [specific text/topic/skill]. Instead of starting with what I think students should learn, help me identify what job students might actually want to hire this lesson to do for them. What real problems are teenagers trying to solve that this content could help with?”

2. “10 Research-Backed Ways to Cultivate Emotional Safety” – Dr. Aliza Pressman

Dr. Aliza Pressman is a developmental psychologist, so while this post isn’t explicitly about classroom management, it is about classroom climate—specifically how we can cultivate a sense of safety for our students.

Her writing is geared toward parents of younger children, but the core ideas are deeply relevant to our students too—even the older ones.

Raising Good Humans with Dr. Aliza Pressman

10 Research-Backed Ways to Cultivate Close, Connected Relationships

Thanks for reading Raising Good Humans on Substack! My first book, The Five Principles of Parenting: Your Essential Guide to Raising Good Humans is now available for purchase here…

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10 months ago · 32 likes · 3 comments · Dr. Aliza Pressman

A few takeaways that stood out to me:

• Students mirror adult behavior. Be the calm, consistent model.

• Use the STOP method to pause and redirect without escalating.

  • I like to do a “heads down, eyes closed” check-in when things seem off—students can raise their hands anonymously to share how they’re feeling.

• During discussions, let students do most of the talking. Use sentence stems and an academic word wall to support participation. Require them to acknowledge and build on peer contributions (“serve and return”).

• Be vulnerable, but don’t trauma dump. It’s okay to admit when you’re wrong or when a lesson flops. That honesty builds trust.

• I keep physical touch minimal, but I do offer high fives or side hugs when appropriate.

• Humor matters. It’s okay to laugh with your students. It keeps things human.

• Offer multiple modes of expression—choice boards, partner projects, different prompts.

• When something goes off the rails, use the 24-hour rule to de-escalate and repair the relationship.

• Celebrate your students regularly. I love using shout-outs, and some of my colleagues run “student of the week” routines that work wonders for classroom culture.

3. “The Humanities and AI: A Year of Reckoning” – Terry U

This piece is a breath of fresh air in an AI conversation that often feels exhausting.

Terry Underwood takes a balanced, nuanced look at AI’s place in education. One line in particular stuck with me:

“For many students, the real choice is between AI-scaffolded access to Camus and no Camus at all.”

He’s referring to teachers who use AI to level complex texts for students who aren’t reading at grade level. And he asks—genuinely—whether that’s a bad thing. What I like the most about him as an author is that his answers aren’t prescriptive. It grants the reader autonomy. No fear-mongering, no smug superiority. Something I’d like to see more of in 2026.

4. Teachers Need Teachers Podcast – “How to Be a More Engaging Teacher”

This podcast was part of my weekly rotation until it disappeared in mid-2024—and I was devastated. But guess what? It’s back.

Even though the show is newly revived, I’m linking to one of her older episodes that really shaped how I think about engagement. I’d recommend skipping to 4:04 to get right into it.

I hope these resources bring value to your instruction. As always, happy teaching.

Karma

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The moaned and groaned and told me they didn’t like it, but the smiles on their faces amidst a sea of laughter told me otherwise. The songs were catchy—so much so that, days later, we are still singing them in class.

The free lesson and student exemplars

If you’d like to extend this lesson into your own teaching practice and see what hilarious lyrics your students can concoct, I’ve included a link to my google drive folder with the following resources:

1. Project slide deck

2. Project prompt

3. Sign up sheet,

4. Students Exemplars

   Find the complete folder here

If you have any questions or would like to offer some feedback, please feel free to drop a message here in our substack chat. I’m also available on Instagram and on Tiktok—whichever you prefer.

As always, happy teaching //

I’ve seen them all during my stint as a substitute teacher. Paragraphs on google docs, handwritten to-do lists, single text messages. Most were hard to follow. Most seemed like they were hastily strewn together the morning of, held together by bullet points and good intentions. I get it—we’ve all been there.

My worst substitute experience was at a nearby middle school here in San Diego. When I first got to the classroom, I looked on the desk for sub plans only to see a small sticky with “the students already know what to do” written in pen. The rest of the day was bad. Like, students-standing-on-desks bad.

Even if the teacher did tell the students what to do, the students weren’t necessarily the problem. The problem was that her poorly constructed sub plans effectively stripped me of any authority I had that day. Maybe if the plans had been better—just maybe—it might not have been my worst sub job ever.

Why they matter

Sub plan templates grant you the gift of consistency. There, your policies and procedures can live without you needing to remember or reinvent them every time you’re out. It lessens your workload, especially for those days that you’re too sick to lift a finger, and keeps your classroom culture intact while you’re gone. Most importantly—and the reason why I had such a horrible experience—having a good sub plan template gives your substitute something concrete to hold onto.

My go to template

Luckily, my third long term sub position was at a school that had a sub plan template pre-made for teachers, with the only requirement being filling out the blank sections (shout out to the faculty at Knox Middle School for this exceptional resource). I have since used that original template, modifying it over the years to make it usable for anyone at any school.

After making your copy, you will have to fill out important information about your school site including: bell schedule, restroom policies, and emergency procedures.

Grab Your Copy of the Template Here

How I use it:

I start off my linking my google slide deck and including the slide # they should start on. (Note: make sure to change the accessibility to “Anyone with Link” to avoid accessibility issues.)

As for the instructions, I typically follow the Warm Up, Direct Instruction, and Independent Activity model (as seen below), with a very short description of what they should be doing.

Here is an example sub plan for your reference:

I hope this template adds value to your teaching practice. If you have any questions or ideas on how to make it better, feel free to message me on here in our Substack Chat. I’m also available via Tiktok and Instagram—whatever works best.

Happy teaching //

I recently came across a TikTok of a teacher talking about how Chromebooks have taken over classrooms in all the wrong ways, and I couldn’t help nodding in agreement. I’ve seen it all: the distractions, the constant tab switching, the derailed lessons. With the madness that often comes with classroom tech, it’s easy to wish we could go back to the golden days of paper and pencil.

The only thing is… I don’t entirely hate Chromebooks. I used to. But not anymore.

The truth is, most teachers have the solution sitting right in front of them, tucked away in their district’s tech platform (like Clever or ClassLink). For me, that tool is Blocksi.

Blocksi strives to create an atmosphere where students can focus, learn, and explore with enthusiasm. Thus, we center our core values around one fundamental purpose — eliminating distractions and sparking students’ curiosity.

I took a Blocksi training earlier this year, and understanding what it could really do completely changed the tone of my classroom. Now, my students stay on task, I stay calm, and we actually get to use technology the way it was meant to be used: as a tool instead of a distraction. .

Here are my top five favorite Blocksi features that make my classroom run smoother, quieter, and more efficiently.

1. Schedule Classes

This might be the most underrated feature and I’m determined to change that. Gone are the days of remembering to press “Start” every period. You can set your classes to begin automatically, capturing activity the moment students are online.

How to do it:
From your teacher dashboard, select Show/Hide Schedule → Class Scheduler. Choose your classes, set the start time and duration, and you’re done.

2. Enable “Hand Raise” and “Quick Chat”

This feature is brilliant. It gives students, especially the shy ones, a way to ask for help or clarify directions without interrupting work time.

How to do it:
Select your class → click Student Options (gear icon) → enable Raise Hand and Quick Chat.

3. Heads Up

“Heads Up” was the first Blocksi tool I learned, and it’s still one of my favorites. It instantly pauses and blacks out student screens so that you’ll no longer need to compete with a sea of glowing screens to get their attention. You can apply it to one student or the entire class, and even set a timer to automatically resume screens.

How to do it:
On your dashboard, click the yellow Heads Up button near Start to pause all screens, or use the pause icon on individual student thumbnails.

4. Restrict Tabs

My sixth graders love having a million tabs open at once. And yet, they they’re confused as to why it takes them forever to find the right document. To mitigate the chaos, Blocksi lets you cap the number of tabs open, which instantly reduces distractions and keeps things manageable. Personally, I set mine to 5.

How to do it:
From your dashboard, click Edit → Advanced Settings. The default is 50—adjust it to whatever fits your students’ needs.

5. Replay Screen

This is the tool-of-tools for classroom management. When I first told my students I can use this, they were completely spooked, and for good reason. Replay lets you view a student’s screen activity from up to 14 days ago. It’s perfect for identifying patterns, documenting behavior, and tracking on how students actually spend their time online.

How to do it:
Open a class → click a student’s thumbnail → find the play icon on the left toolbar → select the date and session you want to replay.

Since using Blocksi, I’ve stopped viewing Chromebooks as a distraction and started using them as a tool for teaching. If your district already has Blocksi, take some time to explore these features. You might be surprised how much smoother your day feels once you start implementing them into your classroom routine. And if your school doesn’t yet use a classroom management platform, Blocksi is definitely worth bringing up at your next faculty meeting.

Share

As we settle into the coziness of fall, I thought I’d share my student’s favorite ambient mixes to work to. These are the playlists that let them lean into their academic selves. It’s the music that teleports them into their favorite novel, or makes them feel like they’re a poet in the medieval period.

I’ve labeled each by activity they work the best with: either independent or group work, and followed each with a short description to help you get a feel for their unique vibe.

I’ll continue to note the music my students enjoy and will share an updated list at the end of the season. In the meantime, if you’ve found a mix that works magic with your students, I’d love to hear it either in our Substack Group Chat, TikTok or Instagram.

Happy teaching!

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Independent Work

A perfect mood for independent reading on chillier, damp school days.

This has been my go-to classroom mix for a while now. I love a good medieval string sound, and this one captures that perfectly while blending in subtle nature elements.

As a teacher with a minecraft-themed classroom, this one is a must. I’ve also found that my students enjoy this one for it’s light music layered with nature sounds.

Group Activity

Instrumental jazz-funk ideal for energizing the kids during group or partner work.

A nod to the upcoming fall season mixed with a dash of faux-nostalgia for mid-twentieth century music. Perfect for days when you want your students collaborate quietly.

That small gesture stuck with me. I realized how powerful it is to feel recognized on your birthday and what a difference it makes to your sense of belonging. For that reason, I always make sure to make my students feel seen on their birthdays.

At the beginning of each year, I have them fill out a short birthday survey:
👉 Make a copy of my birthday form here

They let me know their birthday and whether they like being publicly recognized. Then, I:

• Add their name to our monthly classroom calendar (they love this)

• Deliver a birthday card and treat to their desk before class starts

It’s simple, meaningful, and truly makes a difference.

Try it for yourself and watch your relationships change.

Happy teaching,

Karma

Share Karma Teaches // One-Stop-ELA-Shop

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The reality is that the hiring process is long, bureaucratic, and borderline discouraging. Most districts don’t roll out the welcome mat for fresh new teachers. They post openings tailored to multi-credentialed, multi-year veterans who can teach three subjects and coach volleyball.

So how do you land a job and start doing the thing you worked so hard to do?
As someone who wishes she had this blueprint four years ago, here I am giving it to you now, because landing a teaching job shouldn’t feel like a guessing game.

1. Apply to Sub Before Student Teaching

Yes. Before.
If your program hasn’t started yet and it’s summer, apply now.
I know some credential programs tell you not to sub during student teaching. Mine did. The rationale was that, in California, candidacy students must complete 600 hours of unpaid student teaching (the equivalent of 75 instructional days).

With most districts operating on a 180-day school year, here’s how to optimize the days you’re not in student teaching:

• If your guide teacher is ever absent during your placement, and you’re already cleared to sub? You can get paid for those days. Don’t miss out on free money.

• The sub approval process takes months. Get ahead of it over summer if possible.

2. Sub Everywhere

Apply to every district near you—not just the one you “think” you want to work in.

• You’ll get classroom reps and build confidence.

• You’ll figure out what each district is really like (spoiler: district websites seldom tell the whole story).

• Some of my best info came from candid conversations with office staff and teachers I was subbing for. Ask questions. Take notes.

Don’t box yourself in. Pigeonholing yourself into one district will slow you down. You might end up loving the culture at a district you’d never even considered.

3. Get a Long-Term Sub Position

These are gold.
They’re hard to land, but worth it. Start by:

• Letting teachers/admin know you’re open to long-term positions

• Asking the front office to add you to their “preferred sub list” after each job

• Subbing with intention—be reliable, be visible, and leave detailed notes.

Once you're in a long-term role, you’re basically auditioning for a permanent job. Treat it that way.

4. Understand Temporary vs. Permanent Contracts

Most districts don’t give you a permanent job right away. You’ll likely be hired under something like a Leave Replacement Contract, which don’t count toward your probationary period (2-3 years). You’ll probably sign something called a Kavanaugh Notice, which confirms that this year won’t go toward your permanency status.

It sucks, I know.
But the goal is to get in, build your reputation, and move toward a permanent role.

I long-term subbed at five schools before landing a permanent position. If you find yourself in a similar situation, just now that you are not behind. This is more common than anyone talks about.

5. Stand Out in Long-Term Roles

Admin are watching. They’re not just asking, “Can this person teach?”
They’re asking:

• Can they hold it down without needing constant help?

• Are students engaged? Are parents receptive?

• Are they a good cultural fit on campus?
  

Things that helped me stand out:

• My first week of long-term subbing, I brought in a naval aviator to teach a lesson on the science of flight for a school-wide STEM week

• I didn’t complain (even when I wanted to) and tried to be the person who made life easier for everyone

• I collaborated with teachers, left thank-you notes often, and handled what I could on my own

You don’t have to be perfect—but you do need to be professional, self-starting, and positive.

6. Be the “Gap Filler” They Can’t Let Go Of

This part matters more than you think.

If a school sees you as the person who can jump into a committee, host a club, or co-teach an elective—you’re valuable.
I said yes to art club, random tech help, and anything that made me more helpful.

Figure out what you can bring to the table. For some schools, it’s tech skills. For others, it’s multilingualism, athletic coaching, or a passion for the arts.

If you’re just another teacher on paper, you’re easier to overlook.
If you’re the one with a niche they didn’t know they needed, you’re much harder to let go.

TL;DR

• Apply to sub before student teaching

• Sub everywhere and observe district culture

• Hunt for long-term sub gigs

• Know your contract type (temporary ≠ tenure)

• Stand out by being self-sufficient, creative, and collaborative

• Say yes to things that build your niche and prove your value

I truly hope this brought value to your teaching journey. If you’ve got tips, questions, or experiences to add, please drop them in the comments section. And if you know a new teacher who would benefit from this information, feel free to pass it along.

As always, happy teaching.

@karmateachesMy face at the end is priceless. The audacity some of you have to say this is chat gpt is laughable.. #teacher #teachertok #viral #poem #fyp #fy #poetry #middleschool

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Many of you asked to read the full poem, so I’m sharing it here.

To respect the poet’s privacy—or until I receive explicit permission to credit them—they’ll remain unnamed for now.

Enjoy this perfect piece.

Perfect Pastels of My Past

I open up my crayon box
Nice and neat like a mademoiselle
But then my nose locks
On the scent of pungent, perfect pastels

Unsharpened
Unused crayons
Red, Orange, Yellow
Green, Blue, Purple

The entire band of colors
Mixed into an aroma
An aroma that I smelled once
An aroma that brought me back
Back to the times as a little girl
The aroma that I smelled once
But only as a child

But only as a child that couldn’t reach the top shelf
But only as a child that barely provided for oneself
But only as a child that would always dress up
But only as a child that would always act up
But only as a child that couldn’t do her hair
But only as a child that couldn’t bother to be self-aware

This little child grew up to be me
The me that can now reach the top shelf
The me that can now provide for myself
The me that dresses up
But no longer in pretty princess costumes
The princess dresses that I once wore
Have now turned into sweatpants & T-shirts
The me that can now do my hair
The curly hair
That troubles me
And causes me to be self-aware

The me that now has braces
To make my teeth nice & straight
The me that made a beauty regimen:
Wash, Wash, Tone, Tone
Twice a day
Every day
So that when I see a girl with clear skin
No acne
I can tell myself
“I will look like you someday”

So to the mini me
I would say
“Stay in those pretty princess dresses
Stay in them as long as you can
Before they get too small
Until they don’t fit anymore
Until you switch to
The sweatpants & T-shirts
That I love so much”

I open up my crayon box
Nice & neat like a mademoiselle
But then my nose locks
On the scent of pungent
Perfect
Pastels
Now naked and stubby
Red, Orange, Yellow
Green, Blue, Purple
Mixed into an aroma
An aroma that I smelled once
But only as a child