Joy the Baker has made my weekend so much better. First, I made her Sour Cream Coffee Cake (skipping the Brown Butter Glaze because my son couldn’t wait any long to eat a piece), and it is sublime. I try not to be piggy with cake, but I confess that I had two pieces for breakfast this morning. Then, in her Sunday links post, she shared a wonderful piece about parenting teenagers and why parents feel so alone and isolated in their misery during these years.
Not that the teen years aren’t also full of joy. But yeah. Super hard too. This New Yorker piece by Elizabeth Kolbert looks at what’s going on in teens’ brains during these interesting years.
I’m assigning Allison Bechdel’s graphic novel memoir, Fun Home, in my Graphic Novels course this semester, and I teach in a very conservative area, so I have been following the controversy at Duke with interest. Aram Mrjoian explores why it’s actually useful to read books that offend us.
The Paper Graders shares how she deals with the distraction of phones in her classroom: they go on desks facedown, family dinner style.
Kevin English taught summer school and shares ten important takeaways about what works and doesn’t work in growing readers and creating a functional classroom where all students can develop literate lives.
Pernille Ripp has some terrific ideas for re-engaging disengaged students.
Martin Moran has a provocative post questioning just how student-centered our supposedly student-centered classrooms really are.
Calling Caldecott is back with lists of the 2015 picture books that are currently on their radar as Caldecott possibles.
Again with the podcast recommendations! Teach Thought lists 50 of the Best Podcasts for High School Students.
Alyson Beecher has a wonderful post about why every teacher needs to be a reader. There are also 5 tips for making reading more of a habit.
the dirigible plum 
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