My Year in Blogging: My Six Favorite Posts of 2015

I wrote a lot of pieces about my son earlier in the year. My two favorites are Mornings, a slice that I couldn’t quite get to work until I went all metaslice; then I think I nailed it. And Snapshot of My Son at 12, just one paragraph that tries to capture a moment in time. (So far, the Snapshot of My Son at 13 would basically be exactly the same!)

I share the totally secret secret to effective writing instruction in What Pre-Service Teachers Really Need to Know about Teaching Writing. Spoiler alert: you have to write!

Teaching Unplugged shares an experience guest-lecturing in another professor’s classroom where no devices are allowed. The quality of attention, depth of conversation, and intensity of interaction surprised me and made me question the multitasking I invite in my own classroom.

The Kid Who Won’t celebrates the most important teaching lessons I’ve ever learned—from the disruptive, defiant kids sitting in the back row.

Writing this reflection on my reading year helped me understand why 2015 felt like one long reading slump–and commit to reading more serendipitously to break the slump.