This teaching blog is shaped by a clear conviction: the books and stories we choose for our students matter deeply. Every text, story, and film I write about is the result of a personal and thoughtful choice — selected from what I have personally read, studied, loved, and found significant, profound, and enduring.
Here you will find reflections, analyses, and ideas for middle and high school classrooms. Analysis becomes discovery, and stories become encounters. They are not chosen simply because they fit a syllabus; they are rich in beauty, depth, and human insight — and students deserve what is most beautiful, most challenging, and most significant in storytelling. This teaching blog is where that search begins.
Latest Posts
-
Circe Novel by Madeleine Miller: A New Voice from Myth for High School Students
Read more: Circe Novel by Madeleine Miller: A New Voice from Myth for High School StudentsReading the Circe novel with my students opened a new window onto the Odyssey. Miller’s retelling captivated us all, offering rich opportunities to explore character, power, and the human side of the gods.
-
Why Every High School Student Should Read D. Grossman’s “Someone to Run With”
Read more: Why Every High School Student Should Read D. Grossman’s “Someone to Run With”David Grossman’s Someone to Run With is more than a novel—it’s a powerful journey through friendship, courage, and self-discovery. Follow Assaf and Tamar with your students across Jerusalem as they face impossible challenges, discover the true meaning of love and loyalty, and learn what it means to grow up.
-
Walking Beside Bilbo: Insights on Friendship In The Hobbit for Middle School Readers
Read more: Walking Beside Bilbo: Insights on Friendship In The Hobbit for Middle School ReadersWhat does it mean to be a true friend? In The Hobbit, Tolkien shows that true friendship often grows where we least expect it. Through Bilbo’s journey with the dwarves — full of quarrels, dangers, and discoveries — we see how it shapes us and why it matters so deeply for young readers.
-
Teaching with Atticus Finch: Lessons in Empathy, Justice, and Critical Thinking
Read more: Teaching with Atticus Finch: Lessons in Empathy, Justice, and Critical ThinkingTimeless and inspiring, Atticus Finch shows students and teachers alike the power of empathy, justice, and moral courage.
-
Using Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief in the Classroom – A Mythology-Based Approach
Read more: Using Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief in the Classroom – A Mythology-Based ApproachWhat if your next mythology lesson felt more like a movie night? Discover Percy Jackson activities that bring ancient gods, heroic quests, and Greek myths to life through The Lightning Thief film—complete with ready-to-go prompts and classroom ideas your students will love.
-
How to Start Talking About Greek Mythology with Middle School Students? Begin with BIG QUESTIONS
Read more: How to Start Talking About Greek Mythology with Middle School Students? Begin with BIG QUESTIONSIgnite your middle schoolers’ curiosity by turning their biggest questions into gateways for exploring Greek mythology. Transform myths into powerful tools for curiosity and critical thinking in your classroom!
- Back to School (3)
- Books That Shape Teachers (1)
- C.S. Lewis (9)
- C.S. Lewis – The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (6)
- C.S. Lewis – The Magician's Nephew (7)
- Classroom Management (1)
- Educational Movie Activities (4)
- H. Lee – To Kill a Mockingbird (5)
- High School ELA (2)
- Homer – The Iliad (5)
- J. Steinbeck – East of Eden (5)
- J.R.R. Tolkien – The Hobbit (6)
- Middle School ELA (11)
- Mythology (5)
- Reading suggestions (6)
- Social Emotional Learning (2)
- Teaching suggestions (11)