Iowa Council of Teachers of English

thoughts and prayers
thoughts and prayers
Rex Muston, Teacher Writer • January 13, 2024

Guilty or Not Guilty: The Case for Impromptu Teaching
Guilty or Not Guilty: The Case for Impromptu Teaching
Brandon Baggett, Teacher Writer • November 26, 2023

While attending our Fall ICTE conference, my classroom was managed by a well-qualified substitute teacher. Aside from a short phone call on my...

Ninth-graders in action in Danae Diekens classroom.
Five Paragraph Death Punch, Revisited
Danae Dieken, Teacher Writer • November 17, 2023

She is so disappointed.  She is also a bit of a judgey know-it-all.  She is me, in my last year of my teaching degree. Her self-congratulatory...

Bubbles Up: A Path Forward
Bubbles Up: A Path Forward
Nikki Smith, Teacher Writer • October 29, 2023

On our first date, my now-husband asked me, what is one thing I should know about you.  I bravely proclaimed: I am a writer.  I remember being...

The poets children equate bedtime with books.
Three-year-old Bedtime
Nikki Smith, Teacher Writer • May 27, 2023

Pick a book  (Read 2 pages) I need drink of water Not that book—this book No I have to climb up the chair this way  (Read...

Darkened School
Outside the Darkened School
Rex Muston, Teacher Writer • April 17, 2023

I Struggle
I Struggle
Erika Bass, Teacher-Writer • February 7, 2023

I struggle because the world has changed so drastically from when I started teaching nearly 15 years ago. How can I prepare teachers for a career...

Safe Classrooms, Unsafe Schools
Safe Classrooms, Unsafe Schools
Abby Heggen December 27, 2022

    My classroom becomes unsafe. My students become unsafe. I become unsafe.    We all become...

November Morning
November Supplication
Rex Muston, Teacher Writer • December 13, 2022

NOVEMBER SUPPLICATION   I step out into the raucous caws from the crows in the neighborhood, piercing over the hum of the...

Handmade bookmark by student Addie W.
BookMarks
Skip Olson, Teacher Writer • November 23, 2022

I. Some of my favorite things to hear    “I need a new book.” “Do you have any other books by this author?” “I...

Bubbles Up: A Path Forward
Bubbles Up: A Path Forward
Nikki Smith, Teacher Writer • October 29, 2023

On our first date, my now-husband asked me, what is one thing I should know about you.  I bravely proclaimed: I am a writer.  I remember being...

Author Dave Stuart Jr taught us how to motivate students and ended up getting motivated as teachers. His book These 6 Things:
How to Focus Your Teaching on What Matters Most shows us where to place our energy as teachers.
2023 Conference Highlights
JoAnn Gage October 14, 2023

    Thursday, Oct. 5 Link to the 2023 conference schedule: SCHED Our conference began with a keynote address from Dave Stuart...

Shannon Johnson - High School Teacher of Excellence
2023 ICTE Award Winners Announced
JoAnn Gage October 14, 2023

These 6 Things Online Book Club
'These 6 Things' Online Book Club
August 3, 2023

On Thursday, August 17th, at 4 pm, Deneen Nelson and Brenna Griffin will facilitate a conversation about Dave Stuart Jr's book These Six Things,...

Teachers gather in Cedar Falls for EngCamp Aug. 1, 2023.
Sharing Our Learning from EngCamp
JoAnn Gage August 3, 2023

"I value learning from people who are actually in the position I am in," said Hollie Hampton from North Tama High School. Nothing is more...

Join Our Summer Book Club!
Join Our Summer Book Club!
July 12, 2023

On Thursday, August 10th, at 3 pm, Kim Van Es will facilitate a conversation about Dr. Seema Yasmin's book, What the Fact!?, which is geared...

Comments (0)

All Iowa Council of Teachers of English Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest
Activate Search
We facilitate deep connections & professional learning for ELA teachers.