My name is Heather MacCorkle Edick. I am a teacher who calls a small school district in the gorgeous Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania my educational home. I currently teach AP® Literature and Composition, English 11, Creative Writing I and II, and (new this year) Journalism. I could not be happier.
As an educator, I often need an outlet for my thoughts and feelings about learning, teaching, school, and education. There are so many things to think about, so many conversations to have. That’s why I started this blog many years ago.
I pour my heart and mind out here, hoping someone will enjoy and perhaps benefit from my words. I hope that someone is you.
Please Join My Email List
Processing…
Success! You're on the list.
Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.
Powered By Varsity Tutors
- Hello World!
- Teaching ELA as a Survey Course
- Reclaiming Myself
- How Many Hours a Week Do You Work, Fellow Teacher?
- Dear School Boards: It’s Time To Treat Paraprofessionals as Professionals, Please.
- A Follow Up to “How to Care for Students Differently”
- That Wasn’t Professional Development. That Wasn’t Even Training.
- How to Care for Students Differently
- Humanities I: “Why Do Writers Write?”
- I Dream of Building Such a School One Day, Part IV
- I Dream of Building Such a School One Day, Part III
- I Dream of Building Such a School One Day, Part II
- I Dream of Building Such a School One Day
- Three Things I Can Do to Make This School Year Better
- Dear School Boards: You Need to Professionalize the Substitute Teacher Role
- Ideas for Bell Ringers, Part II
- A Letter to Tutoring Organizations from a Loyal Tutor
- Ideas for Bell Ringers
- What Is Forgiveness?
- “What’s the plan?”
- This Teacher Is Now Accepting Applications
- Reimagining Creative Writing
- 2022: The Year of Readjustment
- Positivity Needed
- No, I Will Not Post Copyrighted Materials
- Yesterday, I Took Steps to Take My Classroom Back
- Is It Time to Go Low Tech Again?
- TikTok Challenges, Fictitious Letters, and Elfin Ears
- High School Students Don’t Have Time for Homework
- Communicating with Students and Families
- This Week, I Was the Teacher I Want to Be
- “What Did I Miss?” — 3 Ways to Avoid Having to Answer That Question
- The Remnants of Hurricane Ida and Reopening School
- I DID IT!
- Private Chat: A Gift to Students
- Getting Ready for Virtual Meet the Teacher Night
- Reasons to be Excited to Return to School
- Day 26 of a 30-Day Writing Challenge
- These Six Self Statements Can Be Explicitly Taught
- Who Is the Real Antagonist in Your Story?
- My Quest Toward Going Gradeless
- Keep Writing, Keep Learning!
- Continuing Progress Toward Going Gradeless in a Score-Obsessed Environment
- Going Gradeless in a Score-Obsessed Learning Environment: Progress Update
- Going Gradeless in a Score-Obsessed Learning Environment
- What Purpose Does a Grade Serve?
- Helping Students Find Their “Why”
- Let's Jettison Standardized Tests into the Sea of What Was
- Stop Playing Mind Games
- Formative Assessment Helps Students Become Better Writers
- How Is Your District Using ESSER Funds?
- Why Are Some Playing Politics with School Reopening?
- Meeting Students Where They Are
- Tackling Four Preps with One Prep Period (Part II)
- My 30-Day Writing Challenge Reading List
- Tackling Four Preps with One Prep Period (Part I)
- What Would I Do if I Quit Teaching?
- Teachers as Curators
- What I Have Learned Six Days into the 30-Day Writing Challenge
- We Need Real Leadership, and We Need It Now
- The Argument for More Time with Our Students
- Front-loading Vocabulary in a High School Journalism Class
- Do We Address “Learning Loss” or Something More Important This School Year, Namely Mental Health?