In this episode of Teach Smarter, part of our Leaders from the Classroom series, I talk with Nick, a middle school history teacher, about how he builds writing skills through in-class modeling, real-time feedback, and consistent practice across the year.

We dig into why he doesn’t let students write essays at home, how he’s adapted writing instruction to fit his content area, and the challenges AI introduces when students rely on it too early. He also shares how he uses writing portfolios, gives individualized feedback, and tracks student growth from day one to the end of the year.

Nick is a middle school History teacher with a decade of experience in the classroom. During this time, he’s played an integral role in the development of curriculum, and is a key figure in History writing instruction and development for his local district.