Star Trek: Strange New Worlds gives you both satisfaction (complete episodes) AND character development (growth across the season). What if English learning works the same way?
We've been pressured to design curriculum where everything builds UP—each lesson scaffolding to the next in perfect linear sequence. But English skills aren't plot points that get resolved. They're character traits that keep developing through repeated encounters in varied contexts.
In this conversation, I reflect on the changes in education since the pandemic and importance of revisiting effective strategies from the past, such as flipped learning, the role of homework, and the use of physical manipulatives in the classroom.
Ultimately, we need to remember the core values of teaching and learning as they navigate the current educational landscape.
Your students are obsessed with Outer Banks, rewatching Friends for the tenth time, and choosing shows from before they were born over algorithm-recommended content. This isn't random—it's sophisticated rebellion against hyper-personalization and a hunger for genuine community.In this episode, we explore why Gen Z actively seeks intergenerational cultural connection and how English teachers can use this craving to create deeper literary engagement.
Let's take a look at why and how your lived experience of the 90s and 2000s is suddenly valuable curriculum content, and learn how nostalgic anchoring creates emotional safety for intellectual risk-taking.
If you're tired of chasing trends to make literature "relevant," let's think about how to teach from authentic cultural knowledge that both energizes you and engages your students.
Resources mentioned:
Teaching with 90s Nostalgia Crash Course: subscribepage.io/eZSMtV
Feeling like you're just delivering someone else's curriculum in someone else's system? In this episode, we explore how to reclaim your professional agency by creating a distinctive classroom culture - even within the constraints of standardization.
I'll share why building classroom microcosms isn't just good for students (though it is) - it's essential for teacher wellness and sustainability. We'll talk about the elements that create belonging, the "fandom" aspects that build real community, and how small acts of agency can transform both your teaching and your students' learning.
Plus, I'll tell you about that time I gave away an Easy Bake Oven to my sophomores and why random moments of joy might be the most radical thing you can do in a standardized system.
Ever feel like your students are just going through the motions? In this episode, we explore why so many students operate like NPCs (non-playable characters) in their own education—and how the rise of AI has made this problem worse. Using examples from Westworld and real classroom experiences, we discuss how to design learning that breaks students out of compliance mode and into genuine thinking.
Get the Ultimate ELAR Bundle! https://ultimatebundlesale.myshopify.com/?ref=ihhzunid
You know those creative assignments that should spark magic but end up falling totally empty…for you and for your students? I’ve been wrestling with that for a while, especially when it comes to things like “rewrite the ending” or “imagine an alternate scene.” And weirdly enough… it was a blurb about Squid Game fan rewrites that finally helped me figure it out.In this episode, I’m talking about:Why creative assignments don’t always work the way we hopeThe difference between critical remix and fandom remixWhat most student engagement is actually measuring (spoiler: not creativity)How to build real investment before you ask students to createThis one’s part teaching reflection, part mini-rant, part deep dive into what happens when we confuse caring with creativity—and why that mix-up shows up all the time in English classrooms.Check out my session on building engaging classroom communities based on fandom principles at The Joyful Reading Summit. Get your ticket here → https://dmhicks00--samanthainsecondary.thrivecart.com/the-joyful-reading-summit-2025/
Picture this: Everything you've ever owned, everything you've ever eaten, every experience you've ever had—all of it gets put on a bagel. That's the central image from Everything Everywhere All at Once, and it's exactly where we are as teachers right now with AI. Everything about AI is being put on the education bagel, and somehow, in the middle of all this noise, you're supposed to figure out what's actually good for the humans sitting in your classroom. In this episode, I explore how the film's framework helps us navigate the AI moment without losing ourselves (or our students) in it.
What if your students were living their own version of Severance? In this episode, I explore how science fiction can illuminate the hidden architecture of our classrooms — starting with the unsettling parallels between the world of Severance and the way students split their authentic thinking from academic performance.
From AI-written essays to the quiet grief of “bleed-through moments,” this is a look into cognitive residue, compartmentalized learning, and what it takes to build a classroom that resists separation and invites wholeness.
"Back in the day, (before COVID) students could actually focus..." Every teacher has heard it. Many of us have said it.
But what if our fears about "kids these days" are hiding something deeper - something the we as teachers haven't been ready to talk about that speaks to something real and urgent in education?
Let's talk about what's really at stake.
Flash sale - https://english-classroom-architect.thrivecart.com/ducks-in-a-row-bundle/
In 1996, Michael Johnson won two Olympic golds by training less intensely than his competitors. Weird, right?
Explore how the counterintuitive concept of 'sub-maximal' training—focusing on sustainability over constant maximum effort—might be the key to teaching excellence without burnout.
This episode challenges everything you think you know about peak performance in the classroom.
Resources Mentioned:
Why do we design our teaching as if we'll never need coverage when (almost) every teacher needs it multiple times a year? Stop coming to school sick. Stop creating emergency plans at 5AM. Stop pretending the need for coverage won't happen. Let's rethink how we plan for reality and build something sustainable. Get 10 FREE Emergency Sub Plans: https://buildingbooklove.com/ela-emergency-sub-plans-for-middle-school-and-high-school-english/ Literary Springboard Resource: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Say-Mean-Matter-Chart-and-Variation-Springboard-Analysis-for-any-text-9482514
How did Spotify turn "you listened to Taylor Swift for 10,483 minutes" into a story you couldn't wait to share? Meanwhile, we're still sharing student growth through numbers and charts.
Something's not adding up.
There's something here that could enhance how we celebrate student growth - and no, I'm not suggestion you try to turn your students' analytical progression into a viral moment.
But what if progress felt less like a data dump ad more like a story worth sharing?
Here's what teachers can learn from Spotify's storytelling magic - and how to use it without exhausting ourselves in the process.
"I agree with what they said."
It's possibly the most dreaded phrase in literary discussions. The polite nodding. The surface sharing. The performance of analysis without any real meaning building.
But what if the problem isn't our students or even the text? What if it's how we structure the discussion itself?
Drawing from years of teaching Macbeth, this episode breaks down the engineering behind discussions that actually work. We'll explore scene mapping strategies, pattern analysis frameworks, and the specific structures that transform student contributions from random observations into genuine literary analysis.
It's time to make the simple "I agree" obsolete.
Resources
In this episode, we go beyond the witches to explore how Macbeth offers insights into ambition, performance, and mental health—both in the play and in the classroom.
Tune in for:
Whether you’re looking to explore Gothic themes, mental health, or fresh ways to teach Macbeth, this episode offers both inspiration and practical tools.
Get the Spooky Bundle, Volume 2! https://shop.mudandinkteaching.org/spookyelabundle2/dazlp (my affiliate link)
As October rolls in, join us for a haunting exploration of Gothic literature in the classroom. In this episode, we'll uncover new ways to approach Gothic Literature.
Discover how to:
Lets reflect on the challenges of October teaching and how Gothic literature can be a bridge to deeper engagement. From Macbeth to Mexican Gothic, from yellow wallpaper to silver screens, I'll share how I'm creating rigorous, engaging lessons that resonate with today's students.
Ever had a student crumple up their graded paper right in front of you? In this Curriculum Lab episode I share my own struggles with feedback frustration and explore methods (including some old-school Google add-ons) to hopefully ensure students not only see but use your comments to improve their writing.
If feedback has felt like a losing battle, I made this episode for you.
Let's look at the world of education's hidden curriculum to explore how common school policies can unintentionally manipulate student emotions.
Why are your students wearing Nirvana tees without knowing the band? Explore the world of the 'time-neutral teen' and learn how to use their nostalgic interests to deepen historical understanding...which can all lead to our students better understanding literature and the world they live in.
In this episode, we'll cover: • The concept of the 'time-neutral teen' and how it affects learning • A multi-week TV era research project to engage students with historical periods • Strategies for building 'time anchors' to improve student comprehension • Flexible homework assignments for media analysis and historical context • Practical tips for integrating pop culture into your English curriculum • Addressing challenges like time constraints and access to media
In this Curriculum Lab, we're diving into the post-Labor Day chaos that every teacher knows all too well. From binge-watching 'UnReal' to suddenly remembering all those ungraded assignments, I'm sharing my own juggling act of honors classes, volleyball coaching, and parenting both a toddler and a teenager (and an adult). Join me as I talk through through adapting lesson plans and debate pushing back deadlines (again). Whether you're nodding along in solidarity or laughing at the all-too-familiar struggle, this episode is a candid peek into surviving the back-to-school whirlwind!
