Sarah Mulhern Gross

#ThesisoftheWeek for Week 3 of October is inspired by a beautiful poem by Marjorie Saiser entitled "Crane Migration: Platte River." Find this prompt & others on the Poetry as Practice Blog! (Photo credits: Chris Helzer/The Nature Conservancy & USGS) poetryaspractice.blogspot.com/2025/09/intr...

Check out our upcoming #CEL virtual session open to all NCTE members & literacy leaders. @tanisleads.bsky.social @oonziela.bsky.social @hcodymiller.bsky.social @bnjmnkwdcck.bsky.social @sjeducate.bsky.social @thereadingzone.bsky.social @teachkate.bsky.social @angelastockman.bsky.social

screenshot of tweet from rose lavelle: @roselavelle: 13 yrs ago today Mary got chased down the street by a vicious neighbor dog & to this day it is still the funniest thing I have ever witnessed

feels like the holidays start earlier every year

The memes are the ideology. I really wish more people understood that over the past decade.

Every time I reported a student using a meme like Pepe as a school avatar I was told to calm down because “it’s just a joke”.

The jokes are a meme and the memes are the ideology now.

Launching a resource that I hope helps ELA teachers! Thesis of the Week = low-risk formative literary analysis practice. Weekly poems & practice w/ thesis statements are NOT for a formal grade, but intended to grow students' writing efficacy. poetryaspractice.blogspot.com/2025/09/intr...

“Don’t say thoughts and prayers. These kids were literally praying. They were in church.”- Mayor Jacob Frey

‘No Way To Prevent This,’ Says Only Nation Where This Regularly Happens theonion.com/no-way-to-pr...

Again. 😭 I’m so tired of being angry while politicians send thoughts and prayers.

Do. Something.

The freemium versions always let you use it for a limited time/number of users that’s not at all helpful in practice. And teachers can’t afford (nor should they pay for!) subscriptions to dozens of apps. 🫠😵‍💫😭

You know what’s great about the state of education? Every single tech company advertises an app/extension to teachers, lets them use it for free, and then makes it a paid subscription.

a nun says you terrify me in front of a chalkboard ALT: a nun says you terrify me in front of a chalkboard

Rewatching Derry Girls; it’s just as funny as the first time I watched it.

I am not at all surprised to learn that the most right-wing NJ teacher influencers are also pro-AI and pro-standardized testing.

All these Hamilton videos reminded me that the Schuyler sisters were just as messy as the Fisher brothers. #tsitp #hamilton

A lot of folks not in the classroom making decisions negatively impacting the classroom—folks who will face absolutely zero consequences for these decisions while students and teachers do.

Make education worse, climb the ladder = education in America

My FYP is currently Taylor Swift, Bonrad edits, Gilded Age behind the scenes, 90s-2000s music, and the fall of democracy. As they say in John Proctor is the Villain, “I contain frickin’ multitudes!”

This fall we are getting new Taylor Swift music, Wicked: For Good, new Ed Sheeran music, and the finale of The Summer I Turned Pretty? 😍🥰

As an OG elder Swiftie this is wild and amazing. (Why yes, I did start a free trial of YouTube Premium so I could watch this ad free on my TV).

I know a lot of millennial women are watching the series, but I think Han is doing such important work in presenting the story in this way to the young adult audience. 2/2

*English teacher hat on*
I am so fascinated by how Jenny Han is centering the female gaze in this season of TSITP (esp the last 2 eps). It’s jarring how the relationship b/w Belly + Conrad is so different from what we see in the majority of media. 1/2

We are so back. 🤡 #taylorswift

I saw John Proctor is the Villain for the second time yesterday. I can not stress enough how incredible this production is. I cried again, and my friends who were seeing it for the first time were stunned by the production. You have until Sept 7 to see this show. It should be mandatory viewing.

Do people not remember the sexist manboys in Home Improvement or Everyone Loves Raymond, Girls Gone Wild during every commercial break after 10pm, or cancelling Ellen because her character came out as gay? Any feminist, queer, or trans representation could only be found at the small indie theater.

#CopaAméricaFemenina

Tell me you are watching this game without telling me.

Flashbacks to the Eras Tour tonight as I frantically search TikTok for clips from the performance of Jesus Christ Superstar at the Hollywood Bowl.

My reaction so far is OH. MY. GOD.

Someone in my neighborhood is setting off huge fireworks at 10:45pm. No warning. Nothing earlier. Just a whole lot of house-shaking booms at almost 11pm. Now I’m sitting in the bathroom w/a terrified dog. Why are fireworks a thing on any day, let alone random non-holidays?!

July reading!

I’m on the hold list at the library!

For high school teachers: penguinrandomhousesecondaryeducation.com/wp-content/u...