by Kelly Keene When I was a first-year teacher, the excitement of starting my first school year with my own classroom came with a side of stress and anxiety. The amount of work it takes to set up a new classroom from scratch, in a very limited timeframe, pressures most new educators to get their … Continue reading Another August
A Teacher’s Summer Break
By Kelly Keene "You get summers off," people tell me whenever I mention the challenges of teaching. They're right, we only get paid ten months out of the year. But what they don't realize is that even though teachers don't get paid for those two months, we somehow are still expected to work through them. … Continue reading A Teacher’s Summer Break
UnBELIEVABLE; “The Unhoney-mooners” by Christina Lauren Book Review
by Kelly Keene My overall take on this book is that it was farfetched. I bought it at the Tirana Airport which was a great airport, but this book was not the first book I wanted to buy, simply what was available. I did like learning about "Christina Lauren" who is actually just a pen … Continue reading UnBELIEVABLE; “The Unhoney-mooners” by Christina Lauren Book Review
Rejection
By Kelly Keene Why does the softshut of a doorfeel like a slapin the face? Minutes thatpressed into hours ofmy past waitingfor ghosts thatnever showed up for me. Promises woven insubtle gestures,slipped like coarserope through mysweaty,bleedingpalms. Off handed, lastminute plansmentioned withouttimes or details,or the remembrancesthat no, I was notin that group chat. Laughter bouncing offtinted … Continue reading Rejection
Let’s Dive Into “The Deep End” by Ali Hazelwood
A book review by Kelly Keene This summer I learned something about myself. I really like reading and learning about the experience of elite athletes training for a singular goal. I’ve indulged in shows like America’s Sweethearts, The Last Dance and Cheer on Netflix. Each of these follows dancers, NBA all stars and cheerleaders as … Continue reading Let’s Dive Into “The Deep End” by Ali Hazelwood
Paradox
by Kelly Keene I love to think about paradoxes, and collect oxymorons on a list in my phone. We get to consider the power of the paradox when we read Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice with the 12th graders, and I like to point out how oxymoronic language can often que readers into complex texts … Continue reading Paradox
River and Drum Syntax Lesson
I was first introduced to this lesson by the South Coast Writing Project (SCWriP) in the summer of 2014 out of UCSB. I've used it in my classroom many times over the past ten years and it always helps students think differently about sentence length and complexity. It's a great lesson, challenge or quick write … Continue reading River and Drum Syntax Lesson
The Leaves
by Kelly Keene Crunch. Whisp. Flutter. They are fairies at my feet. A gentle breeze shakes them to dance. A powerful gust makes them fly. Rainbows of yellow, orange, and gold frost the sidewalks in a confectioner's sugar display. They move the jogger to patter in shorter, quicker steps. Munch. Crunch. Scrunch. They compel small … Continue reading The Leaves
Clarity
by Kelly Keene The particles muddy life's waters. Clouds congest blue open skies. We misunderstand advice from our fathers. Generational wisdom dies. We mumble and post nonsense online. We saturate networks with content. The next generation, the next great idea, bends us- no spine. Time, energy, attention- all spent. The path from A to B … Continue reading Clarity
“I Who Have Never Known Men” by Jacqueline Harpman Book Review
By Kelly Keene Originally published in 1995, I Who Have Never Known Men is a uniquely dystopian novel that has been republished recently in response to a growing interest in dystopian literature. Harpman, a Belgian author whose work was originally published in French, wrote many novels, but this was the first translated into English. The … Continue reading “I Who Have Never Known Men” by Jacqueline Harpman Book Review
Kelly Keene 