The Genres of My Life

I love it when my students realize the power of language buried beneath its nuances without my teaching it.  It is rare, but it happens. Whe...

I am a very clean person.  Boringly clean. Disturbingly clean. I-need-a-life clean. If I am feeling frazzled or stressed, I clean. For some ...

My 4th period juniors have been quite a challenge this year.  They are good kids, but their collective ego could use some humbling.  I have...

I am amazed to see parents who can manage to hold down a job, keep a house, remain social, and not go absolutely nuts.  Several of my co-wor...

My father, Michael MacDonald Vance, died from a heart attack on Friday, September 4, 2015 at 11:59 p.m.  He was 69 years and 6 days old. ...

Teaching writing is far more challenging than teaching literature. With literature, a teacher has fascinating characters, engaging plots, an...

I understand that most teenagers believe teachers (hell, adults) behaved differently when they were teenagers.  We went to sock-hops. We lo...