Friday Flashback September 2015 Edition TN Commissioner of Education Classroom Visit; Grand Ole Opry; TCTE Conference Presentation

For this month’s Friday Flashback, I am a few days behind. I guess that goes to show how SUPER busy this month has been. It has, though, been a very exciting one! Here’s a quick peek at my September.

1. TCTE Presentation


I absolutely love attending the TN Council of Teachers of English conference when it is in a nearby city, and this year I was selected to present a session at the conference in Nashville, TN. I shared with the attendees several ways to use task cards at the secondary level.  You can see that blog post for more ideas here. In a room of English teachers, of course, we had some great conversation. I really enjoy sharing ideas and resources at conferences and workshops with other teachers!


A group of people are sitting in a room with the word fast five on the bottom
A woman is giving a presentation in front of a screen that says fast five
A woman standing in front of a sign that says fast five

2. Grand Ole Opry Date Night 


While my husband and I were in Nashville for the conference, we took advantage of the time away and went to the Grand Ole Opry Friday night. I’ve always wanted to attend a show there, and it was impressive! There was a stellar line up of present and past stars including Ralph Stanley, Phil Vassar, The Willis Clan, and Bobby Osborne (the original recording artist of Rocky Top). Read more about what a couple of prior country music concerts taught me about teaching here.


A large sign for grand ole opry house is lit up at night.
A man in a suit and tie is standing at a podium giving a speech.
A group of men are standing on a stage playing guitars and singing into microphones.
A group of men are playing musical instruments on a stage.

3. TPT Milestone


I was really excited to reach a major milestone in my TPT store this month; it’s certainly nice to know that other teachers are finding goodies in my shop that work successfully for their classrooms!


4. TN Commissioner of Education Classroom Visit


Dr. Candice McQueen, TN’s Commissioner of education, visited my classroom this month during a writing lesson. I’ll admit my kids and I were nervous, but the visit went very well. Dr. McQueen was super engaged and thoughtful in talking to my students, and they did great sharing with her about the lesson and their goals after high school. Her visit also included several more VIP visitors including our county’s director, state representatives, and other BOE supervisors. It was a full room with great energy!


A collage of photos of people in a classroom with a sign that says greatest hits

5. Completed my first writing unit successfully in Junior English 


We’ve worked extremely hard the months of August and September to finish our first argumentative essay in junior English. My juniors take a state writing exam in November, so it’s a priority to brush up on those writing skills right off the bat. I enjoyed using Secondary Sara’s Writing is Like Meals to give my writing workshops a theme in preparation for the prompt my students would tackle. It’s on my to-do list to develop the entire argumentative unit for my TpT store, but for now, you might be interested in my Gun Control Prompt Pack where students argue the effectiveness of one text over another.  At the end of the unit, we enjoyed some desserts (inspired by Sara’s theme) since they had worked so diligently on their papers!


A text-based writing prompt pack argumentative for grades 10-12

Typically, this post is a linky party. However, I’m going to try something a little different in the next few months. Instead of linking to my Friday flashback with another blog post, I’m planning to host some seasonal linky parties. Be on the lookout for a fun one in October!

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