Start Here

Yeah! You’re here! Let’s take a look at all the stuff I have for you.

First, let’s get something out of the way. I’ve noticed that whenever people say the name of this site to me, they’ll trail off like this, “Cult of…” That hesitation! They don’t know how to say pedagogy. So here you go:

Also, what the heck is pedagogy anyway? It’s a fancy word for the study of teaching. I think it’s a word we should use more. And one more thing: About the word “Cult.” It’s kind of a joke. This isn’t actually a cult. The phrase is a play on the phrase Cult of Personality, which was a thing long before the band Living Colour released this song (a month after I graduated high school). Anyway, because I’ve always been pretty obsessed with education, I thought it would be a good name for a gathering of people who share that obsession.

Okay, now that we’ve got you saying the name right and feeling more comfortable about that cult reference, here’s a quick tour.

The Blog

I’ve been writing blog posts here since 2013, so a lot of content has built up over the years. Each one falls into one of these three categories: The Craft, where we fine-tune the art of teaching, Go Deep, where we dig into the theory and thinking behind our practice, and Teacher Soul. This last category is my favorite, because it’s where we get into the guts, the raw emotions of teaching. Our work isn’t just a set of black-and-white strategies, we work with actual live human beings. That makes it ridiculously complicated and sometimes painful. In Teacher Soul, we talk about that. To find what you’re most interested in, head over to the blog page and either browse each of these sections, use the topic index to drill down deeper, or just do a search.

Podcast

Although I definitely lean towards introversion, it turns out I’m pretty happy talking to a microphone at my desk. About half of the episodes are my interviews with teachers, learning experts, parents, and other people who make things happen in education. The other half are solo podcasts, where I hog the mic the whole time and share my own thoughts and discoveries. Also? I think my intro music is the grooviest, so listen if only for that.

Videos

My library of videos is packed with good things for you. In some, I demonstrate some really cool teaching practices, share classroom management tips, demonstrate tech tools so they look super easy, and offer up advice for some of your trickiest teaching situations.

Store

Yep, I sell stuff, too. First, you’ll find a beautiful collection of teaching materials. Some would work in any classroom, and some are more geared toward English Language Arts and literacy. I was an English teacher, so this is where I get to stretch those muscles and show you my actual teaching chops.

Next stop is my online courses, which you can take right from home, in your yoga pants, with the wine and chocolate, with the dog asleep right there on the floor.

After that comes a teeny little kiosk that sells the two books I wrote. More are coming.

Then comes the SWAG, which is like a little Cult of Pedagogy gift shop, full of t-shirts and coffee mugs and such.

Finally is a shop I call Cult-Approved, where I promote some products created by other people, people whose work I admire and respect. These are products I think are so good, I actually leave space on my own website to share them.

How to Not Miss a Thing

If you’re feeling at home here, then we need to get you on my mailing list, because I’m not even close to being done yet. Every other Sunday, I’ll send you a note where I’ll tell you about the newest blog post, podcast, or product, and why it should matter to you. I may also ask your opinion on something, tell you what’s been on my mind lately, and occasionally surprise you with a present, like the time I gave away some TpT gift cards, or the time I gave away 5 free copies of Presentation Zen, one of my favorite books. Oh, and you also get access to my members-only library of free stuff, including my e-book, 20 Ways to Cut Your Grading Time in Half. You can sign up right here.

HERE’S HOW IT WORKS:

1. You give me your email.
2. Every other week, I send you a short, useful note.
3. Your teaching gets better.

Email:

 

 

Don’t Forget Social Media!

To find your social platform of choice, just scroll down to the bottom of this page and click away.

Okay, that’s it for now!