iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Marcus Luther @marcusluther.bsky.social · 09/10/2026

Funny thing is: several years later and I remember that exact moment like it was yesterday—who said it, who else was in that classroom, how immediately/comprehensively we all melted down. What I don't remember: what the exit ticket data was from that lesson. 🤷‍♂️ (And I think that's the point?)

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Nate @jessenathaniel.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

This really resonates as the skill I’d want to cultivate in novice T’s as an intention: “Eventually, each teacher builds a repertoire of things to notice and a larger pool of ways to respond.” We need to name the repertoire/pool for novices to help them begin naming those things for themselves.

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Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Love this show. Have been saving up the episodes of the new season.

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Patrick Wyman @patrickwyman.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

If you're an educator, please feel free to use any Past Lives or Tides of History episodes to add flavor to your course offerings! I do my darndest to be sure the underlying research is thorough and up to date, and I hope the stories I tell are engaging enough to hold attention.

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Starbucks Workers United @sbworkersunited.org · 25/08/2026

🚨BREAKING: Our union of over 12,000 baristas are officially calling for a Starbucks boycott. Read this statement penned by Starbucks workers on why a boycott from ALL customers, allies, and organizations is necessary to fight back against corporate greed:

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Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

A real privilege. One of mine passed away a few years ago - she taught long passed retirement age for most people and would let me sit in her room on my off periods. Gave me Jim Burke’s book to help me start. I do my best to keep in touch with other mentors now and pay it forward with our new people

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Marcus Luther @marcusluther.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

"students are still people before they are submissions, and educators are still mentors before they are investigators." 🎯 and 🎯 www.ascd.org/blogs/i-got-...

ascd.org

I Got Kicked Out of Class for Writing Too Well

After being falsely accused of cheating with AI, one educator learned a valuable lesson about the power of knowing students and their work.

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Marcus Luther @marcusluther.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

this will 100% show up in the classroom when school starts back up—something far too many students will be invisibly carrying

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Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 01/08/2026

Sorry I never shared with you - assumed you were way ahead of me here. I’m loving them as I plan my next two year loop, and especially how I use it to plan with other teachers. It’s become much quicker to share out resources.

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Edutopia @edutopia.org · 28/07/2026

How do you lay the foundation for real community in your classroom? In the new episode of School of Practice, 3 educators share powerful ways to kick off the new school year—and set the stage for a classroom where students feel they belong. 🤝

edutopia.org

Podcast: 3 Outstanding Community-Building Activities for Back to School

Kick off the new school year by building genuine connections among your students, helping them feel they belong (and matter) in your classroom community.

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Better Things Are Possible @internethippo.bsky.social · 25/07/2026

Yes, the Problems are bad, but this is no time for radical things like Solutions

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Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

This reminded me so much of Will Guidara's work. You'd love him if you're unfamiliar.

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Marcus Luther @marcusluther.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

"Remember this: students need you next year too" Really appreciated this "to-do list" from Matt Brady's blog post today around what can break even the best of teachers—a healthy reminder going into a new school year, I think, for many of us! (*raises hand*)

list of 7 things for teachers to avoid burnout

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Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 20/06/2026

The funny thing I'm finding is that the younger teachers in other subject areas want to "integrate writing" and a lot of English teachers don't want to lose classroom time to work with them. The formulaic writing piece is something I'm working on breaking. At the middle level it's hard!

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Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 19/06/2026

Cringing at my typo BUT to add on: 1. There's some justified cynicism because people are reluctant to devote the earlier mentioned planning time 2. We can create a building culture by making it part of how new teachers are trained into the profession. 3. Us English teachers need to be willing.

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Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

I agree with having students write across the curriculum. We've done a lot of work with that, I just saw with the social studies department yesterday to plan out integrations for next year. When you give it the shared planning time and patience to stay the course (for years) you get great results.

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Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

Two years go fast. We wrapped with having our students write letters of gratitude to their teachers, coaches, custodians. Security staff, as always, received the most, illustrative of their impact on our school community.

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Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

Hey Roth and @drewmagary.bsky.social . I'm also a middle English school teacher, weirdly also named Joe, and want to help other Foreign Joe with the question this week. Whether through a conversation together or by giving him my info. A lot of wins with books despite... living on Long Island.

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Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

I give my students an anonymous survey at the end of our two years together. Blind, no way to tell who is giving me the feedback. Going through the data now, and it's incredible. The community you can build through trust and vulnerability is really something. Appreciate their insight tremendously.

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Marcus Luther @marcusluther.bsky.social · 03/06/2026

"I think that's the hardest thing to figure out: how to be a servant in way that shows that you are a professional person and not be taken advantage of in an unprofessional way." Really loved this point by @mrneibauer.bsky.social, as aspiring to have a "servant's heart" can carry a burden, too...

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Marcus Luther @marcusluther.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

Those final weeks in the classroom, when you've spent the entire year building rapport and overcoming barriers and establishing trust? As exhausted as EVERYONE is, it really is a cool stretch.

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Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

Bridges exists to bring people together. This year, we proved it, working with @makeawishamerica.bsky.social , at the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary. Farmingdale State, and celebrating culture in Jackson Heights. Four partnerships. Students who care. Leaders who delivered. Now to build what’s next.

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Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Stealing from a Mr. Luther, having outer circle students hop in when they wish. I introduced literary theory/lenses thanks to @mraleosays.bsky.social last week and was really happy with the ability of eighth graders to apply them. A LOT more device closed conversations > traditional assessments

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Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Haha! Some of it is a chance to do project based learning. We teach and study rhetoric, branding, then partner the kids up in groups with local businesses to create a brand/media kit with them and then pitch it, Mad Men style, to the class. I've doubled the Socratic seminars I do...

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Marcus Luther @marcusluther.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

Reading through final projects from students this week I'm reminded yet again what a privilege it is to read and provide feedback to student writing. I get that it takes time. But to forfeit this vantage point, this front row seat to their brilliance and innovation and courage? I don't get it.

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Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Raising the emphasis on speaking/presenting/storytelling opportunities as graded assignments, and teaching the corresponding speaking and listening skills.

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Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

Haha, I had a different Laurel & Hardy in my dorm room, to the confusion of everyone.

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McSweeney's @mcsweeneys.net · 30/05/2026

- Have all the planks of your ship been replaced? - Did you replace the planks with the same material(s) as before? - Do any of the original planks remain? - Did you or anyone else build a ship out of the old planks?

buff.ly

Theseus Files a Boat Insurance Claim

1. How many of your ship’s planks did you replace since your last insurance payment? 2. How many of your ship’s planks did you replace since you first took o...

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Adrian Neibauer @mrneibauer.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

I was unfamiliar with the phrase, a servant’s heart, but I can think of no higher praise. #TeacherSky #EduSky #SubstackSky open.substack.com/pub/adrianne...

open.substack.com

With a Servant's Heart

Leaving a School Building After Six Years

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Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 04/05/2026

Love when she pulls up to the pod. Excited to listen.

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Adrian Neibauer @mrneibauer.bsky.social · 29/04/2026

Reducing teaching to a set of techniques is analogous to reducing reading to a set of isolated skills. Teaching solely through techniques (without human connection, care, content expertise) reduces teaching to tricking students to complete tasks. Teaching is much more than this. #TeacherSky

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Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

Spent an hour with faculty at Nassau Community College last week talking engagement, resilience, and belonging. I didn’t just present there. I sat in those seats. State school grad. Summer classes at Nassau. These places expand what’s possible. Grateful for the invite.

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Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

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Adrian Neibauer @mrneibauer.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

One week into National Poetry Month and I’m thinking about the poems I want my students to read before they head off to middle school. #EduSky #TeacherSky #SubstackSky open.substack.com/pub/adrianne...

open.substack.com

Adrian's Top Five

Five poems I want my students to read before the end of the school year

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Marc Watkins @marcwatkins.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

Wonderful! Also please stop misrepresenting my positions for engagement bait and cheap clicks. I've written extensively about the dangers AI poses in education and its impact on student learning and faculty labor. open.substack.com/pub/marcwatk...

open.substack.com

The Dangers of using AI to Grade

Nobody Learns, Nobody Gains

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Marcus Luther @marcusluther.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

How do you make sure your classroom is daily offering an invitation to students that never disappears? (At this point in the school year: this is a really tough thing to do but simultaneously a really important thing to do.)

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Marcus Luther @marcusluther.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

"But ask any given students and they will tell you that Mr. Neibauer cares for them and has high expectations for them. Students may balk at my expectations, but I will never throw them into the pool." A great reflection to read going into a new week. adrianneibauer.substack.com/p/accountabl...

adrianneibauer.substack.com

Accountable Freedom

Though this be madness, yet there is method in’t.

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Brett Vogelsinger @thevogelman.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

I enjoyed this conversation with @marcusluther.bsky.social as always 😊 How do we handle writing outside of school as AI shifts the sands? Full episode on The Broken Copier is out today.

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Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

This. Playing the political game of an organization is rewarded more than consistent, dedicated process and the fruit that comes from it.

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McSweeney's @mcsweeneys.net · 26/02/2026

"The new waterwheel they built to power the loom made the river undrinkable, and when the boss cut my hours in half, I couldn’t buy food anymore, which really made the whole rickets situation get out of hand. But that’s exactly the sort of time you need a laugh, right?"

buff.ly

Being a Luddite Is Cool and All, but Have You Seen the Hilarious Tapestries These New Looms Are Making?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m as invested in keeping my job as the next weaver. When the boss brought in that big new power loom, I was pretty skeptical....

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Marcus Luther @marcusluther.bsky.social · 24/01/2026

Of course, there isn't a one-size-fits-all model of what this should look like, no matter what "Science of ____" label attach to it. So I tried to lean into the complications of what I consider with lesson design here, including examples: thebrokencopier.substack.com/p/why-lesson...

thebrokencopier.substack.com

Why Lesson Design Matters

But also why it's way more complicated than any formula

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Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 12/12/2025

I think a lot of people can't separate criticizing an act or a policy with personal criticism. So it either makes them run from or fight back against feedback.

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Marcus Luther @marcusluther.bsky.social · 12/12/2025

As someone who has loved connecting with @jessenathaniel.bsky.social online for some time + learned a ton from his perspective, it was a joy and privilege to finally have this conversation. Unsurprisingly, he had SO many worthwhile things to share: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...

podcasts.apple.com

What Should

Podcast Episode · The Broken Copier · 12/12/2025 · 1h 1m

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Joe LaTorre @joelatorre.bsky.social · 18/11/2025

My methods professor's classroom was her literal high school classroom. We would observe her during the day and then have class after the school day ends.

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