You shouldn’t have to give up part of your life to be a great teacher.

With all of that being put on teacher’s plates these days, especially English teachers, teaching is getting ever challenging.

The media says that schools are failing and students are behind, but we know that whatever the statistics say our job is simply to teach the students that are in front of us. With increasing class sizes, increased scrutiny and skepticism, and fear of learning loss, much of the field of education is talking and testing more than “fixing.”

We care, which is leading to more of us overextending ourselves and running towards burnout.

What is this place?

I’m glad you asked! This is your source for:

Inspirational teaching ideas that don’t require a ton of prep time (since you don’t have that)
Low stress, high impact teaching strategies
A community of like-minded English teachers

You love being able to be with your students each day…but you often wonder if there’s an easier way to manage all the OTHER responsibilities we are tasked with.

Whether you want done-for-you resources for the days you just can’t, ways to make your teaching life more manageable, or just a spark for your own creative process, you’re in the right place.

Who is the person behind English Classroom Architect?

It’s me, Danielle Hicks. I teach high school English as my full-time job, but I also coach volleyball and track. In volleyball there is a saying that athletes should better the ball for their teammates. In an ideal scenario, a passer passes the ball as directly to the setter as possible, the setter aims to give an ideal ball to a hitter, and the hitter can then hit the ball in a way that ends in a point for their team. The analogy can be extended to our classroom and students. Regardless of the messages about education or our schools, we just need to “better the ball.”

Well, okay. That’s not the full story. It’s also you. Together we design and build our classrooms. We are the architects of change in English education.

You’re here because you want to do things differently. As classroom teachers we do have power. We have the power to bring our energy and passion to our students. We have the power to make changes in our classroom to move students to be better readers, writers, and communicators.

That has not changed.

What’s My “Why?”

(Insert eye roll, I know, I know…) Okay, but actually…I do have one! My friends are leaving education. Even the ones with similar experience to me (I started in 2008). For several years I wrote curriculum for my county over the summer. Of our core group of four I am the only one still in the classroom full-time. I started to feel like I wanted to DO something and not just watch passively as education dies a slow death. English teachers are awesome, and I know that if we are awesome together we can make some improvements, especially if we work together.

How can you help me with all that?

I don’t have all the answers, but I have learned a lot over the years. I feel called to teach, but not to spend 60+ hours a week to make it happen. Through trial and error, I have figured out how to have a classroom that is effective, efficient, and fun. You’re in the right place if you want to spend less time grading at home, and more time actually enjoying teaching.

With freebies like these:

Articles like this:

Some of the most popular episodes from my podcast, Anti-Burnout for English Teachers like this:

I’m picking up what you’re putting down. Where should I start?

Follow me on Instagram so we can meet and take the Teacher Type Quiz! The quiz results will not only give you your type, you’ll also get a personalized anti-burnout plan, crafted especially for English teachers.

I’ve noticed…tentacles on some of your materials? What’s up with that?

Oh, right. That. It’s a reference to giant squid.

The giant squid embodies the courage to face challenges head-on, fostering an environment where fear becomes the stepping stone to greatness.

Here’s the back story. For me, the giant squid is the most terrifying creature, land and sea. First of all, we know hardly anything about it. We don’t know how they communicate. They have a huge and very creepy single eye. And they attack whales. Whales! They inspired myths of creatures who took down ships, the mighty Kraken.

But…remember teaching during the pandemic? (I’m sure you do. How could anyone forget?) I don’t know about you, but I found that to be a time of serious unease. Not only was I concerned about Covid (is this allergies? Do I have Covid again? Is this anxiety because I don’t know if I can’t breathe because of allergies or Covid?), I was also trying to do my best to help students through a screen. Everything was so much work.

But, believe it or not, I ended up thriving during virtual teaching. I embraced what I feared most and experimented. I embraced the Kraken.

Since you’re an English teacher, too, I’m sure you can follow my metaphor. Our Kraken right now is burnout, and instead of letting it consume our ship, I’m embracing it to become the Kraken itself.

It’s not just a creature; it’s a metaphor for transformation. Just as I became the squid I initially feared, I invite you to embrace change and growth. Our resources, from collaborative products to innovative teaching strategies, mirror the transformative power of facing the unknown.

Five Fun Facts

Before I became a teacher, I worked for a small, national nonprofit association.
A core memory is of my father reading me and my brother Edith Hamilton’s mythology after dinner when I was in elementary school.
When I started teaching in 2008, I asked my principal if students could occasionally use their cell phones for educational purposes. This led to the purchase of a set of netbooks for my classroom (which led to a set of laptops for my classroom).
I have a hard time telling people where I am from. I was born in upstate New York, and lived in New Jersey and Texas.
Favorite reading genres include science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, and romance.