I began this blog eight years ago.

Writing it has made me a better teacher for my students, and I hope it’s been helpful to others. It’s been an incredible gift to be able to connect with so many talented educators around the world.

I began writing it as a place for me to keep resources that I would use in the classroom in one place. Little did I know it would result in 15,000 posts (including 1,400 “Best” lists), seven million visitors, and thousands of subscribers, and lead to seven books.

I have also begun writing two other blogs — my teacher advice column at Education Week Teacher and the Engaging Parents In School blog.

I appreciate the people I have met — online or in person — through this blog, and everything I have learned from you.

Thanks, and forward to another year!

In addition to the above few words, I thought people might find it interesting to see what have been the most popular posts since this blog began (you can also see a list of my personal favorite ones here).

Here they are:

1. The Best Resources For Helping Teachers Use Bloom’s Taxonomy In The Classroom

2. The Best Sites For Online Photo-Editing & Photo Effects

3. The Best Popular Movies/TV Shows For ESL/EFL

4. The Best Online Virtual “Corkboards” (or “Bulletin Boards”)

5. The Best Teacher Resources For “Foldables”

6.  The Best Sites For Learning About The World’s Different Cultures

7. The Best Comic Strips For Students & Teachers In 2012 — So Far

8. The Best Sites For Learning Spanish Online

9. The Best Sites To Practice Speaking English

10. The Best Sites For Teaching About Latitude & Longitude

11. The Best Places To Read & Write “Choose Your Own Adventure” Stories

12. Easily Make Your Own Unique (& Fake) CNN, NY Times, Etc. Website With “News Jack”

13. The Best Sites For Grammar Practice

14. The Best Websites To Help Beginning Readers

15. The Best Applications For Creating Free Email Newsletters

Though “The Best…” lists are clearly extremely popular, some of my non-”The Best…” posts have also rung a chord with readers. Here are some of those most popular ones:

1. Answers To “What Do You Do On The First Day Of School?”

2. How Students Evaluated Me This Year — Part One

3. Have You Ever Taught A Class That Got “Out Of Control”?

4. This Is The Best Lesson Plan On Punctuation I’ve Ever Read

5. This Has Got To Be One Of The Most Useful Sites On The Web For ELL Teachers

6. Excerpt From My Book On Teaching English Language Learners

7. What Do You Do On The Last Day Of Class (Part Two)?

8. The Best Short Summary I’ve Seen Of Daniel Pink’s Book, “Drive”

9. Why Is It Important For Students To Learn About Bloom’s Taxonomy?

10. What Is The Accurate Edison Quote On Learning From Failure?

11. March’s Infographics & Interactives Galore – Part Four

12. Writing Letters To Students

13. Reading Logs — Part Two (or “How Students Can Grow Their Brains”)

14. When A “Good” Class Goes “Bad” (And Back To “Good” Again!)

15.  “I Like This Lesson Because It Make Me Have a Longer Temper” (Part One)

16. Helping Students Motivate Themselves: Practical Answers To Classroom Challenges