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I began this blog nine years ago this month

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 17,500 posts (including 1,531 “Best” lists), over eight million visitors, and thousands of subscribers, and lead to eight books.

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

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 Popular Movies/TV Shows For ESL/EFL

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

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

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

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

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

8. The Best Teacher Resources For “Foldables”

9. The Best Sites To Practice Speaking English

10. The Best Websites For Creating Online Learning Games

11. The Best Sites For Learning Spanish Online

12. The Best Sites For Grammar Practice

13. The Best Sites For Teaching About Latitude & Longitude

14. The Best Beginner, Intermediate & Advanced English Language Learner Sites

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

16. The Best Applications For Creating Free Email Newsletters

17. The Best Resources On Helping Our Students Develop A “Growth Mindset”

18. The Best Websites To Help Beginning Readers

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. Helping Students Motivate Themselves: Practical Answers To Classroom Challenges

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

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

5. How Students Evaluated Me This Year — Part One

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

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

8. Writing Letters To Students

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

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

11. Excerpt From My Book On Teaching English Language Learners

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

13. Here’s The “Growth Mindset” Article & Prompt We’re Using As Part Of Our Semester Final

14. This Is The Best Video I’ve Seen On Perseverance & Resilience: “There’s no dishonor in having a disability”

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

16. An Effective Five-Minute Lesson On Metacognition

17. Useful “Fixed” vs. “Growth” Mindset Worksheet For Students

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