Star Trek: Strange New Worlds gives you both satisfaction (complete episodes) AND character development (growth across the season). What if English learning works the same way?

We've been pressured to design curriculum where everything builds UP—each lesson scaffolding to the next in perfect linear sequence. But English skills aren't plot points that get resolved. They're character traits that keep developing through repeated encounters in varied contexts.

In this conversation, I reflect on the changes in education since the pandemic and importance of revisiting effective strategies from the past, such as flipped learning, the role of homework, and the use of physical manipulatives in the classroom.

Ultimately, we need to remember the core values of teaching and learning as they navigate the current educational landscape.

Your students are obsessed with Outer Banks, rewatching Friends for the tenth time, and choosing shows from before they were born over algorithm-recommended content. This isn't random—it's sophisticated rebellion against hyper-personalization and a hunger for genuine community.In this episode, we explore why Gen Z actively seeks intergenerational cultural connection and how English teachers can use this craving to create deeper literary engagement.

Let's take a look at why and how your lived experience of the 90s and 2000s is suddenly valuable curriculum content, and learn how nostalgic anchoring creates emotional safety for intellectual risk-taking.

If you're tired of chasing trends to make literature "relevant," let's think about how to teach from authentic cultural knowledge that both energizes you and engages your students.

Resources mentioned:

Teaching with 90s Nostalgia Crash Course: subscribepage.io/eZSMtV