John Downes-Angus
@johndownesangus.bsky.social
Public HS English Teacher in NYC.
Milly, knowing she’s terminally ill—this book is so good. “The beauty of the bloom had gone from the small old sense of safety - that was distinct: she had left it behind her there for ever.”
November 11, 2025 at 1:33 AM
Milly, knowing she’s terminally ill—this book is so good. “The beauty of the bloom had gone from the small old sense of safety - that was distinct: she had left it behind her there for ever.”
Have not stopped thinking about that Balkan spider web freak show thing since I saw it at like 530 this morning, what the hell
November 10, 2025 at 11:07 PM
Have not stopped thinking about that Balkan spider web freak show thing since I saw it at like 530 this morning, what the hell
/classrooms
OutKast is inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame:
“We started in a little room. Great things start in little rooms”
“We started in a little room. Great things start in little rooms”
November 10, 2025 at 12:11 AM
/classrooms
“tragedy, ecstasy, doom”
November 9, 2025 at 5:59 PM
“tragedy, ecstasy, doom”
Would say that about 60% of my students own a sweatshirt that says
ESSENTIALS
FEAR OF GOD
on it
ESSENTIALS
FEAR OF GOD
on it
November 9, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Would say that about 60% of my students own a sweatshirt that says
ESSENTIALS
FEAR OF GOD
on it
ESSENTIALS
FEAR OF GOD
on it
Great little volume/a reminder that one of the best things about caring about poetry is hearing what others have made of things you’ve liked
November 9, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Great little volume/a reminder that one of the best things about caring about poetry is hearing what others have made of things you’ve liked
If you’re looking to support good politics, consider donating to @joel4jc.bsky.social. He’s a dad, a friend, a union organizer—and clearly qualified for the job he’s running for. Headed for a runoff in Jersey City.
secure.actblue.com/donate/joel-...
secure.actblue.com/donate/joel-...
Donate to Joel Brooks
Show your support with a contribution.
secure.actblue.com
November 9, 2025 at 12:55 AM
If you’re looking to support good politics, consider donating to @joel4jc.bsky.social. He’s a dad, a friend, a union organizer—and clearly qualified for the job he’s running for. Headed for a runoff in Jersey City.
secure.actblue.com/donate/joel-...
secure.actblue.com/donate/joel-...
Rereading “the wings of the dove” since it’s insanely immersive and fun, and I forgot that “iced coffee” makes its way in—find that surprising for some reason, like I thought cool cafes invented that
November 8, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Rereading “the wings of the dove” since it’s insanely immersive and fun, and I forgot that “iced coffee” makes its way in—find that surprising for some reason, like I thought cool cafes invented that
I love this insane album art. “Let’s…scatter the cover with things that look like playing cards. Marble background.”
November 8, 2025 at 5:36 PM
I love this insane album art. “Let’s…scatter the cover with things that look like playing cards. Marble background.”
One thing you learn with experience is that even successful test prep, the kind that produces good numbers, can be bad pedagogy. You could just do this kind of stuff instead—but only if you’re given the latitude to determine the ends of a literary education for your kids.
My AP Lit teacher (some 15 years ago, now) pretty much ignored AP until the weeks immediately preceding the test. We read Moby Dick, Heart of Darkness, he even assigned the entirety of Gravity’s Rainbow lmao.
November 8, 2025 at 5:13 PM
One thing you learn with experience is that even successful test prep, the kind that produces good numbers, can be bad pedagogy. You could just do this kind of stuff instead—but only if you’re given the latitude to determine the ends of a literary education for your kids.
One fun thing about teaching in NYC is that we have orgs like @thecity.nyc to keep us all posted—they were the subject of our HS journalism meeting yesterday, since our kids read their morning emails to stay up to speed. Good stuff—donate if you’re looking for somewhere to spend money usefully
November 7, 2025 at 1:34 AM
One fun thing about teaching in NYC is that we have orgs like @thecity.nyc to keep us all posted—they were the subject of our HS journalism meeting yesterday, since our kids read their morning emails to stay up to speed. Good stuff—donate if you’re looking for somewhere to spend money usefully
There's a Divinity that shapes our ends, Rough-hew them how we will
November 6, 2025 at 9:51 PM
There's a Divinity that shapes our ends, Rough-hew them how we will
Think that “book studies” and “reception studies” should be a bigger part of English teacher education programs. This stuff is basically what we do all day.
November 6, 2025 at 8:36 PM
Think that “book studies” and “reception studies” should be a bigger part of English teacher education programs. This stuff is basically what we do all day.
Doomsaying and throwing our hands up at how hard it is to get kids to do stuff like read/not use GPT, especially when it comes from adults tasked with taking care of kids, is just such a depressing capitulation to the wrongheaded belief that it’s impossible to capture kids’ imaginations
November 6, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Doomsaying and throwing our hands up at how hard it is to get kids to do stuff like read/not use GPT, especially when it comes from adults tasked with taking care of kids, is just such a depressing capitulation to the wrongheaded belief that it’s impossible to capture kids’ imaginations
Fun Strand find
November 5, 2025 at 8:51 PM
Fun Strand find
Friendly reminder that we never know who’s sitting in our classrooms out here
www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
Meet Zohran Mamdani’s favorite NYC high school teacher
Marc Kagan shares his memories teaching Zohran Mamdani at Bronx Science.
www.chalkbeat.org
November 5, 2025 at 11:48 AM
Friendly reminder that we never know who’s sitting in our classrooms out here
www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
No hate because I know how hard it is to write good questions but the badness of this question from a teacher resource is really funny
November 4, 2025 at 7:56 PM
No hate because I know how hard it is to write good questions but the badness of this question from a teacher resource is really funny
Transcendentalism found poetry tomorrow, mixing and matching texts to make new texts, here we go. Then off to see Thoreau’s journals in the archives with the children next Friday.
November 4, 2025 at 6:53 PM
Transcendentalism found poetry tomorrow, mixing and matching texts to make new texts, here we go. Then off to see Thoreau’s journals in the archives with the children next Friday.
Have no idea what my kids are going to make of these plays/am very curious
November 4, 2025 at 6:42 PM
Have no idea what my kids are going to make of these plays/am very curious
Going to inscribe @manshel.bsky.social into the American HS canon by assigning this essay to my 11th graders next week
www.newyorker.com/books/page-t...
www.newyorker.com/books/page-t...
How “The Great Gatsby” Took Over High School
The classroom staple turns a hundred.
www.newyorker.com
November 4, 2025 at 3:39 PM
Going to inscribe @manshel.bsky.social into the American HS canon by assigning this essay to my 11th graders next week
www.newyorker.com/books/page-t...
www.newyorker.com/books/page-t...
Democracy is cool but it comes with so many text messages
November 4, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Democracy is cool but it comes with so many text messages
Wallace Stevens bein a weirdo
November 3, 2025 at 9:45 PM
Wallace Stevens bein a weirdo