Oregon Council of Teachers of English

You'll want to see this on MONDAY, February 9, 2026.
https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/documentaries/the-librarians/
Thanks to the members of the Literacy Leaders Network for bringing the documentary featured at NCTE Convention in Denver to our attention!

The Librarians | Book Policies Documentary | Independent Lens The Librarians follows librarians and citizens responding to restrictions on library content across the United States.

In the mood for a comedy? In Rebel with a Clause, a new grammar docu-comedy by Brandt Johnson, grammar guru Ellen Jovin takes her pop-up advice stand on a road trip across all 50 US states to show that comma fights can bring us closer together in a divided time.
Coming THIS FRIDAY!
See comments for a link!

FREE for all literacy educators:

A Conversation about Intellectual Freedom with NCTE Affiliates Join leadership from NCTE’s Committee Against Censorship, members from across the country, a host of state and regional affiliates.

The Literacy Leaders Network begins on Thursday, October 2, 2025.
REGISTER for the new year! https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/i1CI1CogR8KYr-uhV7GKEw

More information on how to apply here: https://octe.org/Teacher-Grants

In the mood for a comedy? In Rebel with a Clause, a new grammar docu-comedy by Brandt Johnson, grammar guru Ellen Jovin takes her pop-up advice stand on a road trip across all 50 US states to show that comma fights can bring us closer together in a divided time.

https://www.rebelwithaclause.com/screenings/screening-at-salem-cinema

https://www.rebelwithaclause.com/screenings/screening-at-eugene-art-house

Screening at Eugene Art House Eugene, OR, Sep 21, 2025, 1:00 PM

OCTE has received two affiliate awards from the National Council of Teachers of English for its newsletter and its "Teachers for the Dream" Scholarship!

OCTE Board Member Bitsy Parks discusses developing "progressive and inclusive" implicit biases for CHOICE LITERACY.

Examining Book Choices with Awareness of Bias – Choice Literacy “Mrs. Parks, they are wearing masks like us,” came a soft voice from my laptop. I paused to look at the thumbnail images of faces that filled my Zoom screen and saw that Hailey was unmuted and looking at the read aloud intently.

See how OCTE can help you this year!
Apply here: https://octe.org/Teacher-Grants

"...giving oneself over to reading deeply, whether it’s literature, philosophy or any complex text, offers something more: a rehearsal for real life, and for the patience we need to deal with one another..."

What's Reading Worth—or Worth Reading? Maybe this.

Why Are So Few Kids Reading for Pleasure? Doomscrolling. Poor literacy instruction. Overscheduling. These are some of the reasons cited for a generational decline in students reading for fun.

Discussion of Artificial Intelligence will continue. This provides valuable consideration for the year(s) ahead. Thanks to Margaret Perrow for sharing student-centered discoveries at the OCTE/OSLA Fall Conference, 2024.

Human-in-the-Loop: Agency and Responsibility in AI-Mediated Systems Human-in-the-Loop (HITL) represents both a technical design pattern and a philosophical stance that maintains meaningful human agency, oversight, and responsibility within AI-mediated systems. Rather than viewing humans as passive components or safety mechanisms, HITL positions people as active part...

"... it’s useful to have limits. To see what happens when we are given restrictions in our work." Short form writing invites thoughtful process, a powerful way to start.

The Power of Short Form for Growing Student Voice Teacher and author Kim Culbertson shows how writing 100-word stories can immerse students in a journey of exploration as they discover their own writing voices.