Notes from the Inkpot

Writing, teaching, creating - one ink-stained idea at a time.

You Don’t Kill Someone for Their Ideas: What Charlie Kirk’s Murder Means for Classrooms

You Don’t Kill Someone for Their Ideas: What Charlie Kirk’s Murder Means for Classrooms

Charlie Kirk’s murder is an extreme reminder of where unchecked intolerance can lead. His wife, his children, and a crowd of students witnessed an act meant to silence, when what they expected was debate. As teachers, we can’t solve political violence — but we can shape how young people learn to disagree. In our classrooms, the habits we model and the structures we build matter: separating the person from the idea, listening before responding, refusing caricatures, and treating disagreement as an invitation, not a threat. This isn’t glamorous work. It won’t stop every act of hate. But it gives students practice in something the wider world has forgotten — how to live with difference without resorting to violence.

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70 Ghost Story Prompts for Teens: Story Starters, Titles, Characters, Settings & Visual Ideas

70 Ghost Story Prompts for Teens: Story Starters, Titles, Characters, Settings & Visual Ideas

Step into the shadows with 70 ghost story writing prompts for teens. From eerie plot hooks and chilling opening lines to haunted settings, character ideas, and picture prompts, this collection is packed with inspiration for spooky season. Perfect for classroom activities, creative writing practice, or anyone who loves a good scare.

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10 Best Edgar Allan Poe Stories to Teach (And How to Teach Them)
For Teachers, Literature & Texts, Teaching Resources Ink & Insights . For Teachers, Literature & Texts, Teaching Resources Ink & Insights .

10 Best Edgar Allan Poe Stories to Teach (And How to Teach Them)

Spooky season is the perfect time to teach Edgar Allan Poe. From The Tell-Tale Heart to The Masque of the Red Death, his stories and poems hook students with Gothic atmosphere, unreliable narrators, and detective intrigue. This list highlights the 10 best Poe texts to teach — with ready-to-use resources, activities, and creative ideas to bring them alive in your classroom.

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The Silent Directive: A Creative Writing Box Inspired by a World Without Sound
For Writers, For Teachers, Creative Writing Boxes Ink & Insights . For Writers, For Teachers, Creative Writing Boxes Ink & Insights .

The Silent Directive: A Creative Writing Box Inspired by a World Without Sound

What if silence wasn’t a choice, but the law? In our latest writing boxThe Silent Directive, citizens live under a regime where sound itself is treason. Broadcasts, memos, detention registers, and propaganda leaflets reveal a world where silence is loyalty, silence is safety, and silence is survival. Unlike my other writing boxes, this one doesn’t whisper secrets — it issues orders in plain sight.

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70 Back-to-School Themed Creative Writing Prompts for Teens: Story Starters, Titles, Characters, Settings & Visual Ideas

70 Back-to-School Themed Creative Writing Prompts for Teens: Story Starters, Titles, Characters, Settings & Visual Ideas

The start of the school year is full of story potential — new beginnings, old rivalries, unexpected friendships, and the drama of everyday life. These 70 back-to-school writing prompts include plot hooks, titles, characters, settings, and picture prompts to spark ideas for teen writers and keep creativity flowing all term.

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70 Romance Writing Prompts for Teens: Story Starters, Titles, Characters, Settings & Visual Ideas

70 Romance Writing Prompts for Teens: Story Starters, Titles, Characters, Settings & Visual Ideas

Looking for fresh, heartfelt, or slightly messy story ideas? This collection of teen romance prompts includes everything from first crushes and love letters to emotional plot twists and swoon-worthy settings. Whether you're building a creative writing unit or just want a single spark of inspiration, these prompts are designed to help teen writers explore connection, vulnerability, and what it means to fall in (and out of) love.

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70 Historical Fiction Prompts for Teens: Story Hooks, Titles, and Characters Across the Ages

70 Historical Fiction Prompts for Teens: Story Hooks, Titles, and Characters Across the Ages

From candlelit courts to war-torn trenches, these historical fiction prompts invite students to step inside the past and imagine the lives history left behind. Whether you’re drawn to whispered secrets at Versailles or the flicker of revolution in the streets, these 70 prompts combine vivid detail with emotional depth - perfect for creative teens and curious minds of any age.

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Why I Still Teach Of Mice and Men in 2025
For Teachers, Literature & Texts, Teaching Resources Ink & Insights . For Teachers, Literature & Texts, Teaching Resources Ink & Insights .

Why I Still Teach Of Mice and Men in 2025

It’s been taught a thousand times, and for good reason. This novella still silences a room, sparks debate, and gets students thinking deeply about morality, loneliness, and power. In this post, I share how I teach it, the moments that always hit hardest, and why it’s still one of the most powerful texts in my classroom.

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70 Magical Realism Writing Prompts for Teens: Ideas, Openings, and Visual Starters for the English Classroom

70 Magical Realism Writing Prompts for Teens: Ideas, Openings, and Visual Starters for the English Classroom

Magical realism invites students to see the ordinary world through an extraordinary lens. These 70 creative writing prompts are built for teens who love stories that shimmer just beneath the surface- where lost towns reappear, time bends in kitchens, and emotions take physical shape. Perfect for classroom inspiration or personal writing practice, this collection blends poetic titles, eerie openings, visual prompts, and grounded storytelling to help young writers explore the surreal in everyday life.

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70 Mystery Writing Prompts for Teens: Ideas, Openings, and Visual Starters for the English Classroom

70 Mystery Writing Prompts for Teens: Ideas, Openings, and Visual Starters for the English Classroom

From eerie settings to twisty plot hooks, these 70 mystery writing prompts are built to spark curiosity and sharpen storytelling. Whether you're planning a full unit or just want a way to get students writing again, you'll find character ideas, opening lines, titles, and atmospheric visuals ready to use in the classroom.

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70 Fantasy Writing Prompts for Teens

70 Fantasy Writing Prompts for Teens

Let students build magical worlds and unforgettable characters with these 70 fantasy writing prompts for teens. From enchanted forests and forgotten prophecies to mysterious maps and celestial mirrors, this collection includes story starters, titles, character ideas, setting inspiration, and stunning visual prompts to spark imagination in any classroom.

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Save Hours Planning Creative Writing Units with Daily Prompts

Save Hours Planning Creative Writing Units with Daily Prompts

Tired of reinventing the wheel for every creative writing lesson? Daily prompts offer a flexible, low-prep way to boost engagement, sharpen skills, and save you hours of planning. Here's how to build an entire unit around them, and where to grab your first month of prompts for free.

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