Teaching Star Wars Made Me Realize It’s Not Really Science Fiction (And That’s Okay)
So there I was last Tuesday, trying to convince my AP students that Fahrenheit 451 deserves a spot on their summer reading list, when Marcus...
-
-
Hidden Sci-Fi Gems That’ll Make You Question Why Nobody’s Talking About Them
You know that moment when you discover something amazing and immediately want to grab everyone by the shoulders and ask why they didn’t tell you...
-
Why I Can’t Stop Playing ’80s Sci-Fi Soundtracks in My Classroom (And Why My Students Don’t Mind)
I’ve got a confession to make – I’m that teacher who plays Blade Runner’s opening theme while students walk into class, and honestly? They love...
-
Why I Keep Falling for the Friendships Nobody Talks About in Sci-Fi
You know what gets me every time I’m watching sci-fi with my students or just binge-watching at home on a Friday night? It’s never the...
-
Teaching VR Through Sci-Fi: Why My Students Get Excited About Digital Dystopias
You know what’s funny? When I first showed Tron to my juniors three years ago, half of them laughed at the graphics. “Ms. Chen, this...
-
I Miss Video Stores More Than I Thought I Would: What Streaming Did to My Love Affair with Sci-Fi
I keep thinking about this one Friday night in 2003 when I was seventeen, wandering through the sci-fi section of Hollywood Video with absolutely no...
-
Why Romance Keeps Ruining My Favorite Sci-Fi Movies
Look, I need to get something off my chest that’s been bugging me for years as both a sci-fi fan and someone who teaches this...
-
When Sci-Fi Breaks Our Hearts: Characters Who Got Screwed Over by Their Own Stories
You know what really gets under my skin? Spending years of your life invested in a character’s journey, only to watch writers completely botch their...
-
Why Every Good Sci-Fi Story Needs Its Freaks (And I’m Not Sorry About It)
Look, I’ve been teaching sci-fi to teenagers for over a decade now, and there’s one question that comes up in literally every class discussion about...
-
Teaching Teenagers About Dystopia While Watching Hollywood Create One: My Joker 2 Experience
So I made the mistake of seeing Joker 2 last weekend, and honestly? It felt like watching one of my students turn in a sequel...