Teacher Feature: Julia Porter, high school English teacher at Tabor Academy

Thank you to Julia Porter for sharing her R.E.A.L. life with us! Julia is a high school English teacher at Tabor Academy in Marion, MA. Here are her thoughts on discussion, R.E.A.L.®, and learning. This interview has been lightly edited for clarity. 

Name: Julia Porter 

Hometown: Amherst, Massachusetts

Current School: I teach ninth graders and eleventh graders—two sections of each at Tabor Academy in Marion, Massachusetts. It’s in a part of Massachusetts not many people know exists—we’re just north of New Bedford and a bit south of the Cape. 

Julia, thank you so much for being here today! I’m curious about your experience teaching both ninth and eleventh grade at the same time. What do you see as the biggest developmental shift between ninth and eleventh grade?

I have to say, it’s the most wonderful split. Teaching ninth graders is like going back to basics—I get to focus on core skills and lay a foundation. Then I get to return to the eleventh graders and have these deep, thoughtful discussions. I love that balance.

It’s interesting. The eleventh graders I teach now worked with Chris and Helene last year, so they understand the skills broken down as progress bars. That’s super helpful.

Their discussions are fascinating. They’re very youthful and energetic in casual conversation, but when they switch into a graded discussion, you can see the gears turning. They’re intentional—asking thoughtful questions, making sure everyone participates. It makes my job easier because I get to hear from everyone.

The ninth graders, on the other hand, are still focusing on the individual skills—the “I” skills. By the middle of eleventh grade, the focus shifts to the “we” skills, or group dynamics. It’s a big developmental leap.

Wow, that’s so interesting. Thank you for sharing that! Okay, shifting back to your own high school days—how would you describe yourself as a student in three words?

Definitely extremely motivated. Very talkative, very engaged in classroom learning. I was always the student who got feedback like, “You need to quiet down so others can participate,” and I’m honestly allergic to that phrasing now.

I’d also say I was curious. Not as curious as I am now, but definitely curious. Back then, I was more motivated by punishment and reward; it’s high school, right? But I do remember taking AP Bio and not really caring about the AP credit, just being genuinely fascinated by the material. Science wasn’t necessarily my strength, but I found joy in learning something outside my comfort zone.

With history, I loved it, but I also felt more equipped to question things like, “What about the women? What about Native Americans?” That kind of critical thinking didn’t come as naturally in Bio, even though it should have.

Thank you for sharing all that. I think it’s so funny—I got the same feedback growing up: “Great insights. Let someone else speak.”

Yes! And as a teacher, I will never – and have never – said that to a student. I’m sure I’m harming them in all sorts of ways unique to me, but I remember how frustrating and sidelining that feedback was. It felt like no good deed went unpunished.

Now, I reframe it. There’s always that one eager student, and it’s actually helpful. I can use the R.E.A.L. framework to redirect. I’ll say, “You’re doing a great job sharing evidence—can you now focus on asking questions about your classmates’ ideas? Can you make your peers’ words your evidence instead?” Or, “You’re asking great questions about the text—now pay attention to whether everyone’s spoken, and ask questions about that.”

It’s all about using their powers for good. And sure, maybe they see right through me, but at least I’m not saying, “Stop talking.” 

The way the skills are broken down allows for differentiation. You can give your high flyers something to work on, and support the students who are still building confidence.

When it comes to discussion—what is your “why”? And by that, I mean, what feels compelling or important about teaching these skills right now?

Our students at Tabor—and honestly, I think this is universal post-pandemic—need a lot of social “professionalizing”. I don’t want to call it “assimilation,” but I do think of it as professionalizing. They need to know how to put their best foot forward in situations where they’re being judged on their communication and thinking skills.

When I think about the future, beyond the college classroom, it’s the working world. Hopefully, they’ll be in jobs where they’re expected to think. And what I really appreciate about R.E.A.L. is that it helps students—wherever they’re coming from, whatever confusion or skill gaps they have—build those communication skills. Whether a student had a tough time during COVID, or they’re an international student and trained in different academic expectations, R.E.A.L. gives them a way to engage meaningfully.

When I think about the future, beyond the college classroom, it’s the working world. Hopefully, they’ll be in jobs where they’re expected to think. And what I really appreciate about R.E.A.L. is that it helps students—wherever they’re coming from, whatever confusion or skill gaps they have—build those communication skills.

Julia Porter

I value when they’re able to communicate in ways that show real listening—not just waiting to respond—and when they take each other seriously. That’s why I love teaching English: it’s a way of sneaking in those interpersonal skills. And I don’t mean surface-level “people skills” like small talk—I mean the deep kind that actually help you live a happier life. Like, if you’re mad at someone, you can talk to them about it. Or if you’re confused, you can ask questions instead of making assumptions.

I was listening to Edith Wharton’s Glimpses of the Moon on audiobook recently, and the whole plot centers around two people who are married but run away from each other instead of talking about their relationship. They just assume they know what the other person means. I see discussion as the antidote to that kind of miscommunication. It’s valuable not just for understanding texts or ideas, but for building a more connected, communicative life.

I see discussion as the antidote to that kind of miscommunication. It’s valuable not just for understanding texts or ideas, but for building a more connected, communicative life.

Julia Porter

Everything you just said really resonates! Shifting gears a little—tell me what R.E.A.L. looks like in your classroom. How often do you use it? What kinds of DQs do you use? 

Something that worked really well—almost by accident—was with my 11th graders. These are students who had already used R.E.A.L. and had a foundation in the skills. I used it to help them process writing feedback.

Tabor generously sent me to the Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning, and one key idea that stuck with me was divorcing feedback from grading. Let students process feedback before giving them a grade. That approach has really worked for me.

Before, I’d give students video feedback—sort of like a replayable conference—and then ask them to reflect in class. But I found their reflections weren’t particularly deep. I’d give detailed feedback, like, “Your thesis needs to better reflect the evidence,” and their takeaway would be, “I need to fix my MLA commas.” Yes, but not the main point!

So I changed my approach. I had them reflect on each other’s feedback instead. The DQs were things like, “What do I have to offer my classmates in terms of writing?” and “What can I learn from them?” I told them their feedback, essays, notes—anything—could be used as evidence. Go back, review it all, and come prepared.

That worked way better. Because now it was about preparing to support their peers, not just following instructions. And when they talked, it was amazing. Someone would say, “I got feedback about dropping quotes—how do you all handle transitions?” And someone else would respond, “I actually got good feedback on transitions—here’s what I do.”

They were discussing Gatsby and A Raisin in the Sun, comparing and contrasting ideas, while deeply reflecting on their writing skills. I haven’t graded those assignments yet, but I’m hopeful.

I’ve used R.E.A.L. with my ninth graders more traditionally—to talk about books and build discussion skills—but this 11th grade experience was exciting because it showed me a totally new application.

With that emphasis on reflection and collaboration—it’s exactly the kind of writing process you want at that level!

Exactly. I want them to talk to each other. I want the kid who’s doing something well to share that. And I want them to ask each other for help—because that’s what happens in college. I tell them that all the time, but they can’t really imagine it yet, so I just try to prepare them as best I can.

That’s awesome. Thank you for sharing that! Shifting gears a bit, take us back to your very first R.E.A.L. Discussion. What was it like? And how many years have you been using it?

This is actually my first year using R.E.A.L.! I was on parental leave when we first did the training, so I didn’t roll it out until this year. I was trained as a level leader before everyone else, so I had to go back and refresh myself when we actually started. But the resources were great—super helpful. 

For my first R.E.A.L. Discussion, I tried to use it for community building. We started with a commonalities sheet—you know, like, “Who has a lizard?” and everyone who did wrote their name down. The discussion questions were about our classroom community. Other teachers used the first chapter of the book, which I think worked better. I thought if they were talking about themselves, they’d be more invested—but they kind of weren’t. They were like, “Ugh, workbooks.”

Of course—high schoolers and workbooks!

Exactly! But when we got into the actual text-based discussions, they referred back to those earlier conversations—like, “Remember when you said that about your sister?” So that was something. It wasn’t a waste. Kind of like a bad dress rehearsal—you need it to make the real thing stronger.

We see that a lot—the first R.E.A.L. can be a little rocky, but it makes the next one better.

Totally. It sets the tone. It lets students know, “Oh, I actually need to show up for this.” And it helped me figure out what kinds of questions to ask. Sure, I wish it had gone perfectly—but it made the later ones stronger.

What advice would you give to teachers about to lead their first R.E.A.L. Discussion?

I find it super useful to give students the reflection questions in advance. I tend to over-prepare, but giving them those questions beforehand leads to better reflections—and that leads to better discussions next time.

Yes, love that. Many teachers at Tabor are using R.E.A.L across a couple of grade levels. Have you seen any school-wide shifts in how students engage in discussion?

I think it’s helping build a stronger identity for the humanities across departments. As a ninth-grade team leader, I’m really interested in aligning skill-building across subjects. If we’re all teaching similar skills, can we call them the same thing? That consistency would reduce students’ cognitive load and help them focus on actually learning the skill instead of decoding different vocab in each class. I remember being so frustrated by that inconsistency when I was a student. And I think if students could see that we’re all working together, they’d develop a deeper understanding. Not just of content, but of how disciplines intersect

As a ninth-grade team leader, I’m really interested in aligning skill-building across subjects. If we’re all teaching similar skills, can we call them the same thing? That consistency would reduce students’ cognitive load and help them focus on actually learning the skill instead of decoding different vocab in each class.

julia porter

Next year, we’re reading Braiding Sweetgrass for Young Adults, and I’d love to coordinate with the science teachers on that. We’re not there yet, but I think there’s real potential.

One final question—what challenges have you encountered with R.E.A.L. this year, and how are you approaching them?

One thing I’ve noticed: when I do discussion feedback or shout-outs, students often praise the ones who come super prepared with a kind of scripted speech. I really want to pull those students toward something more fluid and responsive. Not reactive emotionally, but alive, engaged.

That’s great! Thank you so much for a wonderful conversation, Julia!