I've always enjoyed the time of year after testing and before summer vacation, which for me is about six weeks. It's nice to teach without the stress of the big test hanging over my head. It's also the time of year when I feel like I have a little more flexibility than usual,
5 Ways to Use Flipgrid in the Classroom
There are so many new resources that allow teachers incorporate technology into the classroom that it can be overwhelming at times. I've found that it's best for me to slow down and pick a few things that I want to focus on and learn well. Otherwise, I do a lot of things poorly.
Preventing & Ending Learned Helplessness
We've all taught the student who appear to refuse to make any effort at all in the classroom or the student who constantly gives the shoulder shrug and the dreaded, "I don't know". This can all be attributed to learned helplessness, which is the belief that behavior does not
5 Ways to Avoid Teacher Burnout
Let's be honest, we've all been there. Wondering how many more days we can take it, much less years. Teaching is hard work. It can be a physically, emotionally, and mentally draining career, and it's often a thankless job where teachers are typically portrayed as the reason for
Grading With a Growth Mindset
Recently growth mindset has become a major buzzword in education. When I began hearing the term, I started reading about growth mindset and quickly realized that the idea of growth mindset was something most great educators already believed long before the term was coined.
Balancing Cute and Content
Over the years I've read countless blog posts, forum discussions, and comments over the debate of balancing cute and content. I think we can all agree that there is value to both, and it's certainly possible to teach with both style and substance. The intention of this post is to
7 Tips for Avoiding Being Teacher Tired
Some of my absolute favorite teacher memes are the teacher tired memes. This is probably because I can completely identify with each and every one. Without a doubt, teaching is an exhausting profession. We go hard mentally and physically all day long without breaks or downtime. I
Why I Changed My Morning Work
For the past several years I've had a morning work routine that I loved. I've blogged about it a few times, and you can see one of my more thorough blog posts here. My morning work procedures were a well-oiled machine, and I was so familiar with my routine that I could tackle
Why I Want My Students Have Struggle Time
Allowing children to struggle with something goes against every instinct I have. When I see a child having difficulty, every pore in my body wants to take over and fix the problem. However, as a mom and as a teacher, I know that is exactly what I should not do. Struggle time is
First Day of School Ideas and Lessons to Get You Started
Whether you are a new or veteran teacher, planning for the first day or week of school can be a bit overwhelming. Planning is much easier when you've developed your routines, procedures, and you know what to expect from your students. However, the first day, or even week, is a
