How I get more done with the little time I have
New teachers often wonder how they’re supposed to do all of the things involved in teaching within a limited amount of time. It’s like packing for a ski trip with only carry-on luggage – you can try to shove everything into that small compartment, but eventually, your snowsuit is going to bust everything open. As […]
Do you have the right mindset to make it as a new teacher?
Near the end of the school year, many new teachers ask themselves a simple yet crucial question: Did I make the right decision to go into teaching? Is it worth the low pay lack of respect lack of resources unreasonable expectations disrespectful students rude parents and much, much more? Then, they begin wondering: Did I […]
How to approach other teachers when you have social anxiety
In my last post, I urged teachers to get out of their figurative shells and classrooms by outlining 10 things to remember when they wanted to hide out in their classrooms. To my delight, it received more attention than I’d anticipated! Several teachers left comments on the blog, Facebook, and even Instagram thanking me for […]
10 things to remember when you want to hide out in your classroom
Being a teacher is definitely one of the most rewarding professions, but it can also be quite lonely. Overburdened with the workload, many teachers isolate themselves, both out of choice and necessity. Staying in the classroom to work through lunch is normal, late afternoons and evenings grading is nothing new, and walking the long way […]
Why staying organized is the biggest teacher challenge I have yet to overcome
I get asked quite a bit how I manage to teach full time during the day, plan lessons, grade essays, start a side-biz, do webinars and Facebook Lives, spend time with my family, and still maintain my sanity. People wonder if my husband and child are neglected (they’re not), if I have a virtual assistant […]
30 critical blogging tools I use to keep my blog safe, secure, and fast
THIS POST MAY CONTAIN AFFILIATE LINKS. PLEASE READ MY DISCLOSURE FOR MORE INFO. I’ve previously mentioned how I started blogging a couple of years ago, and am finally taking it seriously. It’s been quite a journey that I think other bloggers can learn from. Many teachers entertain the thought of starting a blog, but it […]
Trying to balance creating content with social media marketing
MAKING PROGRESS For those of you that are established bloggers and solopreneurs, you probably recall when you first began and had to wade through the waters filled with terms such as squeeze page, SEO, meta, keywords, evergreen, content, and marketing. These have inundated my brain this past week to the point that I’ve been unable […]
Unconventional ways to spend summer – starting a side business!
I’m officially a seller/solopreneur! I’d already planned to spend my summer break dedicated to this goal, which has culminated into my first two products on my Teachers Pay Teachers (TpT) store! While I haven’t made any money yet, my free R.A.C.E. Paragraph Writing Strategy has been downloaded five times at the time of this post. Baby steps […]
Pivoting – a brand new school year and insight
It’s been a year since I last posted, and honestly feel like I’m talking to an empty room that once held a handful of people. In the blogosphere, a year is a lifetime. So much has happened in that year, and while I’m not going to rehash all of it, I have to admit that I feel […]
How to overthrow in-service days and up your professional development
Ah, the joy of back-to-school in-service days. The long meetings with agendas set by administration. At least an hour poring over the staff handbook (again). Being the passive receiver of content rather than engaging in or creating it. The double-standard of constantly being told to not teach this way, while enduring it year after year. This […]
Reflecting on my own progress at the end of the first grading period
I love looking back and reflecting on what works and what doesn’t. Like giant shoulder pads didn’t work. Flannel shirts and Doc Martens absolutely did. Today I had my students blog about their grades for this first grading period. I’m trying to encourage them to be more metacognitive and reflective, and this time was no different. For […]
How embracing change in your workplace can make you a better teacher
Changes This school year has already been such a whirlwind of change, more than any of the other 12 years prior. Too many teachers have left, positions changing, new responsibilities, new teachers arriving…it’s just so much. This seems to be the year when so many of my colleagues and friends decided to leave their comfort […]
An open letter to myself as a first year teacher
Dear Kim, Congratulations on making it through college and your credential program! I know that you’re going to be a fabulous teacher and really change the lives of kids in a positive way. Also, high five for landing your first teaching job! As your future self, I want to give you some friendly advice for […]
Fostering collaboration and teamwork into your curriculum
This year I want to work on building more engagement into my curriculum, while also fostering teamwork and collaboration. I’m not sure why it took me 13 years to “think” of this! To facilitate this, I’m going to test it out on Fridays. For this first official Friday, I decided to do a team-building exercise […]
