Have you already begun your countdown? There are just a few weeks left of this school year. Will you end this year frazzled, tired, and completely dazed? Or will you end the year happy, purposeful, and peaceful? Here are some time-saving end of the year teacher hacks to ending the year with my joy, peace, and purpose. [Read more…]
10 Things to Do Before Leaving Your Classroom on Friday
Ahh Fridays! We wait for them all week, and get so anxious to leave school and focus on the weekend, that sometimes we leave and admittedly just say, “Whatever, I’ll do it Monday!” But here are ten things you can do before leaving your classroom on Friday (don’t worry – they don’t take much time) to set yourself up for success on Monday. [Read more…]
Happy Teachers Create Happy Classrooms
Today I woke up to the greatest gift – a New York Times article about how happy teachers create happy classrooms if we want to give students a chance to understand where true happiness comes from in life! Mind. Blown. I have been thinking, praying, and dreaming about this idea for the past two+ years as I’ve made this coaching practice for teachers a reality. And now it’s validated in the New York freaking Times!!! [Read more…]
The Endless Pursuit of Perfect
Many of us teachers struggle with perfectionism. Turns out – it’s more pervasive than we could ever imagine! Every. single. person. deals with perfectionism on some level. None of us are immune to it. Instead of thinking about perfectionism as “you have it” or “you don’t” – try thinking about it on a continuum. [Read more…]
Trusting your Instinct as a Teacher
Do you ever find yourself writing and rewriting and re-rewriting an email to a colleague, parent, or your principal? Do you question yourself, doubt yourself, or feel unsure? Whether it is an instructional decision, a difficult conversation, or our own feelings – why is it so difficult for us to trust our instincts? [Read more…]
Organization Tips for Back to School
Last year during back-to-school season, I wrote a post that got lots of hits on staying organized. So I decided to update it with some of the new tricks and hacks I learned this year! Enjoy!!
I’m a self-proclaimed organization ‘geek’. Nothing makes me more happy than school supplies on sale this time of year. In fact, when I was little, I would save up my money to go to the office supply store and buy folders, pens, and sticky-notes. I know…I was a teacher in the making for sure!
But the good news about all that is that creating organization systems is something that comes relatively easy for me. And since I get some (geeky) satisfaction out of labeling and organizing, my systems are always being examined and retooled (or….that may just be a justification for buying more office supplies…)
So here are my best organization tips for back to school:
Your Best School Year Yet
Each year at this back-to-school season, we teachers feel filled with anticipation, motivation, hopes, and some nerves. I don’t know a single teacher – no matter how veteran – who doesn’t still have a bit of anxiety going back to school. And I think part of the anxiety is because we want to get better and better every single year. We raise the bar for ourselves with each new school year! So…How can you set yourself up to have your best school year yet? [Read more…]
When STEM Teachers Thrive
Nothing sidelines an inquiry lesson like the need for control, nothing sours an engineering design project as fast as a fear of failure, and nothing curbs innovation and natural curiosity like perfectionism.
Control. Fear of failure. Perfectionism. I think we can all agree that these traits are opposite of the ones important for STEM learning—traits such as risk taking, failing forward, and stepping out of one’s comfort zone. But what if the person struggling with these traits isn’t a student but rather the teacher? [Read more…]
Faith Driven Educators
While my coaching business is not a Christian coaching business, I am a Christ-follower, and as such, when teachers come to me who are of faith, we explore the role that their faith plays in their teacher life. The teachers I work with who have a strong sense of faith – Christian or otherwise – feel a deep and fulfilling sense of purpose in their lives. That’s why I’ve collaborated with Miss Tierraney to create a new community for teachers of faith called, Faith Driven Educators.
I Dropped the Ball
Don’t you just HATE dropping the ball? It literally makes. me. cringe. (I’ve told you I’m a recovering perfectionist, haven’t I?!) For me, dropping the ball is one of the most vulnerable things I can do. How do you drop the ball gracefully? (Is that even a thing?) [Read more…]