There are endless aspects of teaching that cause me stress and anxiety over the course of the school year. Managing each student’s needs, developing positive relationships with parents, clubs, meetings, grading, duties, extra demands from admin… you know, all those things that pop up during the school year that are mostly beyond my control. I realized that I needed to really focus my energy on the things I CAN control, which is why I started backward planning my entire school year. Why I Backward Plan So Far In Advance What I’ve learned from backward planning is that it’s counterintuitive, but if I have a detailed outlined plan for each quarter…
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The Truth About Summer Reading
My Experience with Summer Reading as a Student I’ll never forget my first summer reading assignment. Up until my junior year of high school, I went to school online. I begged my parents to let me go to a real school, and I got enrolled at a local charter school. Then I received my summer reading assignment. Now, I have always loved reading. Ever since I figured out how to do it, I would read anything that stood still long enough. During the summer when my brother was outside riding his bike or playing basketball I would always be up in my room, curled up in a big armchair, reading…
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Declutter Your Digital Files – in 3 Easy Steps
If you love to declutter or you really need some help to declutter your digital files this guide is for you! Around April every year, my teacher brain starts getting antsy. When there is less planning to think about, I can’t ignore all of the digital files I’ve collected throughout the year – copies of copies of documents from professional development; graphic organizers I saw online, saved, and never used; and ideas I started working on but never finished. I’m a big fan of Marie Kondo, and when I started teaching I decided I should apply her methods to my classroom too! There’s nothing better than looking at a tidy…
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10 Teacher Interview Questions (and how to answer them)
Teaching interviews can be so intimidating! Especially if you’re finding your first job or you’ve been in the same position for a while. If you haven’t landed the interview yet, be sure to take a look at this post where I dig deep into the process of resume crafting. SchoolSpring also offers a teacher job board to help you connect with positions all over the US! If you have scored an interview, this guide to 10 teacher interview questions is for you! Before my first interview, I remember scouring the internet for examples of interview questions.The problem is that you won’t get asked most of the typical job interview questions…
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Craft Your Teaching Resume – in 8 Simple Steps
Whether you’re about to start hunting for our very first teaching job or you’re seeking out greener pastures, it can be frustrating and anxiety- inducing when it comes time to create or write your resume. Luckily, I have moved around a lot in my career ( inside and out of education), so I’ve been around the block a few times! Let me help you craft a teaching resume that is polished, professional, unique, AND gets you that interview! If you’ve already landed an interview, make sure to check out this post on teacher interview questions! 1. Before You Begin Your Teaching Resume Before you start adding to your resume, make…
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How To: Weekly Lesson Planning in Only 10 Minutes
7 years in, and I still write a lesson plan for every day. Yep, It’s true! It might seem like a lot of work, but it doesn’t have to be! I’ve developed a system for weekly lesson planning. And yes, in only 10 minutes a week! This method comes in handy for a lot of reasons: It holds me accountable to making a strong, objective- aligned class period for students. If an administrator, coach, or colleague asks to see it ( or I’m being observed) I’m golden. If I need to take an unplanned day off ( or a week , hello COVID). I can be more flexible with class…
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10 Easy Bell Ringers to Use This Year
After pandemic teaching, I have realized how important it is to give students a minute or so to decompress in between classes. I used to be a “when the bell rings, you’re in your seat working on the bell work (or else)!” but I realize now that even the real world doesn’t operate like that. Meetings often start a minute or two after the start time, movies have trailers, etc. And I myself often need a minute or two to reset from the previous class. These 10 easy bell ringers will do both! 10 Easy Bell Ringers: 1. Vibe Check I have printed quarter sheets of paper with a range…
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The New Must-Read PD Book for EVERY Teacher
The Joyful Teacher by Berit Gordon Usually I will do some form of PD over the summer by signing up for a training, but between a cross- country move, starting at a brand new school, and the conclusion of the most stressful school year, I needed a break. However, I stumbled across this book on Instagram, and I am SO glad I did. Let me tell you why I think it is the new must-read PD book for every teacher, from newbies to veterans. Although Wong’s classic First Days of School is an incredible resource, after reading The Joyful Teacher ( this is NOT an affiliate link or paid promotion,…
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5 Lessons I Learned from a Year of Pandemic Teaching
I’m going to say something that is not being said enough: The pandemic did not create problems in education. It forced us to recognize and stop ignoring the ones that were already there. Before, there was no money to waste on 1:1 technology. Suddenly, students had access to wifi and laptops. Before, students had to sit in a chair for each class from 7-3. Suddenly, we could give independent, asynchronous options. The list goes on. Although this year of teaching has easily been the longest and most exhausting year of my career, I realize that in a lot of ways it has been a blessing, and not just because my…
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How I Declutter My Classroom!
Spring Cleaning for Teachers Series – Part 3 Click here for Parts 1 and 2 of this Series. Every year as my teaching duties start winding down, I begin the therapeutic process of decluttering all of the printed paper I have collected throughout the year. As a teacher, I feel like this is SO HARD. I always think to myself, “What if I need these 7 copies next year?” I don’t believe “Just in Case” is a good enough argument for cluttering up your classroom with a ton of paper. Here’s why: Cluttered classrooms are almost NEVER tidy, even if you think they are. This sends a message to EVERYONE…
