“Why Do Teachers Seem So Stressed Out?” – A Question From a Student
I overheard an interesting conversation today… Student 1: Teachers seem so stressed out right now, what’s going on? Student 2: Listen, if I was a teacher I would just be …
The Bold Truth About Homework
So here is a big teacher truth: If we hate grading it, our students probably hated doing it. Now, I understand that “hate” is a strong word, but hear me …
How to Build Rooted Relationships in the Classroom
Building rooted relationships with students in our schools can be really hard. That is especially true right now! The good news is, you don’t have to do that alone. For …
What’s the Most Valuable Currency for Kids?
The currency for our country is the dollar. But the currency for kids is time. And when we invest time into kids, they start to realize how much they really …
Schools Don’t Need Another Stinkin’ Program!
Schools don’t need more programs. Programs have agendas. And when everything has an agenda we start forgetting about the purpose. Programs aren’t the solution. People are! Schools don’t need another: …
Build Rooted Relationships in Schools with These 20 Ideas
People often say education is broken, but I don’t think that’s true. I believe education is simply evolving into something beautiful. No longer are reading, writing, and arithmetic the foundations …
Why Are There 59 Shades of Failure in Schools?
We have all heard of the book 50 Shades of Gray. It was pretty controversial and likely WAY over-rated. But you know what is fascinating? There are 59 shade of …
Do Kids Need More Information or Do Kids Need More Love?
Do kids need more information or do kids need more love? Because, I don’t know about you, but I always enjoyed learning information from people I loved. There is a …
Are You Questioning Being a Teacher Forever?
From time to time we get home from school and ask ourselves, “What am I doing.” Some days are super hard. Some days it feels like we aren’t great educators. …
Adults: Our Job is NOT To Keep Kids Happy
Here is a hard truth bomb… Our job is not to keep kids happy. Our job is to keep kids human. Stay with me and hear me out for …
Bring Classroom Camaraderie and SEL to the Next Level with This!
Looking for fun, engaging SEL activities? Searching for ways to get kids talking and participating? Wanting to be strong relationships with your students? Exploring ways to laugh while you learn …
Kids and Their Comfort Zone in Schools
Something really cool happens when kids step outside their comfort zones. In fact, they often surprise themselves in these moments. Here is an example of a conversation that happened in …
Sunday Stress for Teachers: The Struggle is Real
If you are a teacher and Sunday creates: Stress Anxiety Fear Frustration There is nothing wrong with you. There is something wrong with the current policies and procedures happening within …
Students Will Be Honest: Teachers Just Have to Ask
It’s always good to gather feedback from kids… That feedback can be in the form of thoughts on lessons, opinions on activities, and other “stuff” too. Here is a real …
How to Be the BEST Teacher You Can Be All School Year Long…
Are you an energetic teacher who has a passion for continuous improvement and looking for a fun, fresh perspective? Are you a new teacher who is looking to start your …
3 Simple Goals that Will Change This School Year
Our job as teachers this year still feels so different than it has in the past, But the work we are about to do is also SO significant. And I …
Education Reminder: LOVE vs. HATE
You can LOVE teaching and HATE that summer is ending. You can LOVE teaching and HATE all the stress we are feeling for a new school year. You can LOVE …
What Do We Really Learn From Letter Grades?
Traditional letter grades in school continue to be an ineffective measure. Because what do an A, B, or C really mean? What if we focused more on encouraging kids to …
The Best SEL Curriculum for Your Students & School
Make Your SEL & Morning Meeting Planning SO much Easier! To be honest, sometime SEL feels like “one more thing” even though we know in our teacher hearts that it …
The Dollar Tree: The Ultimate Teacher Trap
It just doesn’t make sense… We walk into Dollar Tree to buy popcorn and juice boxes for a classroom party. And walk out with $172 worth of items we don’t …
THIS is What Kids Need More (The Answer May Surprise You)
Sometimes kids need our hugs and high-fives more than our advice and opinions. SEL isn’t complicated. SEL is about connections. High fives have changed this year. Hugs have changed this …
Educators Can STOP Doing This! (And START Doing This)
Teachers, We are going to look back on the year 2020 and 2021 and think… What a beautiful opportunity we had to revolutionize education. This is our moment to STOP …
Fonts Don’t Fuel Kids!
“Thank you so much for spending 17 minutes picking out the font for this google doc. Your choice really helped me engage in the lesson and retain the information.” ~Said …
Bring the Awesome to Your Science Lessons!
Who is concerned about creating dynamic, engaging, collaborative science lessons during our new “normal” in education? Part of teaching science is getting kids connected to real world applications, right? Luckily, …
Working and Learning are 2 Totally Different Things. Here’s Why…
There is a substantial difference between WORKING and LEARNING. Working out 5 problems can prove that students are proficient. They don’t always need 25 practice problems and 70 fill in …