If you’re anything like me (or like I used to be at least), the words “state testing” might bring up some dread. It certainly does for the students! Students who are new to taking state testing (third graders) often feel anxious because they’ve never done this before, while my 6th graders have often felt anxious because they’ve done it many times and they know what’s coming (spoiler alert: it isn’t fun for them). I used to hate everything about state testing. It drives me crazy that we are...
over 1 year ago • 6 min read
Greetings teacher friends! I hope it's a good week for you! This time of year always feels a little crazy! The countdown isn't QUITE on yet (for most of us at least lol) but it still feels like time is flying away and there's still so much to do! I also have a bad habit around this time of year of daydreaming about next year already, instead of staying in the present. If you're anything like me in that regard, I'd like to introduce you to (in my opinion) the perfect classroom decor theme for...
over 1 year ago • 2 min read
What I’ve found as a teacher is the less you explicitly teach social emotional learning, the less you teach anything else. What I mean by this is that kids inherently will have problems and many of them will need help developing tools and coping skills for those. Explicitly teaching students how to show respect and kindness, how to react when they don’t get their way, etc. will reduce the amount of times your math lesson gets interrupted because they just have to hash out what happened at...
over 1 year ago • 2 min read
What would you do with all your extra free time if you really could leave work right when school ends? Research/plan and fantasize about moving abroad? Finally take that workout class you’ve been really wanting to take? Meet up with friends for happy hour? (or like me, finally not be two hours late to happy hour) Or maybe just rest? Whatever it is… I have your new system to help make that a reality in 2025! As a Type B teacher (although I really like to call myself a B+ or A- teacher because...
almost 2 years ago • 4 min read
It's Tiiiiiiime *cue Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas is You* December is such a fun time in the classroom because the students have an extra level of excitement around all the holidays and fun activities! I love using this as an opportunity to get as festive as possible for the month! Here are 5 ways to make your classroom more festive throughout the month of December... 1. Put up a tree / menorah / other holiday symbols I put up a tree every year, and give the students the...
almost 3 years ago • 1 min read
It's Spooky Season so let's take a look at some ~spooky good~ deals! For the rest of October, the following items will be HALF OFF! Grab them now & save big for future years as well! October Slides Bundle - Preppy October Slides & Halloween Slides My toxic trait is that I can't ever stop talking about my daily slides - but that's because I love them THAT much! They are amazing and help me stay on track in soooo many ways! you can grab the October themed slides HERE or grab the entire slides...
about 3 years ago • 1 min read
In my first few years of teaching, I felt like I spent so much time helping my students navigate conflict resolution. Which I think has so much value, however, I kept losing out on valuable teaching time because nearly every day when we came in for recess there was a new playground conflict that needed to be resolved. As I moved on to teaching older grades, there was less playground tattling, but more students shutting down or not knowing how to voice their feelings and struggles. I also saw...
about 3 years ago • 4 min read
Hi all! I hope your school year is off to an amazing start! I took the summer off from sending emails, as I don't like to think too much about school over summer break and actually take a BREAK! But now, the school year is back and so am I! Be on the lookout for ideas & resources created with YOUR classroom in mind coming to you weekly or bi-weekly! This week, I'm sharing 3 ideas of how you can honor 9/11 or Patriot's Day in your classroom: 1 - Patriotic Daily Slides Click here to purchase...
about 3 years ago • 1 min read
Recently, I shared a quick classroom tour on Instagram (in April. 8 months into the school year. Can you say type B teacher? Lol... well hopefully it will help teachers or future teachers who are thinking about their classrooms for next year already!) Here's the video if you didn't get a chance to watch it on social! This video prompted a lot of questions about my classroom & flexible seating, so I thought I would answer some of the most commonly asked questions! Frequently Asked Questions -...
over 3 years ago • 2 min read