Teaching, Creating & Inspiring Teachers
You’ve spent the summer with your kids, and now it’s time to put your teacher hat back on. Guilt may set in. Your life will be consumed by getting your classroom ready, planning lessons, grading papers, and meeting with colleagues and parents. Never fear! Here’s to surviving being a teacher and mom at back to school time! I have been… Read More
So is it me, or did summer just fly by? I wanted to share some Teacher Back to School Tips and Activities for the 1st Week of School. I know many are headed back or already in the classroom mode. Back to school is so hectic and sometimes we forget some of the small details, or need ideas for what… Read More
Good writers are first and foremost good readers. Teachers often use mentor texts (or anchor texts) in writing instructions. These pieces of writing are examples of excellent work either from students or published writers. Mentor texts help upper elementary students improve writing in all areas. Here are some ways you can start using mentor texts for writing instruction in your… Read More
Old school memorization of spelling words and regurgitation on spelling tests is no longer the only way spelling is taught in schools. Teaching students the why and practicing word work and spelling in different ways to keep them engaged will help them develop stronger vocabulary and reading comprehension skills. I believe strongly in keeping the students engaged and having fun word… Read More
“I Never Start Thinking of School or Start Planning During the Summer,” Said No Teacher Ever. We are almost there… this is the time where we become anxious and excited for the summer months to recharge and relax. I start seeing the summer countdowns in classrooms and all across social media. I love the idea that the excitement of summer is… Read More
Did someone say an End of Year Bulletin Board? Yes! I did.. so why on earth would you want to create an end of the year bulletin board when you should be packing up your classroom and prepping for summer. There are several reasons I believe having a bulletin board up at the end of the year is so important,… Read More
Did someone say book club? Few things excite me more than having motivated readers in my classroom that want to gather and talk about what they’re reading. Don’t think book clubs are just for your overachieving bookworms, however. Getting book clubs started in your classroom can benefit all of your students, from the reluctant reader to the one that lives… Read More
It’s a classic conundrum. Children who don’t enjoy reading often resist books because reading is hard for them. Because reading is so hard for them, it becomes more difficult to make reading enjoyable and accessible. Hesitant readers can become eager participants with some of these Strategies to Help Motivate Reading in Your Classroom. Start at their level or a little… Read More
Do you teach research and writing biographies in your classroom? I love sharing some of my favorite biographies that are perfect for kids in upper elementary. These biographies are perfect to teach research and informational writing. I love using high interest biographies and autobiographies with my students. Letting them explore figures from past to present in books that use text… Read More
Often research has high emphasis in secondary grades, but the importance of teaching research writing in upper elementary cannot be overlooked. Teaching research in elementary school helps students develop higher level questioning skills, understand how to take notes, paraphrase, and focuses on communicating ideas through the written word. I have put together some helpful resources for you to use in your classroom today and also some… Read More
Have you ever wanted to know what the Top Amazon Teacher Must Have Resources are? I am so excited to share with you the best resources and tools to make your life as a teacher easier! I am often asked by new teachers and friends what are things that I would want to have in my classroom. I was asked… Read More
Teaching writing is a skill that may be difficult to many, so I love sharing some tips that I use and students love when learning the writing process. As a student I struggled and never had confidence to express myself in writing. As a teacher I was nervous the first year I taught writing, but noticed I was good at it…. Read More
Digital Classroom for The Paperless Google Classroom- Are you ready to go DIGITAL with the Paperless Classroom? Google Classroom is taking over many schools and classrooms. It is important to start learning about the 21st century Paperless Classroom. Many classrooms have been converting to 1:1 with technology and many are starting a little at a time. It is our responsibility as educators to… Read More
As an educator, one of the most important lessons you will ever teach is about diversity. Teaching your students about the Importance of Celebrating Different Cultures and Diversity in the Classroom will help your students tremendously. Did you know that being culturally aware can have a significant affect on your student’s success? “Diverse classrooms promote creativity, high level thinking, and collaboration.”… Read More
It is the time of the year we are looking for motivation to help us have a successful End of School Year. We reflect on all the things we have learned, taught and still want to teach our students. It always seems shocking how quickly the year actually flies by. So, as you start to prepare for the last few… Read More
Did you mention teaching Poetry Writing? Introducing and teaching poetry writing is possibly one of my favorite genres to teach. I adore seeing how my students grow as poets during our time learning and writing poetry. Have you been looking for fun ways to incorporate poetry into your curriculum. Poetry is a great idea for students of all ages and it… Read More
This.... ❤️my students are always my students. Several years ago I created a meme with this and it came to life in a teacher tee this month.
❤️ etsy.me/2VVB66n
❤️It is on S-A-L-E this weekend!
❤️This tee has tons of color options!
#youwillalwaysbemystudent #teachertees #teacher #iteach
Love this, my friend shared and I think it’s brilliant to share with students!
To all the mommas out there who sometimes feel this. I honestly cried reading this today. It was something I needed to hear.
❤️Always a New DayI bought bouncy balls for my son’s class treasure box. Something nice for the teacher, a simple way to show my son what it means to give back. A simple way to show him how much extra teachers do for their students.
Plus, it was a good excuse to go a little crazy in the Target dollar section.
So I took him to the store and let him pick everything out. We picked out basketball bouncy balls and soccer ball bouncy balls and pink bouncy balls and some that were just plain blue. This morning, he informed me that he is really hoping for a basketball.
My initial reaction was to text the teacher and ask her if she could hold one for him. After all, he helped pick them out, so he kind of deserves to get the one he wants, right?
But then the other half of me, thought “No, you’d better not. He needs to learn to be happy with whatever he gets. He needs to learn that you get what you get and you don’t throw a fit. And you don’t need to be interfering in his life anyways.”
So this back and forth went on like a ping pong ball inside my mind for a solid five minutes.
And then it dawned on me: This. This is why moms are so exhausted. Yes, we chase kids. Yes, we clean up after them like the guy scooping up poop behind the horses in the parade. But I don’t believe that’s the true source of our exhaustion. I believe it’s this dance, this teetering back and forth between trying to walk this very, very fine line of what is right and what is wrong. What is black and what is white. What is good for our kids and what is even better.
When you have a baby, you walk this fine line and you worry about whether breast milk or formula is better, about whether your baby needs Pampers or Luvs, about whether to keep your baby in the room with you, or let them sleep in their own crib. Every decision is as delicate as that precious baby you are holding gently in your arms.
When you have a toddler, you walk this fine line and you worry about whether or not to start them in a Mother’s Day Out program or to keep them at home with you. You wonder whether screen time is really going to destroy your child for life like all the articles say, or whether one (or four) episode/episodes of “Paw Patrol” is fine. You also have to get the laundry done, and you can’t do that with your 2-year-old hanging on your leg. So back and forth, back and forth — you begin the process of wading through the mud to find what is best.
Not what is good. Good’s not good enough. You need to know what is best.
And then they throw a tantrum in the middle of the cookie aisle at Kroger’s. Right there, with everyone watching, waiting, wondering how you’re going to handle it. Right there in-between the Oreos and the Chips Ahoy. Will you yell? Will you give in? Will you be too hard? Will you be too soft?
When you have a school-aged child, you walk this fine line and you stress about which school is best for your child. Again, this is your child. This is their education. The weight of your decision is heavier than a two-ton elephant sitting on your chest spraying water out of his trunk. This decision will go with them forever, so there is no adequate. There is no fine. There is no good enough. There is only what’s best, and it’s all on you to find it, like Waldo, only if you don’t find it, you can’t just turn the page and move on, you’ve basically ruined your child forever.
When you have a teenager, you walk this fine line of letting them still be a kid, and pushing them to become an adult. This fine line of going crazy and trying to keep your cool. This fine line of taking everything they own away and tossing it out the window of your two-story home and understanding all the changes puberty is putting them through. This fine line of being the adult who doesn’t put up with disrespect, and this friend who will come and pick them up if they’re at a party, starting to feel uncomfortable.
And then there’s the fine line of who to put first: your children, your spouse, or yourself. You can make the case for all three. You can easily argue all three sides.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
No wonder we are so exhausted. Our minds are a maze. Our lives are a juggling act. Our jobs are trying to find the black and white in a world full of muddled gray. Our jobs are trying to dance the tango and the waltz and the Boot Scootin’ Boogie and the Macarena all to the same bizarre song.
No stinking wonder.
I don’t have a ton of advice here, honestly. I’m not an expert. I’m right in the middle of the mess with you, my friends. We are mothers and we will always want the absolute best for our children and we won’t stop until we find it, even if that means mulling every decision over by digging through a giant haystack of articles and advice until we find the dadgum needle our children need.
I can only tell you this: you’re doing a good job. You’re doing a hella good job.
You wouldn’t care so much if you weren’t.
You wouldn’t worry so much if you weren’t.
You wouldn’t be walking that fine line like Johnny Cash if you weren’t exactly what and who your kids needed.
They’re going to be fine, and so are you.
Sometimes you’ll miss the mark, sometimes you’ll be off by a few feet, or even a few hundred.
Apologize. Forgive. Get back up and keep going, keep trying.
Keep trying to tiptoe across that tightrope. Keep trying to balance your way through motherhood. Keep trying to do the things that are the very best for your children.
In trying, you’re loving them in a way that will make a loud difference in their lives. And I promise, that love will be the thing that carries them over the threshold from happy childhood to successful adulthood.
That love will be the thing that makes the most difference, not whether or not you call the teacher and ask her to set aside the basketball bouncy ball. Not whether or not you make your own almond milk, buy organic milk, or buy the cheapest milk you can find in bulk at Sam’s Club.
Love walks the fine line, and you’re doing it. You’re doing it better than you know.
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