teacher inspiration
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Routines to help your day run smoother
Have you ever noticed how quickly three day weekends go by? I always feel like I need a weekend to recuperate from my three day weekend. I was thinking about all of this as I got ready for work this morning. I was totally on autopilot, just going through the motions without really thinking about them and appreciating the fact that I had picked out an outfit and packed my lunch the night before. These evening routines were making my morning so much easier, which in turn made the rest of my day much less stressful! The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I have end…
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Treat yourself!
I just got back from vacation – and I’m sure many of you are in the same boat – after time off it’s doubly hard to go back to work and get into the groove. A while ago I stumbled across a tip that has worked wonders for lifting my spirits, and I wanted to share it as we dive into the rest of the school year. This tip is all about treating yourself – recognizing (and doing) those little things that brighten your day. Oh, and best of all, I made a little freebie to go with it! It’s very simple, but it makes a huge difference. Just take…
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Finding the motivating factor
I just came home from the dentist, I had to get three cavities filled. Yuck. To be honest, the actual procedure doesn’t bother me, I’ve had enough dental work done in my life that I’m used to the noise and the numbness, it’s the price tag that really hurts. I’ve been told for the last 20 years that I need to be flossing every day, and I finally learned the lesson – because I finally figured out my motivation. The cavities don’t motivate me, but the money definitely does. So what does this have to do with preschool… I promise, it actually flows quite well! This is why it is…
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Preschool activity materials at your fingertips
I love to lesson plan (it’s one of those weird teacher obsessions), but for some reason, lesson planning never actually made me feel more organized. Then I realized that just because I had a plan in my head, it didn’t necessarily mean that I was prepared for the activity. The most stressful time of my day was always running around trying to find the supplies and materials that I needed to implement activities. The solution was so easy that I can’t believe it took me so long to figure it out – Every Friday afternoon I would gather all of the materials that I needed for the next week’s activities,…
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When Educators believe in each other
Have you seen the TED talk by the amazing Ms. Rita Pierson. It is powerful. She puts into words every single reason that most of us became teachers in the first place. This quote from her talk hits me to the core every single time that I read it; I fully believe that every child needs a person in their corner. A person who tells them they’re worth it, they can be great, and do amazing things. A self-fulfilling prophecy can be a powerful thing, when you tell someone that they are incredible enough times, they start to believe you. I will give that to any child in a heartbeat.…
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Explaining Reggio Emilia
I’ve been teaching young children using guidance from Reggio Emilia for 6 years, so it is second nature to me. This can make it a little hard to explain, because I don’t always think about what I’m doing or why I’m doing it, I just do it. I found this quote from Carlina Rinaldi, the President of Reggio Children, and I think it perfectly explains the philosophy in a way that is short, sweet, and easy to understand. This speaks to every tenet of the philosophy because it recognizes that the process is always more important than the outcome. It also speaks to giving value to the thoughts and ideas…
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Practicing Professionalism
How many times have you heard “Oh, your job is so fun, you get to play with little kids all day!” Yeah, and can you still manage to keep from rolling your eyes? I’ve found that the more professionally I behave, the more that my job, and the challenges it presents, are taken seriously. I’ve always worked at lab schools (with ECE students from local colleges and universities), and I’ve often had students who don’t take my work seriously because I am young, and in some cases, younger than they are. So over the years I’ve come up with some tried and true methods for being taken seriously, which has…
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The best clothes for preschool teachers
Teaching preschool is not an easy job. While I absolutely love my students, they can drain me emotionally and physically, and they wreak havoc on my wardrobe! Washable paint is not always washable, and more often than not, I really have no idea where that stain came from or what it is – and sometimes it’s better not to know. I’m really lucky because I’m allowed to wear jeans to work – we’re expected to be participating in activities with the children, which often means on the floor, or outside making messes, so it is expected that we will get dirty. Thank goodness that this is understood, but this means…
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Preschool Teacher Wardrobe – Summer Edition
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5 Inspirational Quotes for Preschool
The last couple of weeks have been a bit of a whirlwind, and right now, all I have to say is that my brain hurts. So in an effort to give you some content that is inspiring I thought I would share some of my favorite Early Childhood quotes. I’ve made every effort to link their original sources, those that I wasn’t able to track down are linked to my Preschool Quotes Pinboard. From Early Learning HQ From Happy Brown House Found on Zulilly From Katie Surly on Teachers Pay Teachers From Treat by Shutterfly Hopefully these will give you the inspiration that you need to start the school year…
