teacher life
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Building a Positive Mindset
I consider myself a naturally positive person, but the classroom can be a hard place to keep that going. Someone is always upset with someone else, there is always a mess somewhere, and I’m constantly having to change my plans. It takes a toll! When positivity doesn’t come naturally, there are some things that help me keep that positive mindset in the classroom. First and foremost, when I recognize that I’m struggling I make a conscious effort to find something (anything) positive that I can acknowledge. Sometimes this is as small as a child nicely walking across the classroom, or offering to share with another child. I’ll spend the next…
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Sending love to all teachers
I had a different post planned for today, but it didn’t feel right to talk about building positivity in the classroom after the news of this week. Another shooting, at another elementary school. This should never happen, but nothing is changing and it’s easy to feel powerless. Right now I’m sending love and solidarity. Teachers can truly make anything happen if we do it together. Here are some organizations to explore and support in this effort: Sandy Hook Promise Protect Our Schools Everytown I’ve always believed that the world would be a much better place if we all followed the same lessons that I teach my preschoolers – be kind…
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Kids Road Trip Entertainment
When it comes to road tripping with kids, prepping items that will actually keep them entertained is VITAL. This is always where I put the majority of my energy while packing because I know that it’ll set the tone for the entire trip for everyone involved. If my daughter isn’t occupied then I’ll spend all of my time entertaining her and answering the “are we there yet” question. I have a tendency to overpack in the this area, but I’ve never regretted it! Here are the toys for travel that we packed for my 5 year old daughter on our most recent trip: Here are the specifics (I’m including affiliate…
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Road Trip Must-haves, and a way to organize them!
As teachers, we all bring our own skills into the classroom – for me, that includes high levels of organization. It makes sense that this would also play a role in other parts of my life. I’ve learned to make organization work for me, and that was definitely true when prepping for our latest road trip. I had to share a genius road trip hack that was such a lifesaver! When we take a road trip I like to make sure we have a stash of all the things that you don’t know you need until you REALLY need them. In the past I’ve thrown these all in a pouch…
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Dealing with Hard Days in the Classroom
We all have tough days in the classroom – but what about when those hard days start happening regularly, or even every day? How can you turn things around and get more of the days that you really enjoy? Let’s talk about this, what can help when you’re dealing with never-ending classroom challenges? I’m big on reflection, taking time to dig deep and think through what’s really behind what’s happening in the classroom. This can be hard when you’re right in the middle of it. If you’re in a place where it feels like nothing is going right and there’s nothing you can do about it, then we need to…
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REALLY Changing Challenging Behaviors
A couple of weeks ago I shared a free sample of a behavior tracking system that can be used to identify patterns related to challenging behaviors. Now, I want to dig into what happens after you’ve identified those patterns. Let’s reflect so that you can really starting changing challenging behaviors in the classroom. Part of this system is a reflection sheet: This reflection starts by exploring what is working WELL for this child already – what parts of the day are they successfully able to manage their behavior? For some children, this will be easily evident, and for others you might have to continue observing to get an even better…
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A Blog Post about Blog Posts
I know that’s quite the title for a post, but it’s the best way I can think to describe what I want to share here! I’ve been thinking a lot about how I can use this space to support those of you are serving so many different roles in the early care and education field – especially those of you who are childcare professionals. I love sharing fun posts about activities, projects, and printables – but these are the easy things. There are so many great ideas already available, and to be honest I know that coming up with things to do with children isn’t the hardest part of the…
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Using Amazon Idea Lists for the Classroom
It’s safe to say that online shopping is one of my favorite past times – I’m sure that says A LOT about me! There’s a tool that I’ve been using recently to help organize my wish lists and favorite purchases and it can be used in so many different ways. I’ve got to share what I’ve been doing with Amazon Idea Lists for the classroom. An idea list is an excellent place to keep all of those items that you’re thinking about, looking for, or really loving. These lists are easy to share with others so that you can collaborate. This makes planning classroom or school events something that can…
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Leaning into what brings me joy
I got a little vulnerable with you on Monday – this time of year is tough. The pressure to jump back into a routine after the holidays, when I’m not really ready for that, causes some friction. Add the dreary weather and joy can be a little hard for me to come by. I’m working through it by leaning into the things that I know bring me joy – a “Joy List” if you will! Whenever I’m feeling a little down – whether it’s because I’m burnt out at work, clouds and cold are impacting my mood, or I’m just in need of a pick me up – I like…
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Finding the Joy
This is the time of the year that’s the most difficult for me – the happiness of the holiday season is over and I feel like I’ve been thrown back into work without actually getting the rest and relaxation that I’d been so looking forward to. It’s burnout at it’s finest. Plus the weather is gray and dreary, which never helps. This is the month when I have to be truly intentional about finding my purpose in the work that I do so that I can enjoy it. The real question is, how do I do that??? There’s not an exact science to it – I’ve tried a variety of…
