teacher life
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It’s always ok to take care of ourselves
I’m putting this message out there today because I need to hear it – which probably means that some of you need to hear it too (it’s always better when we feel like we’re not alone). There’s so much pressure to keep working, move forward, and improve ALL THE TIME. We’re not built for that – no one can be “on” all of the time, and working (whatever your work may be) 24/7 isn’t healthy. It’s always ok to take a break, and one thing we can all do better is to give ourselves permission to take the break – without feeling guilty or lazy! I know that I’m the…
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Stress Relief for Back to School
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Learning activities for when you’re REALLY BUSY
Summer can feel like a whirlwind – how do these months seem to go so much faster than the rest of the year?! That can make it really hard to be intentional about making time for learning, there’s just so many other things happening! There are still some really great ways to incorporate basic educational skills into even your busiest summer days. Here are some of my favorite easy summer learning activities. This post does contain affiliate links. Workbooks. I know there are tons of opinions on workbooks, but I’ll throw mine in here and say that I think there are ways that these can be used effectively and appropriately.…
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Exploring Vegetable Gardening in the Classroom
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Summer must-haves for the car
Are you ready for some more summer organization?! On Monday I shared everything that I’m keeping in my summer tote bag. There are some things that I know I might need, but don’t necessarily want to carry around all the time. The car is the perfect place to keep these things. Some of them are the same as the things in my tote (sunscreen, bug bands, wipes) because you can never have enough of those. Others are more geared towards adventures that we just might go on a little more spontaneously. A random trip to the beach – I’ve got a towel, wet bag, ziploc bags for all our treasures,…
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Preschool Teacher Wardrobe – Summer Edition
*This post contains affiliate links It can be really hard to find those outfits that are the perfect balance of professional, comfortable, and meet all of the needs of a preschool teacher (getting messy, sitting on the floor, lots of movement – you know what I mean). This is especially true in the summer. Summer means even more time outside, higher temperatures, and often running to other activities at the end of your work day. Every program is different, and that will of course mean you may have restrictions related to things like shorts, sleeveless tops, and dresses – but hopefully the items that I’ve been loving will give you…
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Celebrating my own creativity
I’ve always considered myself to be a creative person, it’s something that I recognized at a very early age. As an adult, I spend the vast majority of my time creating things for other people – which I truly love to do. But I’ve realized that I don’t do a lot of creating just to enjoy the artistic process. I’m about to change that! I gathered some tools that I enjoy using, and bought a new sketch book (there’s just something about all of those blank pages)/ Now I’m giving myself permission to take time losing myself in the creative process. I can’t wait to share what I come up…
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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…
