teaching life

  • can't celebrate holidays in the classroom

    Holidays in the classroom; What to do when you can’t celebrate

    I’m the first person to say that I love celebrating holidays – in my personal life that’s definitely something that I’m known for, and it feels natural for me to incorporate that into the classroom. While it is something that I love, there are a variety of reasons that holidays might not be appropriate for the preschool classroom. Some programs don’t allow teachers and students to celebrate in order to create a space where all of the families that they serve feel welcome. Others have specific funding streams that require no holidays be acknowledged, and still others will eliminate these to support specific families and staff. These are all completely…

  • joy list

    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…

  • finding my purpose

    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…

  • What I’m Working On

    I thought I’d pop in and share what I’ve been up to lately, these more personal posts are some of my favorites! Here’s what has been keeping me busy: Making felt food for my little one – so far I’ve finished 4 donuts Editing and formatting a leadership training for work Searching for cute and easy 4th of July play activities – last night I dyed pasta red, white and blue Preparing for a HOT weekend, it’s supposed to be 110 degrees here on Saturday, so I’ve stocked up on popsicles and water toys Designing a massive bulletin board Catching up on Southern Charm whenever possible Trying to stay off…

  • Teacher humor

    It’s a yucky rainy day where I am, so I thought I would brighten it by sharing some of my favorite funny teacher quotes.  Enjoy! Source Source Source Source

  • Great Teacher Outfits

    One of my favorite posts that I’ve ever shared is a collection of my favorite clothes to wear to teach in. I published this post in 2014, so I figured it was time for an update. Here are the items that I find myself wearing over and over. This Swing Dress is the single most comfortable thing that I own.  It looks great with leggings, and mine is long enough to wear without leggings when the weather gets warmer. I ordered it from Amazon and there are a ton of colors and sleeve lengths available and it’s only $18.99! (Affiliate link) This LC Lauren Conrad top from Kohl’s is both…

  • What’s on my desk

    I did the “What’s in my bag” post a couple of weeks ago, and it got me thinking. As much as I love to see what others are carrying around with them, what’s sitting on your desk says just as much about you. I know that everyone I work with would absolutely agree with that statement.  So I took a picture of my desk: A lot of it is truly work-related stuff that no one would be interested in – calendars, contact information, to-do lists, etc.  I did want to share some of my favorite things though. The framed quotes are coloring pages from this book that I colored, the…

  • Friday Freebie – Teacher Resumes

    Happy Friday! Many of my teacher friends have started to think about where they want to be next year (not me, I’m happy and staying put!).  If you are also in the process of applying for new positions then I have a great resource for you. This Teacher Resume Word Bank has all kinds of great terms that are ideal for any teacher resume.  It’s from Red Apple Resumes, so go download your copy and take a minute to check out their other amazing resources.  Have a wonderful weekend!

  • 3 Words

    This is an interesting challenge: What 3 words describe you as a teacher? I really had to sit and think about this for a while, the words that immediately popped into my mind as far as adjectives that are generally used to describe me didn’t really seem to fit when I apply them to myself as a teacher – which is interesting in itself.  Here are the three words that I finally came up with: 1. Observant.  Not only did I regularly observe my students to gauge their interests and assess their level of understanding, I was also incredibly observant of their behaviors and emotions. If there was something going…

  • A Must Watch Video

    I don’t share video clips around her very often but this one recently popped up in my facebook feed and I feel like everyone needs to see it. Click here to view This video is an interview with Preschool Teacher Rachel Giannini for attn: Parenting Today, and while her message is not news to those of us who are in this field, it is shocking to most of society just how little preschool teachers and child care staff at all levels earn.  We can’t make a difference if others don’t realize that there is a problem, so please share share share!