A few years ago, I wrote a post that went viral about teachers going back to work after Christmas break. I was sitting on my couch in my pajamas feeling the familiar pang of Sunday anxiety and wrote the post quickly and posted it without much thought. Soon, I was getting emails from teachers around…
Category: Teaching
The Anxiety Train
Not only do I usually ride the “It definitely will not be okay” train, but I often conduct it. There are special stops on the way: The Town of Worst Case Scenarios, Obsession Land, Self Doubt Central, The Village of What Ifs (it is SO easy to get lost there!) and my personal favorite, Replay…
Things I’ve Tried Lately that I’ve Heard People Talking About
I’ve tried a few new things lately and I would like to share with you my thoughts and opinions about each of them. Let’s get to it. Cauliflower Rice Everyone has been talking about Cauliflower Rice. I tried this out of curiosity because I’ve been trying to mix things up in the kitchen, but I…
Purple Puke and Teacher Burnout
I hit my burnout point last week even though I did everything I could to avoid this. I followed all the “wisdom” to avoid teacher burnout: -I got enough sleep. Ask my husband. I am OBSESSED with getting enough sleep every night. I am so worried about getting enough sleep that many nights I lie…
Empty Mugs & Full Hearts
About a month ago, I published a post declaring it was going to be the best school year ever. I decided then that I was going to be positive and happy and encouraging at all times and focus on all the little things that I loved about my job. But that was a month ago,…
Annoying Positivity: 4 Reasons This Will Be the Best School Year
The summer has been good to me: I got married, tried a Jamocha shake from Arby’s, starting using coupons, moved into our new house, saw Wonder Woman, got to travel around Michigan, learned to make healthy french toast, FaceTimed with my nephew while he held the phone, and also had the best cinnamon roll of…
May is for Superheroes: The Teacher Homestretch
I’m exhausted. Last week I had a student ask me if he could play me a song on his nose. Befuddled, I nodded. They didn’t teach me how to answer that question in college. He proceeded to place a finger on the side of his nostril and create a rattly humming sound as he “played” me…
Using Cheese to Encourage Engagement and Participation in the Classroom
If someone told me a few years ago that I would eventually possess the ability to get a group of sixth grade boys to curtsy like princesses during a lesson on fairy tale vocabulary, I would have asked just what kind of black magic I got myself into. It must be some sort of wizardry….
My Summer Break Acceptance Speech
Greetings to all who read this. I am used to having an audience of about 27 little humans, so being here on stage to accept this award does not faze me in the slightest. When you have asked students to tell you if you have chocolate on your face or not, it takes a lot to feel…
Why I Don’t Want a ‘Normal’ Job: 11 times teaching is the best, even when it isn’t
About 39 times a year, I question why I went into teaching. It’s a crazy life. A life that one can only understand once in the trenches: tying the shoes and wiping the tears and teaching the words. There are some days where on my way home, I am convinced that I am never stepping…
Count Your Blessings, Not Your Chins. 