After the-year-that-must-not-be-named, I knew I needed a reset in the productivity department. I wasn’t hard on myself for being unproductive during that year because I knew my brain was under so much stress during the peak of the pandemic. However, not being able to focus, read, create, or finish even the smallest project left me feeling depressed and financially anxious since my income now ... Read More about Meet the Google Doc Checklist Feature
ELA Thanksgiving Activities for Middle School and High School
While practicing gratitude is an important value in my life, for personal reasons, Thanksgiving has never been my favorite. In fact, on a holiday ranking scale, Thanksgiving would be at the bottom for me. However, I would never turn down time off in November to reflect and recharge, so I’m grateful for that! If you find yourself needing to fill a day or two before your much deserved fall break, ... Read More about ELA Thanksgiving Activities for Middle School and High School
Diverse Short Stories for Spooky Season
Like most ELA teachers, I love me some Edgar Allan Poe. His work meets the English teacher pinnacle of being rigorous yet engaging, high Lexile yet high interest, short yet deep. Poe’s short stories and poetry also provide fun opportunities for room transformations and engaging activities—especially during spooky season. However, adding diverse spooky short stories to the Halloween mix can make ... Read More about Diverse Short Stories for Spooky Season
Meaningful & Fun Activities for Teaching Beowulf
The best prank I ever pulled on my high school seniors was to convince them we were reading an Old English version of Beowulf. Watching the fear grow on their confused faces as they struggled through lines like, “Hwæt. We Gardena in geardagum…hu ða æþelingas ellen fremedon” was mean but oh so entertaining. But the best part (and point of the prank) was hearing a collective sigh of relief ... Read More about Meaningful & Fun Activities for Teaching Beowulf
Teacher Motivation: 5 ways to mentally prepare to go back to school
I’ve always loved the cyclical nature of teaching. I like that there’s a clear finish line each year and then a nice break before the start whistle sounds in August. Much of my teacher motivation comes from working hard for periods of time then indulging in well-deserved breaks. In other professions, I imagine it’s taxing working day after day without that satisfying feeling of a collective end ... Read More about Teacher Motivation: 5 ways to mentally prepare to go back to school
Keeping the Wonder: A Professional Development Book for Teachers
Those of you who follow me on Instagram know that I’ve spent the last two years writing a professional development book for teachers titled Keeping the Wonder: An Educator's Guide to Magical, Engaging, and Joyful Learning. I coauthored this book with my three EDU partners and Wonder Makers from all over the US. Update: WOW! I truly did not know what to expect when I was writing this post before ... Read More about Keeping the Wonder: A Professional Development Book for Teachers
