Secondary Science Simplified™

We are at the tipping point in our Curriculum Design mini-series! I am so excited that you have worked through this process with me up to this point. So far, we have covered strategizing your sequence and analyzing your aims. If you haven’t done that, be sure to complete those steps before moving on to step 3, forming your foundation. So what is a foundation? When I am talking about the foundation...

Have you been following along with our Curriculum Design mini-series and need just a little bit more support and context to complete parts 1 and 2? I’ve got you covered, teacher friend! I know the process of designing a curriculum is A LOT, but if we work through it together, step-by-step, it will make it much more manageable and will be so beneficial in the end! Sometimes when taking on new, big...

We are moving on to step two in our curriculum design mini-series! If you did not complete the first step in the process about strategic sequencing, you NEED to go back and start there before tackling step two. This week, we are going to dive into analyzing your aims. Although this isn’t the flashiest or most fun part of the process, it is crucial to designing your curriculum. I am walking you thr...

You asked for it so I’m going to give you what you want! One of the most frequent requests I get is for my curriculum design process. What better time to break down my process for you than during our Summer Podcast PD!? We are kicking off our curriculum design series by starting with the absolute first thing you need to do when designing a curriculum to use in your classroom.  Whether you are tryi...

Summer is in full swing and I could not be happier! It’s time to soak up the sunshine and enjoy the much needed time off. But if I’m honest, summer has always been a time of tension where I struggled with feeling guilty when I’m enjoying the fun because I’m not preparing for the next school year and also feeling guilty while I was working because I should have been enjoying summer more. I know if...

Let’s be honest, we all have certain topics that we have to teach but just absolutely dread teaching. Whether it’s because they are boring, unnecessary, or just depressing, we just don’t want to teach them! I’m sure you know exactly what topics you would skip over if you could and you are not alone, teacher friend! Sam Holcomb of Engineer Does Education is joining me today to chat about our least...

Are you an email addict feeling like you need to constantly be checking your inbox and responding immediately to anything that comes in? Guilty!! I like to think of myself as a recovering email addict. For years, I let email take way too much of my time and energy that I should have been focusing on other things.  I want to help you break away from the constant email checking so you can have a muc...

If you’re anything like me, you want to just make it through the last couple weeks of school and say GOODBYE AND GOOD RIDDANCE to another school year! But, before you close up your classroom for the summer, I encourage you to take a few minutes to reflect on the school year and ask yourself, “How did I do?”  In this episode, I’m sharing six questions to ask yourself to help you reflect on the year...

Get out your big black trash bags and label makers, because it’s time for an end of year classroom cleanout! If cleaning out your classroom causes immediate overwhelm (or dread if you’re also tackling the supply closet 🤢) don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.  Simple systems are my love language, and over the years I’ve managed to get cleaning out a classroom down to a science. In this episode, I’ll...

We are kicking off our Summer Podcast PD with a topic I get asked about most - LABS! There is so much to cover when it comes to labs and how to simplify them.  But let’s be honest, you likely aren’t in the headspace at this point of the school year to strategize about how to simplify your lab days. So today, I am sharing the one thing you can do NOW to help simplify every future lab day.  In today...

Happy teacher appreciation week, my friend! I truly hope that you are being celebrated and shown how much you are appreciated this week! Unfortunately, I know that Teacher Appreciation Week doesn’t always go the way that we hope it would. Sometimes, how we are shown “appreciation” is simply unbelievable and today, we are hearing some stories from listeners about their ridiculous teacher appreciati...

The end of the year is fast approaching which means that benchmark and EOC exams will be here soon. If you’re anything like me, you HATE reviewing! If you dread review days as much as I do, I have some ideas and tips to help make them a little less painful for you. Today, I am sharing 4 tips for review strategies for your upcoming EOC and benchmark exams.  End of the year exams can be incredibly s...

Working with difficult admin or difficult coworkers can make or break a teaching position. Last episode, my high school chemistry teacher Zach Matson joined us to talk all about dealing with difficult parents. He is joining us again today to share all about his experience and insight into dealing with difficult admin and coworkers.  Talking with Zach is always so incredible, entertaining, and help...

Dealing with difficult parents can be one of the worst things about teaching secondary science. So many of us would love advice on how to handle challenging situations, what to say when issues arise, or how to stop taking things personally from teachers who have been there and figured it out. That is one of the reasons I brought my high school chemistry teacher, Zach Matson, back on the podcast! Z...

Admin support can completely make or break your job as a secondary science teacher. As high school science teachers, we have so much on our plates already - planning, prepping labs, grading, teaching how many preps, pressure from parents, etc. Without support from admin, this job can be even more challenging. So how can you get support from admin? ASK! That’s right, you need to actually ask for wh...

It’s contract season! Have you received your teacher contract for next year yet? If not, it will likely be coming soon and regardless of if you are staying or not, you may be feeling a lot of emotions. If you are on the fence about staying in your current position or leaving, I strongly suggest you think through it in a neutral way without letting fear or exhaustion make the decision for you. One...

You know I am always here to support you and want to see you thrive in the classroom! I know, however, that even with all the tips, advice, and resources I share, you may still be considering whether or not being in the classroom is the best choice for you. If that’s where you currently find yourself, I want you to feel supported, too. That’s why I am so excited that our guest today, Teacher Caree...

Are you unsure if you want to teach in a public school or a private school next year? In my experience, there are definitely differences between the two and pros and cons to both and finding which school is the best fit for you is so important. So today, I am sharing tips that I have learned from my experience in both public and private schools to help you wherever you end up next year. I want to...

Contract season is quickly approaching, meaning soon, you’ll have to decide if you will return to the same school next year or look for someplace new. If you’re unsure if you will sign or not, I want to help you make this decision. I am sharing 10 things to take into consideration when you are deciding whether to stay at your current school or look for a new school. We are all aware that every sch...

Quarter 3 is a  doozy!  There is definitely an energy shift after winter break and both students and teachers feel it. Everyone is just drained. So how are we going to get through the rest of the school year and re-engage our students? I’ve got 5 tips to help re-engage your students and YOU in quarter 3. Spring break and the end of the school year seem so far away. We and our students are likely j...

Students and teachers with ADHD have unique struggles and challenges when it comes to work and school tasks. Whether you are a teacher who has ADHD or you have students who have ADHD, understanding how different strategies may help can be incredibly beneficial. I am no expert in ADHD so I am so grateful that Bri Plyler is joining us today to share some amazing information on ADHD in the secondary...

How are we supposed to have a work/life balance when we have a million things to do on a daily basis and a 45 minute (or 90 minute if you’re lucky!) planning time to get them all done? Finding ways to have the most productive planning period possible is essential to working only your contracted hours and having a life outside of work. If you’re not sure where to start, I’m sharing my 5 best tips f...

Many of us are looking ahead to the end of the school year because we are just burnt out. The last thing we want to think about is coming up with or preparing demos for our classes. I get it! That is one of the reasons I am so excited to have who I consider to be the “Demo Queen” joining us today. Prepare to be inspired, brecause Dr. Erica Colón, from @nittygrittyscience , is here to share her tip...

It’s almost Valentine’s Day so I knew I needed to share with you all about love at first sight! It may be a bit cheesy, but when I was first introduced to teaching with packets, I knew it was love at first sight and I’ve never looked back. In this episode, I am sharing all the information you need to decide if teaching with packets is something you want to try with your classes. I am diving into w...

We hear about teacher burnout all. the. time. You may even be feeling burnout and exhaustion right now. You are not alone, teacher friend! Whether you feel completely burned out or if you’re just feeling a little blah at this point in the year, our guest, Amber Harper of the Burned In Teacher is here to help!   We’ve been talking about scheduling rest and aligning your expectations with your curre...