The Confident Chemistry Teacher

Episode 35: Teaching Graphing Skills to High School Science Students: A Step-by-Step Approach Have you ever asked your students to make a graph, only to discover that they have absolutely no idea where to start? Yep, that happened in my classroom! 😅 After years of teaching students who already knew how to graph, I realized that many of my current freshmen were struggling with some pretty basic gr...

Episode 34: 3 Hands-On Matter and Change Activities for High School Chemistry Matter and Change can sometimes feel like one of those basic vocabulary units in high school chemistry—but I actually think it’s a great opportunity to get students into the lab and start building skills they’ll use all year long. In this episode of The Confident Chemistry Teacher Podcast , I’m sharing three of my favori...

Episode 33: 3 Activities to Strengthen Scientific Number Sense in Chemistry Can your students do the math…but struggle to understand what the numbers actually mean? I remember sitting in my own honors chemistry class, successfully calculating Ka and Kb values without really understanding why I was doing those calculations. That experience has shaped the way I teach chemistry today. I want my stude...

Episode 32: What Chemicals Do You Really Need in Your Chemistry Classroom? If you’re a new chemistry teacher staring at your chemical storage room wondering, “What do I actually need?” — this episode is for you. Over 19 years of teaching chemistry, I’ve learned that you don’t need every chemical in the catalog to create meaningful, hands-on experiences for your students. What you need are versatil...

🧪 Episode Summary In this episode of The Confident Chemistry Teacher Podcast , I’m sharing a problem I run into every year during the first weeks of school: How do I make sure every class hears the same procedures and expectations—and actually remembers them later? My solution this year is the Chemistry Survival Guide , a free , editable resource designed to help teachers intentionally teach clas...

🧪 Episode Summary What belongs in a chemistry syllabus...and what can you leave out? In this episode of The Confident Chemistry Teacher Podcast, I'm walking you through the sections I include in my own chemistry syllabus after 18 years in the classroom. From course descriptions and grading policies to lab safety, classroom procedures, and communication with parents, I'll share the practical detai...

🧪 Episode Summary If this school year felt chaotic, overwhelming, or just plain exhausting… you are definitely not alone. In this episode of The Confident Chemistry Teacher Podcast, I’m walking you through a simple process to help you reflect on this school year, gather meaningful feedback, and make a realistic plan for next year—without creating a giant 100-item summer to-do list. 🙌 I’m sharing...

If you ended this school year feeling behind, scattered, or like you were constantly playing catch-up… this episode is for you. I’m walking you through exactly how I’m planning my summer—so I can feel organized, prepared, and in control going into next year (without trying to do everything).   🧠 In This Episode, You’ll Learn: ✨ How to Turn a Stressful Year into a Clear Plan     &n...

🎧 Episode 27: The Root Beer Lab – From Sublimation to Ocean Acidification If your students love lab days…but struggle to connect them to actual chemistry concepts, this episode is for you. Today I’m walking you through one of my all-time favorite labs...making root beer with dry ice 🍺 (don’t worry…no fermentation happening here 😄). It might feel a little “fluffy” at first, but I promise—there i...

Episode 26: Why I Teach Environmental Chemistry (Even When It’s Not in the Standards) Let’s be honest…this time of year can feel a little chaotic. Testing is coming, students are getting a little squirrely 😅, and it’s easy to feel like you just need to “stick to the standards” and push through. But this is actually one of my favorite times of year to teach something a little different. In this ep...

🎙 Managing Lab Materials Without Losing Your Mind Lab days are powerful. They’re hands-on. They deepen understanding. Students love them. But let’s be honest… they can also feel chaotic and overwhelming. In this episode, I’m sharing the exact systems I use to manage lab materials in my chemistry classroom so I can coach instead of react. After 18 years of teaching, I still get a little lab-day anx...

Episode Intro In this episode of The Confident Chemistry Teacher Podcast, I’m sharing exactly how I run a POGIL in my chemistry classroom — from setup to grading. You’ll discover how to get students collaborating instead of waiting for answers, and leave with strategies to make group work productive and manageable. Key Takeaways By the end of this episode, you’ll learn how to: ● Decide when to use...

Episode Intro In this episode of The Confident Chemistry Teacher Podcast, I’m taking you inside my mole unit — not as a day-by-day plan, but through the thinking and teaching decisions behind it. The mole unit is one of the first truly skill-heavy units students encounter in chemistry, and it can feel overwhelming for both students and teachers. I share how I introduce the mole conceptually, how I...

Episode Intro In this episode of The Confident Chemistry Teacher Podcast, I’m sharing the key systems and teaching practices I’m focusing on in 2026 to help me feel more organized, reduce decision fatigue, and actually enjoy the spring semester with my students. Like many teachers, I’ve felt overwhelmed this year — new responsibilities, new classes, and the constant pressure to keep up with curric...

🎙️ Ep. 21 – Simple Semester Exam Review Strategies that Keep Students Engaged Episode Intro In this episode of The Confident Chemistry Teacher Podcast, I’m sharing my favorite strategies for reviewing before semester exams — without losing your sanity or your students’ attention. You’ll discover how to keep students engaged during review days, balance independent and active learning, and design me...

🧪 Ep. 20 – Inside the Unit: Chemical Nomenclature Episode I In this episode of The Confident Chemistry Teacher Podcast, I’m walking you through how I teach one of the foundational chemistry skills—chemical nomenclature. You’ll hear how I structure the unit, keep students engaged, and help them build confidence while naming and writing chemical formulas. Key Takeaways By the end of this episode, y...

Episode Intro In this episode of The Confident Chemistry Teacher Podcast, I’m sharing a real and honest reflection about what happens when graduation rates take priority over student learning. You’ll hear the behind-the-scenes challenges of adjusting to a new school environment, supporting struggling students, and finding your balance between accountability and empathy. You’ll walk away with pract...

🎙️ Episode: My Go-To Periodic Table Unit -Activities, Trends, and Timing Tips A practical walkthrough of my Periodic Table unit—history hooks, must-teach trends, hands-on labs, and lots of low-prep practice to cement understanding. Episode Description In this episode, I run through exactly how I teach the Periodic Table in Chem I and Honors: how I hook students with music and history, scaffold cor...

Welcome back to the Confident Chemistry Teacher Podcast! Episode Summary In this episode, I’m breaking down one of my favorite quick-and-fun isotope activities — the Marshmallow Isotope Lab! This hands-on lab helps students visualize isotopes by building models of hydrogen’s three isotopes using mini marshmallows and toothpicks. It’s simple, colorful, and perfect for reinforcing the difference bet...

Episode Summary Hey Chemistry Friend! In this episode of The Confident Chemistry Teacher Podcast, Chem walks you through her Electrons Unit — from the evolution of atomic models to light and energy calculations, and finally, electron configurations. You’ll hear how she sequences lessons, which labs and demos make the biggest impact, and how she builds connections between math skills, color emissio...

Sometimes the simplest tools make the biggest impact. In this episode, I’m sharing one of my favorite organization hacks: the daily Google slide. Each day of the school year gets its own slide with the date, learning intentions, success criteria, warm-up, agenda, and links to resources. It’s a straightforward system, but the benefits are huge—for me, my students, parents, co-teachers, and even adm...

Episode Summary In this episode, Chem walks through a practical sequence for teaching Atoms—from subatomic particles to isotopes and average atomic mass—plus why some topics don’t live in this unit (history of the atom, moles) and where to spiral in ions and the octet rule. You’ll get easy-to-run activities (Google Slides checks, PBS ChemThink, isotopes/average-atomic-mass activities), labs, and c...

Parent communication isn’t anyone’s favorite part of the job (hi, same 🙋‍♀️), but it can be calm, professional, and effective. In this episode, I share a simple 6-step framework I use for emails and phone calls so conversations stay factual, collaborative, and student-focused—without eating your whole prep period. You’ll also hear practical examples, boundary tips, and how to document contacts th...

In this episode of The Confident Chemistry Teacher Podcast, I’m sharing how I used the Lab Day Starter Kit in my own classroom and why it made a “simple” lab run smoother and more meaningful for both me and my students. I’ll walk you through each piece of the kit, show how it supported my Cooling Rate of Hot Water Lab, and give you practical tips for making your own lab days less stressful.  ...

Ep. 11 – Inside the Lab: Matter & Change  In this episode of The Confident Chemistry Teacher Podcast, I’m kicking off a new series: Inside the Lab. Today, I’m taking you inside my Matter & Change Lab—an 8-station activity that gives students confidence, reinforces key vocabulary, and sets safety expectations early in the year. I’ll highlight my 4 favorite stations and share teacher ha...