Shaping Little Minds

Anisha is an Early Childhood Entrepreneur, Coach and Specialist from Toronto, Canada! She has been in the field of early education for 10+ years playing various roles in the field from classroom roles to leadership roles. In her current role, she is the CEO of a company that focuses on supporting the early learning community through professional education, consulting and empowerment. She is also a...

Have you ever heard the terms ‘growth mindset’ and ‘fixed mindset’? If you haven’t, that’s ok. This is a perfect place for you to learn! When I approached my first teaching position, I didn’t realize how important mindset was. I had no idea what it meant to have a growth or fixed mindset. All I knew was that I loved seeing my students grow and learn throughout the year inside my classroom.  In thi...

Trust is the foundation for any good relationship, especially in a classroom full of new students and their families. Trust is built on making strong connections with the people you surround yourself with on a daily basis. You are the leader inside your classroom. It is your space; you get to decide how the classroom will run and what kind of relationships you build with your students and their pa...

When I found out school was going to be back in session come August, I was THRILLED. I couldn’t wait to get back into my classroom! I was so bored being at home with no routine and feeling like the walls in my apartment were closing in on me. I loved that we were back to in-person learning, no matter how much work it was transitioning into a year like this. I had 19 students to welcome into their...

We all have an ingrained mindset when it comes to failure. When I fail, all I want to do is walk away and give up. Because failure is bad, right? Failure is something we avoid at all costs. But what happens when we view failure as something that helps us grow? Something that teaches us to be better? As teachers, we experience failure all too often and there are so many times where we wish we could...

I have been fighting this feeling since I started teaching seven years ago. I always felt guilty saying that. Why did I feel guilty? Why is that such a bad thing? It doesn’t mean I don’t love early childhood education. It doesn’t mean I don’t want to pursue education as my career. It just means my passion lies elsewhere; it doesn’t lie inside the classroom and that’s OK!  Here’s what we dive into:...

I am a big believer in play being another way for young children to learn. I work in a play-based school because I truly believe in the power of play. Play gives children the opportunity to learn from the environment around them. It gives them the opportunity to learn socialization skills with children their age. Play doesn’t have to be free for all, it can be planned activities that encourage lea...

I haven’t had to worry about an interview in many years now. I’ve been at the same school for six years and although I thought about leaving, I never actually took the time to apply and interview at various schools. Well, this year is different. I have been in the classroom for a total of seven years and I’m looking for change. I’m looking to get out of the classroom and into an admin role within...

Before I talk about the actual mistakes I made, I want to preface that if you’re a new teacher or going into next year as a new teacher, it is totally and completely normal to make mistakes. We all make mistakes in our first year but the question ends up being whether or not you learned from your mistakes.  I made a ton of mistakes my first year, I have listed some below just to name a few: No tim...

Over the last several weeks, a lot has happened in the world of social media influencers. Specifically, Rachel Hollis had a video that went viral both on Instagram and Tik Tok that ended being truly hurtful to so many but that's not what I'm here to talk about. I want to talk about influence and impact that we have as teachers both in our classrooms and on social media. What we covered i...

I have seen many teachers asking about engaging students in circle time because they are struggling with engagement and interaction. I truly believe this is one of the hardest things to learn to do. It's all about trying and failing and trying again. A few questions to keep in mind as you listen to this episode: Do you transition your students into circle time? How smooth is that transition?...

In the last few days I have been very intentional in working on professional development that is specifically related to social emotional learning. This is an especially important subject to learn about this year when so many students are learning virtually and don't have opportunities for in-person interactions. As teachers, it is our responsibility to be aware of both our students needs and...

Have you had your parent teacher conferences yet? Mine are quickly approaching and if you're anything like me, this is a time that gets REALLY busy and overwhelming and sometimes navigating it gets tough.  This year, is an especially hard year for teachers plus everything is virtual which makes it that much harder. What we cover on this episode: 4 tips to help YOU navigate parent teacher conf...

This topic is something I truly something I believe in. I have had some wonderful learning experiences because I took a risk; I invested in myself and in my learning.  Don't get me wrong, investing can be very SCARY especially when teaching doesn't necessarily pay you the "big bucks" but what happens when you did the scary thing and it was worth every penny? Wouldn't you l...

After connecting with teachers on other social platforms, I have had various requests to discuss the subject of going back to in-person teaching all while this pandemic is still very much present. In this episode, I want to share my experiences and three takeaways that may help you.  What we cover in this episode: What it was like to teach prior to Covid Transitioning into virtual learning Going b...

I am SO excited to welcome my friend, Brittany to the Podcast! She is in her senior year of college and going straight into her masters. She was lucky enough not only to experience student teaching before Covid but also after and through the pandemic. Today we are diving into her experiences with student teaching and what she's learned while doing so.  What we cover in this episode: Brittany&...

There are 4 pillars I absolutely live by: Consequences Transitions Positive Wording Teacher Response Today, we are focusing on consequences and why your follow through is KEY.  Below are the questions I answer in this episode: What are consequences and how can we set them in the classroom? Why are consequences so important? How does follow through make a difference? Why is it also important to tal...

So many new teachers need mentors to help them get through their first year of teaching but so many aren’t willing or able to find that person that is a good fit.  To tell you the truth, if I had had a mentor, my first year of teaching would have looked very different. I’m always honest about the mistakes I make along the way. I knew I needed someone to guide me but I didn’t know how much I truly...

Do you struggle with mental health? Do you find that your mental health takes a toll on you throughout the school year? Today, I decided to talk about my mental health journey and the ways I’ve learned to cope. I never experienced it until I went through turmoil in my own family and at the time, I was living at home so it really affected me.  I went through a time where I struggled to get out of b...

Self-care is something that is talked about pretty consistently but I feel like it’s especially important to hear this now. I’m not sure if this will end up airing before the quarantine is over, but self-care is not something that a teacher does well. Teachers are the kinds of people that always put everyone else’s needs in front of their own. From my own personal experience.. If a person doesn’t...

I know the first days of stepping into a new environment and being introduced to everyone can be super scary and super intimidating. When you ask for help, you show those around you how much you care about what you are doing.  Let’s put it this way: if you are a teacher who is starting your first teaching job and just graduated college, you’ll be able to relate to this. Let’s say you are in a coll...

Welcome to the first episode of Shaping Little Minds Podcast!  This has been something that I’ve wanted to do since starting this business not too long ago and I am so excited to finally be here!  Today, I am going to dive into my background and how I got to where I am today. In this episode, I hope to show you that teachers, as a community, go through bumps along the way but in the end, hard work...