Secondary Science Simplified™

I’ve talked many times about my experience teaching AP science courses before, and I even did an entire series talking to teachers who teach various AP science disciplines, so y’all know how challenging it can be. However, think about if you’re still a beginning teacher and being thrown into teaching an AP course. That’s what happened to my guest on today’s episode, Laura Tice. Laura is sharing he...

It’s hard to believe that the start of another school year is just around the corner, which means that planning for the first day of school and your first units is starting to take place. The first day of school can sometimes feel chaotic, and teachers are often unsure what they should even be covering on that day. So, to help those teachers out, I’m sharing the four things I always do on the firs...

With the school year quickly approaching, many teachers are getting their jobs and starting to figure out what science courses they’ll be teaching. And if you see chemistry on your course list, you might be hitting the freak-out button! Especially as a new teacher, chemistry can be intimidating to teach, but it also gives a lot of fun and freedom to add some creativity into your lessons. So, in to...

These days, I'm all about doing things now that serve my future self. In last week's episode, I shared five principles I do in my business that serve my future self and how they can translate to the classroom. However, since those principles might serve you next month, quarter, or even school year, I wanted to share an immediate benefit for your future self. In today's episode, I&ap...

I frequently think about how much the principles I've learned from running a business (and parenting) have changed my perspective on teaching. This got me thinking about what I would implement based on what I know now if I ever return to the classroom. And whenever I realize something useful and helpful, I want to share it with y'all! So, in today's episode, I'm sharing five wa...

As teachers, we know how hard it is to manage and balance our work and personal lives. But when you add being a new mom and an AP teacher to the mix, it makes that even harder. We’re always looking for tips and secrets to find that balance. My guest on today’s episode, Kimberly Leary, just might have figured it out! In today’s episode, Kimberly is sharing her knowledge and experience on a variety...

When I was a classroom teacher without any kids, I had no idea of the correlation or commonality that being a parent and a teacher would have. Now, being a parent, I would do some things differently and have a different lens on, which is why I’ve loved doing this series on things I’ve learned from parenting that can apply to teaching. In this episode, we’re wrapping up this series on ways to build...

If you’ve been listening each week, you know that this month, I’ve been doing a special series where I’ve reflected on things I’ve done and learned as a parent and how they can transfer to the classroom. I’ve been surprised by how much is transferable and have loved hearing your responses to these ideas as well. Today’s topic is something I’ve talked about with another friend relating to parenting...

As you all know, my outlook and perspective on life are usually black and white. Especially when it came to teaching, I gave clear rules and procedures that needed to be followed in my classroom. However, when I became a parent to three children, my perspective started to shift and change. This got me thinking about how what I’ve learned through parenting would affect me as a teacher and all the w...

If you openly ask your students, What’s something I say often? You might be surprised by their answers or know exactly what they’d say. I know when I was in the classroom, there were certain phrases that I was known for saying and that I repeated to emphasize certain behaviors or life skills I wanted my students to learn. Now as a parent, I’m doing the same thing and have quickly learned that sayi...

I love taking the time to reflect both professionally and personally because it helps me grow as a teacher and as a person. So when I was in the classroom, I made it a habit to spend some time at the end of the school year to reflect on how the year went. In last week’s episode, I had you reflect on your instructional resources in order to help prepare for next year, so now I’m going to ask that y...

With the end of the school year quickly approaching, your mind is on summer, relaxing, and taking a break from school. The last thing you probably want to do is start thinking about next school year. However, that’s exactly what I want you to do! While everything is still fresh in your mind, it’s important to take the time to reflect on the year and do an end-of-year audit. In the first episode of...

Something that I remember so vividly is my first year teaching. I was bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and couldn’t wait to have my own classroom and make it my own. I had wanted this for so long that I was ready to jump in and do all that I could to be the best teacher I could be. And while that sounds like the right thing, it actually made me tired, stressed, and overwhelmed. So whether you’re fresh o...

As a former secondary science teacher, I know how hard y’all work and plan to create meaningful lessons and activities for your students and are always striving to do what’s best for them. That’s why whenever Teacher Appreciation Week rolls around, I want to take time to say thank you and appreciate the teachers in my life, which includes you! To help celebrate this time, I wanted to reflect on fo...

A group of people who are educators who don’t always get a lot of credit but also put in a lot of work are administrators. And with National Administration Appreciation Day a few days ago, I wanted to take some time to give some praise and kudos to those administrators who are trustworthy, support teachers, and care about the students in their school. So, in today’s episode, I’m reflecting back on...

We’ve made it to our final episode in our AP science teacher interview series, and I’ve saved the best for last! When I sent out a survey several months ago, y’all requested to have him make another guest appearance, so here he is, Zach Matson! Teaching AP Chemistry for several decades, he has gained so much experience, knowledge, and tips that are going to help you be successful in teaching in yo...

I’ve had so much fun and really enjoyed listening to my guest science teachers during my AP science teacher interview series. Each guest has given incredible insight about the AP exam and helpful tips for other teachers in their respective science disciplines. But out of all the AP science courses, I received the most questions about teaching AP Environmental Science. My guest on today’s episode,...

As we move forward with focusing on the different AP science classes, this week, we’re focusing on AP Biology. This class comes with a lot of content, material, reading, and prior background knowledge to help students succeed and prepare for the end-of-year AP exam. I’m so lucky to have guest Beth Hines be the expert on this class since she is a veteran teacher and has been teaching AP biology for...

It’s the beginning of April, and with the spring air around us, it reminds me of something fresh and new, so I decided to start a new series about teaching different AP sciences. Even though in my podcast episodes, I share ideas and strategies that will benefit all classes, I get a lot of questions targeted specifically toward teaching an AP class. So, in my first episode of the series, I have gue...

As educators, we decided to make this our career because we love to help people and care about students and their success. However, just because that’s our personality and mission, unfortunately, doesn’t mean that’s how our students feel. One of the resounding themes from the survey I sent out was how do I get my students to care as much as I do? I’ve heard this a lot, so I wanted to address it on...

In last week’s episode, I asked you to examine your current job situation to see if there were more things causing you stress than things that brought you joy. One solution might be changing your scenery, such as switching schools or even districts, which would mean a teacher interview is in your future. Or even if you’re a beginning teacher looking for their first teaching job, this episode is fo...

It’s no secret that teachers are constantly overwhelmed and stressed and often don’t feel appreciated for their work. Especially during this time of year, it can be hard to determine if the exhaustion you’re feeling is just temporary or a feeling that won’t go away. Trust me, I’ve been exactly where you’re at and want to help. So, in today’s episode, I’m sharing my process to see if the burnout yo...

Everyone is trying to achieve a work-life balance, but for teachers, that simple concept is actually very complicated. One of the reasons teachers struggle so much with having a life outside of school is the amount of grading that we have to do. While I’m biased, I believe secondary science teachers have the most grading, especially with the labs and having multiple preps. I want you to be able to...

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again - the reason I do this podcast is for you! I love sharing ideas, strategies, activities, and curriculum with you that help make your science classrooms more successful. This is why I reached out to you to hear what questions you had for me or for your science classrooms. So, for the next few months, I’ll be answering all your questions, starting today. Th...

If you’ve been in education long enough, you know that new acronyms and ideas are constantly being tossed out there. Once these ideas are presented, schools and districts want them implemented, which results in teachers stressing about incorporating them into their lessons. But in reality, teachers are already doing a lot of these ideas; they’re just called something different. This is exactly wha...