Shaping Little Minds

This is one of the busiest times of year for educators as a whole. Thanksgiving never really feels like a true break and the time between Thanksgiving and winter break can feel excruciating, overwhelming, and truly exhausting. A lot comes up both in life and in the classroom. So how do you manage that? In this episode, I share four tools that have helped me thrive in the classroom when I was feeli...

It's really easy to get consumed in our teaching careers. Many of us spend SO much time wanting to excel in teaching that we suddenly lose ourselves in the process. In today's podcast episode, I dive into 3 components that can help you to start finding yourself again: our thoughts, our behaviors and our habits. We discuss how each one can pull you down but also how they can actually prop...

Coaching has become a sort of buzzword in the education space. It's important to understand what coaching can actually do for you and what you need to be looking for in a coach before you decide to work with them. Plus it never hurt to talk about the benefits of coaching!  Today, I got to speak to my friend Autumn all about coaching teachers and what that looks like.  Autumn is a career coach...

It can feel uncomfortable to set boundaries as a teacher, especially during a busy season. What if I told you boundaries can actually help create more space for you even during a busy season?  In this episode we discuss what could come up in the coming weeks, why that can be so hard to navigate without the right support, and the three main reasons we either don't set any boundaries and we set...

Most people think of balance as a 50/50 split. Personally, I believe a balance is about not only enjoying your job as a teacher but also enjoying life outside of the classroom. I believe we go through seasons. In today's podcast episode, I give you 3 steps to help you start to find a balance both in and out of the classroom.  Step 1: Create harmony in your classroom Step 2: Set Boundaries Ste...

When I started teaching, I was consumed by my work and so much so that I stopped exercising, declined invitations to social events, and rarely saw my family. Instead, I would come home after an exhausting day and I would stress over student issues or create lesson plans. It shouldn’t surprise you when I say… It didn't take me long to burn out and start questioning who I was outside of the cla...

I want to preface this by saying: there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with wanting a Pinterest perfect classroom. BUT if it’s causing you stress, anxiety and you feel like you’re going broke in the process… we should talk about it.  So the question is… Is this a self imposed expectation? Is it a societal expectation? Is it a school expectation?  I want to remind teachers of this: Your classroom will...

Teaching children how to read can feel hard and tricky. The Science of Reading is a curriculum that helps educators teach their students to read. It is the data based research that has been found to assist learners who struggle with reading and writing. I have a special guest on the podcast today coming to you all the way from Australia. Her name is Emily and she is going to discuss the science of...

Today’s episode is diving into myth #2: You have to be available 24/7 to be a good teacher. Here’s what we’ll cover: Why being available 24/7 doesn’t actually make you a better teacher What being available 24/7 can actually do to your nervous system 3 ways you can stop being available 24/7 and create peace of mind For whatever reason, teachers feel that they need to always be available; responding...

I got to chat with the play and mindset coach, Kara, where we dive into the importance of play as adults and what that can do for our inner child. There’s so much in here PLUS Kara has various resources for you to jump in on at any time.  This is what we cover: What play can look like as an adult What you can do to incorporate play If you find play "silly"  Healing our inner child throug...

Over the next several weeks, I’m going to be busting myths regarding what being a “good teacher” looks like. These episodes will go live every other week, with some incredible guest episodes in between. Today’s episode is the first of four and we are talking about the idea that you have to work outside of contracted hours to be a good teacher. Have you ever been told that in order to be a good tea...

Carla is an early childhood educator, speaker, podcaster and so much more. She is joining me on the podcast today to raise awareness to the importance of raising our voices as early childhood educators. She talks about how you can start to raise your voice, shares resources you can dive into, and shows a way to get past any imposter syndrome you might be feeling. Just remember: raising your voice...

Renata is an intuitive nutrition coach who helps women to nourish their body, mind and soul. I wanted her to have this conversation with me because it is back to school season and I KNOW how busy it can get. I asked Renata to share what skipping a meal can do to your body and why it’s so important to nourish your body even during busy seasons. Highlights: What is nutrition and what nutrition looks...

I am bringing back my friend and client, Ashley. She got to experience 1:1 coaching and had such a big learning curve that she re-signed. She ended up being in coaching with me for a total of 6 months. To give you a bit of background, she has been an early childhood educator for over a decade but found herself struggling more than she ever has in previous years and looking for added support.  We d...

We’re diving into what you can do when things get hard throughout the school year. It is inevitable that teachers will go through hard times in their classrooms; whether it be student related, admin related, or just all things classroom related. Sometimes that hard can actually impact our feelings about returning the following year. I felt like this was the perfect episode to have right now as so...

I've said this before, and I'll say it again... support for new teachers should be mandatory.  My clients were lost, overwhelmed, and stressed out before they got the support they truly needed to feel successful in the classroom.  Client A went from stressed, overwhelmed, and on the brink of burnout to loving her life and reigniting her love for teaching. Client S is a brand new teacher...

Why teachers don't work in contracted hours:  So much to do, so little time to do it We feel guilty if we don’t stay late or work overtime We worry that we are bad teachers if we don't work overtime We're changing that inside of my bootcamp! Find out more by clicking this link and snag your spot today.

I’m going to outline 5 steps you can take as a new teacher to prepare for your first year of teaching. I know that so many new teachers see all of the things they have to do and start to feel overwhelmed. So, I’m breaking down each of the steps I used to take when entering a new school year.  Familiarize yourself with the curriculum Create classroom rules, routines + expectations Start working bac...

This week we are discussing the link between mindset and behaviors. Angie is a mindset coach, speech therapist, and has worked in the autism field for a couple of decades.  She also a former foster mom, adoptive and biological mom. Her work is amazing! So today, she is going to talk to you all about the connection your mindset has to some of your students' behaviors. I loved learning about th...

It can be hard to figure out how to prepare for an interview, especially when you're likely interviewing for the first time.  I have five steps you can take to be fully prepared for an upcoming interview. Know what you want Do your research Update your resume Get Information Write a follow up email Applying for a first year teaching position can be stressful and challenging at times. I want t...

Today’s podcast episode will cover what you can do over the summer to not only get the rest you need but also feel prepared for the coming school year.  I’m going to share two very specific actions you can take that I truly believe are most important over summer break.  Intentional rest 1-2 hours of work each week I believe there’s a messy in between that can help you feel rested but also get you...

As teachers we are our students advocates throughout the school year. But what about advocating for ourselves?  I have Katie Selby on the podcast. She has learned through various challenges what it really means to advocate for yourself and therefore, became a paraprofessional wanting to advocate for students.  In this episode, we cover: Definition of advocacy What it means to advocate for yourself...

I know some of you have already finished your school year, but where I am there are still about 2 weeks of school left. On today's podcast episode, I give you four strategies that will help you end your year feeling more confident and less burnt out.  Focus less on the act of "teaching" Set intentional "me time" Navigating behaviors Stick to boundaries These are the four s...

I believed that to be a good teacher, I needed to do it ALL. I was always so busy and telling myself: "I have to lesson plan over the weekend, otherwise I'll fail as a teacher" "Teaching is a profession where work needs to be done after hours" "Being busy means I'm successful" "Teaching is hard" I was always waiting for the next vacation so I could...

Things have shifted and I learned some important lessons throughout this maternity leave coverage these last several weeks.  All of these lessons would not have been possible without the support and guidance I invested in.  I had to find different boundaries to set I can create my own energy in and out of the classroom How I dealt with mindset struggles Getting through these hard lessons has made...