Shaping Little Minds

Teaching has never been easy and definitely isn’t getting easier while being in a pandemic for the last 2.5 years. Without classroom support, teaching can feel even more difficult and can end up consuming your life. Teaching becomes everything you are rather than just a part of who you are.   In this episode, Adva explains her new program, The Confident ECE, that provides early childhood teachers...

 I never experienced Sunday Scaries on this level until I got hired for this summers camp job. But I learned a lot from my experience which is why I’m here sharing this with you; it’s why I launched this podcast in the first place. I wanted to share my knowledge and experiences with teachers. I’m going to list what I’ve learned from my experiences.  Please note that I don’t claim to be an expert a...

I put together a list of 5 important things to focus on during those first days of school: Don’t stress about your lesson plans being perfect Focus on building relationships with your students Review Expectations, Rules & Routines Set boundaries from the very beginning Enforce Rules Now I have a question for you… What else do you focus on in the first days of school? I’d love to hear from you!...

Art has unfortunately become a non-essential activity in schools. Everything is much more academically focused. Today, I have Jalilah on the podcast who can dive into the importance of art, teach you how to implement quality and authentic art lessons into the classroom, and ways to keep your art center exciting and autonomous.  What we'll cover: Why art is such an important part of early chil...

When we make the decision to be a teacher, we are usually there for the kids. We love kids, we love to watch them grow; we’re not usually there because the money is good. If you’ve been around, you know that as teachers we truly don’t get paid enough for the work we do. In today’s episode, we’ll cover: Definition of advocacy and the importance of being an advocate 3 ways you can advocate for your...

And... WE'RE BACK!! Today’s episode is about professional development in early childhood. We talk about:  the different ways you, as the teacher, can grab opportunities to continue to learn,  what’s missing when it comes PD in early childhood,  What teachers are struggling with right now that could change with access to the appropriate professional development program The components of profes...

Have you ever struggled with finding your identity outside of teaching? In the recent years, I have found that I bury myself in work rather than enjoying the time I spend on my own, with friends, with family, etc.  I went from full-time employee to being my own boss and never took the time to really find out who I am outside of work; what really makes me happy.  I created a life that revolved arou...

Today’s episode is all about the benefits of teamwork. What is teamwork? It is a group of people working together in an effective and productive way. We work as teams every day. Every teacher or administrator has a different experience with their team members.  I’m here to remind you of the importance of teamwork and how it benefits YOU as teachers.  Not all teams are effective and productive. Thi...

I had the pleasure of speaking to Natasha all about burnout while teaching in early childhood. Natasha is a registered early childhood educator in Ontario, Canada. She is passionate about providing children quality care and is an advocate for the early childhood profession. Please help me welcome Natasha onto the podcast!  Here's what we cover: What burnout is  What are signs of burnout Benef...

Have you ever dealt with a parent who refused to see that their child needed more support inside the classroom?  It's not easy and can be super frustrating as a teacher.  Today, I want to give you three specific ways to help you handle those objections without feeling like you want to give up on the child.  Lean on Support Don't give up on the student, no matter the circumstances Go back...

Do you invest in your learning?  Do you take the time to learn alongside your students and implement any new strategies or techniques? I know how busy teachers are throughout their day and especially now with Covid being a big part of the classroom environment. The work can be daunting but what happens when your techniques aren't working? Do you invest then? Or do you just try to figure it ou...

Have you ever wondered how you can shift into a growth mindset? Did you know it helps you show up with confidence? I have a special guest on with me today! She’s a social media and confidence coach and today we are diving into operating with a growth mindset in order to show up with confidence.  Today's episode is all about shifting into a growth mindset. Annik gives lots of tips and tricks t...

I'm changing things up! Today's teacher coaching episode is going to be a compilation. You may be wondering what that would look like... well here goes: I'm taking questions from each teacher that can help you and giving you the chance to listen to just that part of the episode. I'm hoping that gives you a bit more help as you go through your teaching journey inside the classro...

I'm so excited to introduce you to an early childhood teacher who has been subbing in various classrooms, is studying for his masters, and has worked with a variety of ages and disabilities. His hope is to enter the preschool world as a full-time teacher. Let's welcome Edgar to the podcast this week! This episode is geared toward any first year teachers and those who plan to enter the te...

I'm so excited to start off the teacher coaching series with my good friend, Ashley. She is an early childhood teacher, working with two and three year olds in a school setting. She has experience working in a corporate daycare, specials needs program, and a private school. She used to be my assistant teacher!  We talk about: Her experiences in each setting Classroom management Co-teaching Te...

I have a special guest on the show today!  Jen is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, social worker, and special needs mom. Her specialties include behavior modifications, all things special education, parent coaching, and school advocacy. Jen works with teachers, learners, and families to develop realistic interventions based on positivity, empathy, empowerment, and compassion.  Today’s episode i...

Transitions inside the classroom are a key tool to managing classroom behavior. It’s not something that can be implemented and expected to work after one try. It’s all about consistency. When you’re consistent in the way you transition your students and your expectations of yourself and of your students align, you will start to see a change. You’ll start to feel like transitions are much smoother...

SELF CARE IS A NON-NEGOTIABLE Agree or Disagree? Many times, we put our self-care to the side to tend to the other people in our lives whether that be our students, our spouses, our family, or our children. Now don’t get me wrong, it is super important to tend to every single person I just listed but it’s also critical for you to tend to YOU; to take care of you; to find time to do the things that...

How would it feel to walk into your classroom with confidence?  How would it feel if you not only incorporated a growth mindset into your classroom but also internalized a growth mindset?  How would it feel to know that the knowledge and skills you have are enough to be able to manage your classroom in a way that feels good to you? Become Your Own Classroom Guru is the course to help you with just...

Hello!! Welcome back to Shaping Little Minds Podcast. I’m so excited you’re here with me!! Today we’re going to be diving into lesson planning for early childhood. Lesson planning can be super time consuming and when your day is as busy as us teachers are, it can be difficult to get it done during the work day. Today, we’ll talk about a few ways to plan lessons for early childhood so that it isn’t...

I’m going to be walking you through three ways to help you manage and navigate any negative behavior you may be experiencing inside your classroom. I’m super excited for this episode because classroom management is something I love to talk about! It’s something that took me a little while to figure out inside my classroom when I first became a lead teacher.  Be PRO active rather than RE active Pla...

Have you ever considered that there is a possibility that your mindset is affecting the style in which you’re teaching? In order to incorporate a growth mindset into the classroom, YOU have to internalize that growth mindset. In this episode, I’m going to walk you through three ways in which you can incorporate a growth mindset into your classroom on a daily basis. When you incorporate a growth mi...

What kind of leadership style do you take on inside the classroom? You’ve probably heard me say this a million times but let me repeat once more… If you’re a teacher, you’re a leader. Agree or disagree? I’ll put a poll on my Instagram for you to vote on. You can hop on once you’re done listening to this episode! Today’s podcast episode is all about the 4 research based leadership styles that relat...

I know how hard it can be to transition from break back into the normal school routine. You may feel unprepared for how the first days back are going to go. You may feel chaotic and need to take a few breathers throughout your day. Or you may just be bracing yourself for whatever happens.  In this episode, we dive into three tips to help you transition back into the classroom to help make the tran...

Setting expectations is a critical piece in any professional space. It helps to create a working environment that is productive, motivating and collaborative. Have you ever worked with someone who didn’t meet your expectations? I know I have. It’s not easy and can be extraordinarily frustrating.  In today’s episode, I give you two ways in which you can successfully share your expectations with tho...