Teachers Need Teachers

Classroom management is BY FAR every new teacher's biggest struggle. They may have had success when they were borrowing someone else's class during student teaching, but when faced with their own, it can be daunting. Despite the tips and tricks taught in pre-service preparation programs, most new teachers still feel woefully unprepared for dealing with student behaviors. In Part 1 of this 2-part s...

Many new and current teachers came to the profession as a second career. They take the plunge for many reasons and find themselves in a tough but completely fulfilling job. Some question whether or not it's a good idea or if they have anything to offer in education, and others are worried about the age gap between them and teachers coming straight from college. On today's episode, I discuss not on...

It's the back-to-school season as evidenced by all of the supplies laid out in Target! While this is a sad end to the summer, many new teachers are still interviewing for their first job or eagerly getting ready for their very first classroom. There's so much unknown in terms of what supplies you'll need, how to plan curriculum, learning about your school, etc. that it can be overwhelming, especia...

Every teacher understands the need for students to be engaged, but what if they constantly find themselves staring back at blank stares? How can a teacher deliver a lesson so that their students aren't falling asleep or spacing out? In addition to proper planning, lesson delivery is key to getting kids motivated to learn and do the hard work to improve. Here are actionable strategies that teachers...

All teachers know that student engagement is essential for successfully teaching a lesson. Why? Because students don't necessarily want to learn and participate in school, and as a result, miss out on mastering important skills. When students are engaged, they switch on their natural curiosity and are self-motivated to learn, explore, and solve problems. But it's up to teachers to create optimal l...

If you scroll through social media, you'll see a lot of teachers posting the amazing things they're doing in their classrooms. This includes lessons, bulletin boards, materials, organization...if a teacher does, you'll see it there! But what if you have bigger dreams for your classroom, but neither you nor your school has the money? Do you just give up on it or use your small paycheck to fund it?...

New teachers around the world are gearing up to find their first new job OR find a better one. Part of that job hunt is the dreadful but necessary part of writing a resume. But what if you don't have much experience to list on your resume? Should it be one page or more? What if you took a year off to travel? There's so much conflicting information on the Internet, so I brought professional resume...

Many newer teachers feel unprepared for integrating technology into their teaching. Their credentialing program or student teaching experience may have exposed them to some basic tech, but figuring out WHEN and WHY to use it is a different story. How can we meaningfully use tech in a way that isn't overwhelming to both us and the students? How do we know if it's actually improving outcomes? Jennif...

Love this show? Become an AWESOME SUPPORTER! Pretty much everybody has good intentions to implement healthy habits after January 1, but for teachers, the BEST time to do this is when school is out for the summer! We have more time to think about it, more time to plan, and more time to gently adopt a new lifestyle without the pressures of planning, teaching, and grading. But how do we do this so th...

Love this show? Become an AWESOME SUPPORTER! Finding time to exercise when you've got a 9-5 job can be tough. The thing is, teachers don't just work 9-5, they often take work home, which means that there's even less time to exercise. How can we fit this in when we're exhausted at the end of the day, don't really like to exercise in the first place, or are burnt out from trying? In this episode, Sh...

Love this show? Become an AWESOME SUPPORTER! Teachers often develop poor eating habits from the limited time to eat and the constant barrage of work. Think about how you work while eating, have barely any time to really enjoy your food, eating while supervising, etc. How can we possibly enjoy our food? And for those of us trying to lose weight, how can we do that if we're mindlessly stuffing our f...

It’s hard to get past someone who annoys you - whether it’s a child or adult. And we tend to place blame on circumstances beyond our control, such as parent involvement or accountability, lack of consequences from the administration, the apathy of the student. But what did WE do to mitigate those circumstances? How have WE tried to repair the relationship in order to get a different outcome? In th...

Click here to get your FREE preview lesson of the End-of-the-year Sanity Saver! How do you know if teaching is really for you? This question is on the minds of new teachers year round, but especially at the end of the year. Sometimes student teaching or that first year will be that crucial time when you start feeling like something isn’t right, or maybe it’s just a little further down like 6 or 7...

Click here to sign up for the End-of-the-year Sanity Saver! You may already be feeling burnout at this early point in your career. Luckily, there is no shortage of articles, podcasts, books, or Youtube videos on the topic. And the reason is obvious - teaching is hard, requires long hours with little pay, so burnout is inevitable. With all of the content on teacher burnout comes recommendations on...

Click here to sign up for the End-of-the-year Sanity Saver! Foreign language teachers have a wonderful and life-changing subject area, but it definitely comes with its challenges. Reluctant speakers, struggling readers, and a subject area that is relegated as "just an elective" can make it difficult to feel like one is making an impact. Elena Spathis offers strategies on how to overcome this and t...

Click here to sign up for the End-of-the-year Sanity Saver! Many new teachers are just trying to make it to the end of the year in one piece so that they can finally welcome summer break. But before we can hit happy hour and celebrate, we need to plan it out. Here are the four areas you need to start taking action on now so that you can have a stellar end of the school year. Love this show? Become...

During an interview, it's important to find a way to showcase our strengths. But how can we do it without necessarily bragging, and how can we do it in the context of the questions? Similarly, if you're asked about a negative experience in your teaching, how can you frame your answer to put you in a positive light? Ross Cooper gives fabulous tips on how to answer interview questions from the lens...

New teachers looking for that first teaching job are often worried about their lack of experience when doing their first round of interviews. How can they talk about their experiences when they've only finished student teaching? Should they be upfront or pad their experiences? Rick Mohrien explains how newer teachers can still be authentic while still making a good impression on the interview pane...

So you've sent in your resume, and finally got a call for an interview. AWESOME! You put on your most professional-looking outfit, walk in tall, shake hands firmly, and finally sit down for those questions. But what if you don't know the answer to a question? What should you say? Should you lie? What if you said, "I don't know?" Would you look like an idiot? Rob Fulk asks me some compelling interv...

Teachers often spend quite a bit of time polishing and perfecting their resumes, but is that what really gets them a job? What if a teacher has limited experience - do they still have a shot when they're up against more seasoned veterans? Resumes are only one small factor in the hiring process (but PLEASE spellcheck!), and personality and fit are the biggest ones. Scott Schwartz discusses which pe...

When teachers prepare to apply for jobs, they polish their resume, many create a portfolio of curriculum and experiences, and most scour the internet for interview questions (which you no longer have to do because of this series!). But do you research the schools for which you're interviewing? Do you know the ethos and culture of that school? In today's interview, Asia Cunnigham discusses why you...

While you're in an interview, a principal is trying to get a sense or whether or not you'd be a good fit for their school. They'll want to know if your personality and teaching style would complement the culture of the school. This involves your ability to handle conflict - with students, parents, and colleagues. Click HERE for a copy of all of the interview questions from this series! 20 years fr...

When we’re starting out with our teaching careers, we’re overwhelmed with all of the details that go into being a teacher that we often neglect to take care of ourselves. I’m sure you’ve seen so many posts, websites, programs, and even CONFERENCES dedicated to teacher self-care. But part of taking care of yourself is making sure that you and your family are safe and secure. It goes without saying...

Effective feedback is KEY to moving students forward, but how what does it actually mean to give good feedback? What does it look like? How can you tell if it's working? Simply correcting students won't lead to improved student outcomes, so here are five steps to up your feedback game. In Part 4 of this 4-part series on feedback, I discuss how to best give feedback so that your students act on it...

Teachers receive a LOT of feedback, and as a new teacher, how you deal with it will determine how successful you’ll be. But what is it about receiving constructive feedback that makes us shut down or ignore it? How do we take something that, from the giver, was well-intentioned, and transform it into an attack? The teachers that are the most receptive to feedback and TAKE ACTION are the ones that...