This Teacher Life

Sometimes weird things turn into really awesome things in education! Curious as to what I’m talking about? Stick around because… In this episode I am sharing my absolute favorite ways to connect with kids. These simple ideas will bring relationships with students to a whole new level! And they cost nothing and require zero prep! Don’t miss this idea that will help you crush it in...

Are you or your students feeling a little frustrated right now? What if you could replace that frustration with fun? Are you or your students feeling a little stressed right now? What if you could replace that stress with silly? When we celebrate students and schools that has the power to change everything. In this episode I am sharing my absolute favorite way to celebrate students right now and i...

Do you find planning awesome lessons for students to be a time vampire? We know that quality activities make a huge impact, but the time and effort it requires is overwhelming. That is especially true for our advisory, morning meeting, and SEL. Often times schools don’t give us any resources for this important time OR they give us curriculum that feels cheesy, unauthentic, and kids hate it....

Do you feel like you are struggling as a teacher right now? Do you feel like your students are coming apart and your classroom morale is low? Do you feel like your school life is starting to make a negative impact on your personal life? If you said YES to any (or all) of those statements, you are not alone! In this episode you will get a motivation boost and also walk away with 2 simple ideas to g...

How does your school currently handle grades? Do you have a traditional system? Does your school give zeros? What about late work, how is that handled? Do you agree with the policies and practices that are in places when it comes to student success academically? The grading system in schools is a controversial topic that does have solutions. The big question is, do you know what that solutions is...

What if I told you that students could be level 10 awesome on a consistent basis in your classroom? What would it look like, sound like, and feel like for students to monitor their own behavior and actually problem solve to decrease our teacher stress. In this episode I will explain the details behind how dice can change the dynamic of your students in such a positive way. This class competition i...

The idea I’m sharing in this episode is ranked in my top 5 favorite classroom management ideas of all time. When I use this strategy kids clap, they turn in their assignment with their name on it, AND it’s completed. And this idea makes teachers feel like super heroes! It cost zero dollars to implement and all you need is a timer. I promise after you start implementing this idea your t...

Are you looking for ideas that will boost classroom engagement, help with relationship building, are perfect for SEL, AND kids are going to motivated to participate? Well this one game will help with ALL of that! Seriously. Finding high-quality, low-prep teacher ideas can be hard. But this game is perfect for all grade levels and is so easy to implement! I promise your students will be begging to...

Want 2023 to be awesome? Tired of creating resolutions that don’t last past January? Feeling like your new year’s goals never get off the ground? If you are truly ready for this year to be different then this episode is for you. We will dive into 2 small habits that will set you up for total success so you can have an incredible day in the classroom. These 2 habits will make you a better teacher b...

Are you struggling as a teacher both personally and professionally right now? Are you feeling like this year has actually gone better then you predicted it would? Are you feeling like you just need some motivation and reminders on how to improve your teacher life? If you said yes to any (or all) of those statements,  this episode is for you! I’m sharing 13.1 simple things that I’m conf...

Are you struggling as a teacher both personally and professionally right now? Are you feeling like this year has actually gone better then you predicted it would? Are you feeling like you just need some motivation and reminders on how to improve your teacher life? If you said yes to any (or all) of those statements,  this episode is for you! I’m sharing 13.1 simple things that I’m conf...

I did an activity with my students where 100% of students were participating, smiling, and excited to learn. Sound too good to be true? It’s not! And guess what, I planned this lesson in less than 1 minute! The idea that I’m sharing in this episode is PERFECT for advisory, morning meeting, SEL time, or just a great relationship building lesson. It will no doubt be one of your favorite...

Some of my very best ideas this year did NOT come from social media or teacher books. Some of my very best ideas this year did NOT come from educators or even from schools. Some of the biggest impact came from 3 places that have nothing to do with being in the classroom. Want to bring your teacher game to new levels? Check out this episode! Episode Notes:  Looking for some awesome, positive teache...

How many e-mails do you send a day? How many e-mails did you get per day? What if I told you that I have 1 simple hack that will totally improve your inbox? Not only that, this really simple idea will also improve the relationships in your school! I promise that you are missing out on a significant e-mail trick and since I’ve started using this, student grades have gone up and student proble...

What if I told you there is one game that you could play with students that could change everything! This game would increase communication, decrease poor student attitude, increase teamwork, and decrease problematic behavior. And this same game would bring relationships in your classroom to new levels. Did I mention this game is free to create and implement? I can’t wait for you to dive int...

Wanting to build better relationships in your school with both staff and students? Sometimes it’s those simple ideas that end up being the most significant! How can you boost the climate and culture of your school? Maybe all you need is a little caffeine! In this episode I dive into 2 really awesome ideas on how to make teachers happy while also building super strong connections. This 20 min...

There are lot of things that educators are thinking and feeling right now, but they aren’t all getting talked about. We know education had changed. But… is there way more to that? We know that there is a lot of new leadership and teachers. But… how is that impacting us? We know that we are struggling at time. But… is there something essential to remember. In this episode of...

Grading can be a time and energy vampire for teachers. But what if I told you I could make your grading of student work SO much easier. And to make it easier you were going to actually stop doing things rather than start doing more. Sound too good to be true? It’s not! Check out these 4 things that I promise to do with student work that has not only created better indicators of learning, but...

Is there a behavior or classroom expectation that is driving you a little crazy right now? Would you like to increase student motivation and decrease problems with students? Do you want to add a little bit of fun while also creating organized, effective, and engaged kids? If you said YES to any (or all) of those things then you are in the right place! And all you need for this idea is a dice. Seri...

Have you ever given your students a reward and they didn’t care about it at all? Have you ever given your students a consequence and they could have cared less? We know that students all learn differently, but students also respond to positive and negative situations differently too. If we want to know what truly motivates our kids we have to be able to answer the question, how are they wire...

Do your students know how to give a sincere sorry? Do they scream the sorry? Do they say sorry then storm away? Do they speak the sorry in the softest tone ever? If you said YES to any of those, you need the Sorry Script! What’s the sorry script? It is a perfect platform to give a meaningful sorry. And this strategy isn’t just for students, this is for spouses, significant others, and...

“Why do you continue to be a teacher?” “You know you can make more money in a different profession, right?” “If I was a teacher I would totally leave!” Have friends or family said something like this to you? How do you respond? What are you supposed to say in these moments. What is your why? What is REALLY keeping you in the classroom? During this monthly motiva...

Projects and meaningful activities can often be time consuming and complicated. But what if I told you I have one mini project that would change your classroom dynamics forever? This project is zero prep, creates tons of communication, tons of smile, and tons of reflection. Join me in this episode where I dive into all the details. I promise at the end of this episode you will be adding this mini...

What does your morning routine look like as a teacher? Is it chaotic? It is predictable? Is it stressful? Does it truly prepare for an awesome day in your school with students? In today’s episode you will learn how to maximize your morning by remixing your routine a little You will hear exactly what I do in my car Monday-Friday to help make the most of every single second. Routine drive resu...

Being gone from school can be SO stressful! Sometimes we think, “Oh my gosh, it’s just easier to not leave then it is to write sub plans!” But what if I told you there are 2 simple things you can add/change to your plans that make it SO much easier. Your students will be engaged while you are gone AND their behaviors will be awesome! Sound too good to be true? It’s not! Che...