I am constantly telling my students not to procrastinate. Plan ahead, I tell them. Do your work early, I preach. But truth is, when I procrastinate, I tend to do my best work. Anyone else? For example, I tried to plan for the last eight weeks of school before Spring Break, but I just couldn't … Continue reading The Perks of Procrastinating
Beyond Teaching
Stop Shutting Down Ambitious Teachers
Have you ever noticed that our educational system expects ambition from our students but not from our teachers? We want students to have drive, to strive for more, to dream big, but when a teacher dreams big (especially if that dream might take them out of the classroom) he or she is questioned and scrutinized. Ambition … Continue reading Stop Shutting Down Ambitious Teachers
Take it Easy–Enjoy Yourself
Spring break is over. Today is the last day and I'm just not ready to go back. I could use at least another week (who's with me?!). Despite my sadness at the winding down of this lovely time off, I have to reflect on what I've learned this week. Let me start by explaining what … Continue reading Take it Easy–Enjoy Yourself
When Kids Say "Thanks"
Teacher Appreciation Week should be at the beginning of February. Hear me out on this: Yes, we've just had a break for a couple weeks, and if your school is like ours, you've probably had a few weather days as well. But there's something about this time of year, something sort of depressing. It's cold. … Continue reading When Kids Say "Thanks"
Now: One word for 2018
My one word this year is "now". Why one word? I don't know about you, but resolutions are too much for me. My list is too long and therefore unmanageable and unrealistic. One word allows me to use it as a reminder to guide me towards achieving what I want. If I make a list … Continue reading Now: One word for 2018
Friday Faves (Finally): Getting Organized
Happy Fall, y'all! (I just happened to make today's image in a fall theme before I even realized it's the first day of fall! It was meant to be!) This week I wrote a post about how I finally got organized this school year (took me long enough! Sheesh). So I thought I'd share some … Continue reading Friday Faves (Finally): Getting Organized
Friday Faves 8/11: Back to School Resource Round-up
I have now been back to school with students for three days. Needless to say, I'm exhausted. I'm ready for the weekend (and maybe a drink!), but unfortunately we are packing up our house this weekend, so there's a lot to do. I thought since so many teachers are headed back to school, I'd do … Continue reading Friday Faves 8/11: Back to School Resource Round-up
Friday Faves 8/4: Vocab & Grammar Resources
Well y'all, today is the day I go back to school! This morning all of the teachers, custodians, secretaries, etc. from every building in our district (that's like, 15 schools or something) gather in one of the local mega-churches for a morning of celebration. It's kind of cool to see everyone in one place, but … Continue reading Friday Faves 8/4: Vocab & Grammar Resources
Friday Faves: Effective List Making Systems
It's Friday! School starts for teachers in ONE WEEK!!! As I think about school starting, I am also thinking about my blog and how I will keep up with it during the year, so I'm going to change up how I do Friday Faves. Instead of simply choosing my five favorite reads of the week, … Continue reading Friday Faves: Effective List Making Systems
Louden Clear Blog 