We know that many New Year’s resolutions center around the idea of balance: How can I have a more balanced life? How can I balance my personal and professional lives? How can I balance my screen time? Yep, that last one is not just an issue for kids. Guilty as charged! The statistics about screen… Read More

In the world of technology, it can be easy to gravitate towards what is new and shiny. The latest and greatest gadgets, apps, and platforms captivate us with updated features and functionality, just-in-time content, and oh-so-clever design. It’s hard to ignore the buzzes, chirps, and flashes! The same can be said of edtech in the… Read More

Not every day is rainbows, unicorns, and cupcakes with sprinkles. Sometimes the only side of the bed you can wake up on is the wrong side.  And that’s okay. It’s all part of this big amazingly messy experience called life. While you can’t necessarily control your mood or all the thoughts that pop into your… Read More

You love your students. And many of them come to school with traumatic backgrounds and stories that hurt your heart and affect you down to your soul. You listen. You care. You do everything you can to help these children manage and survive. But the most important element in helping others is being able to… Read More

Many of us grew up loving Dr. Seuss books. To this day, you probably can recite at the very least a line or two of his rhymes by heart. Kids worship him, parents adore him, and teachers revere him. We teachers, in particular, have created Pinterest boards galore showcasing classroom projects, bulletin boards, and learning… Read More

Let’s admit it… misery likes company. In a more positive light, there is camaraderie and comfort found when we bond over common struggles (and successes). It speaks to the power of community and how we are not alone in our pursuits. Never has this been more true than in the field of teaching. Too often,… Read More

I remember when I first started teaching, and I would pick up the phone to call students’ homes. I not only could hear the trepidation in the parents’ voices, but I could feel them on the other end bracing for bad news: what their child had done wrong, how their child hadn’t met expectations, or… Read More

Despite representing a just-average score, the letter C in education has popped up recently as a reminder of the A-worthy skills we want our children to cultivate today in order to thrive in tomorrow’s world. P21, the Partnership for 21st Century Learning, championed the idea of “the 4 Cs” as part of their Framework for… Read More

When it comes to resilience, an interesting exercise is to take a look at the multitude of quizzes available online. From the popular BuzzFeed to more of a magazine format to pop-psychology evaluations, you can get a generalized sense of how resilient you are/aren’t compared to the masses (always keep in mind there can be… Read More

Lesson plans. Parent emails. Grading papers. Staff meetings. Team collaboration. IEP meetings. Parent conferences. Holiday concerts. Teaching is a 24/7 job. It can take over your life if you aren’t careful, so you have to find a way to make it work for you. Your social events are important. Your family time should be protected…. Read More

Yes, your passion for learning and inspiring others led you to a career in education. But what about your other passions? Remember those? Those things that make you tick, or give you butterflies, or make your eyes sort of twinkle? Maybe it’s been a while since you’ve even thought about those things. Maybe you’ve thought… Read More

One African proverb states “a wise man never knows all; only a fool knows everything.” Regardless of how worldly, educated, or well-traveled we are, we can never know everything. But by recognizing our own biases and accepting that we can learn from others, we establish the groundwork for growth and promote the cultivation of independent… Read More

All educators have tough cases. You know the ones — those kiddos who persistently color on classroom materials that are most definitely NOT meant for art displays. Or the middle schoolers who just can’t seem to internalize the phrase, “keep your hands to yourself.” These students are difficult for teachers and having to communicate the… Read More

Teachers get to have so many positive moments. They inspire, educate, engage, mentor, and lead. It’s these moments that make the less-than-glamorous aspects of teaching all worthwhile. But sometimes, situations will arise where it will be difficult to paste on a smile and forge ahead. Negative behaviors are simply a fact of life for teachers…. Read More