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...

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...

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?...

You can almost consider students as your “customers” in that they’re the ones that have to sit through your lesson, participate in your activities, and prove whether or not they learned anything. While you don’t have to entertain them, I’ve mentioned several times that having engaging and relevant content is crucial and that every activity,...

As teachers, we constantly give feedback to our students. We usually do it verbally or written, and the intent is to help students improve and grow. However, when it comes to receiving feedback, it’s a different monster.  How did we progress to a state where we feel we’re too good for feedback? How can we...

Every teacher has had that one student that refuses to do their work. No matter what you do, you just can’t get them to do anything. This problem only gets worse when you decide to write them off. The thing is, these students typically have a very logical reason for not working, and it’s up to...

Facing a room of blank stares and unwilling participants is a teacher’s nightmare. For some teachers, it happens every year, while for others it might be just one year or one period of students. Either way, it can be really deflating as a teacher when you’re trying to do everything to connect with your students. Here’s how...

It’s an understatement to say that there just isn’t enough time in the day for teachers to get everything done. There are emails to answer, assignments to grade, lessons to plan, and so much more. Naturally, many teachers use their breaks or lunchtime to get work done or check social media, but often to the...

New teachers are repeatedly told to seek out help from their colleagues, but what if it’s really uncomfortable for them? What if they suffer from social anxiety and have a hard time talking to anyone at their school? How can they get the support they need if they’d prefer to hide in their classroom? If...

We often find ourselves slaving over creating lessons, only to feel deflated when it seems like our students didn’t understand the lesson at all. What’s going on? Is it the lesson? Is it us? Is it the students? How can you tell? Here are three aspects of your teaching to evaluate when trying to figure...

Here are some questions I frequently see in teacher Facebook groups and on Twitter: I feel bad for using Teachers Pay Teachers. Is this a disservice to my students? How do others deal with unannounced observations? What are your go-to sub plans? Love this show?   Don’t forget to leave a voicemail! Let your voice...

When teachers are just starting out, they often feel like they can’t do anything right. Many well-laid plans go awry, they struggle with classroom management, and there’s always more to do than there are hours in the day. To make things worse, they feel so inadequate and are convinced that they’re the only ones with...

New teachers often feel stressed out and depressed their first few years. Aside from struggling with so many aspects of the job and worrying about job security and pay, they often feel like they’re doing a horrible job. Teaching is definitely tough and it can be difficult to know how to improve, but the best...

Second semester or the time after Winter Break is a great time to make adjustments in your teaching. You know your students and have some systems in place, so why not pick something small but significant to change and improve? These small changes add up over time and will lead to longer lasting results. So...

You’ve finally made it to the point where you’re ready to student teach! You’re filled with excitement, anticipation, and ANXIETY about how to prepare. Yes, your teacher preparation program has prepared you for this moment, but you still can’t help but feel like you don’t know what to do the weeks leading up to it....

There’s never a shortage of teachers who feel overwhelmed and stressed by all of the demands of teaching. It honestly feels like there’s no time to get everything done AND have time for family, friends, and self-care. That’s about to change. Angela Watson shares her candid insight on how new teachers can finally learn how...

It’s not unusual for a teacher to suffer from a case of the “shoulds” – a ubiquitous and harmful affliction that affects ALL teachers (ok…everyone). When images of Pinterest-perfect classrooms and abundant sharing on social media are paired with less-than-ideal student work or a miserable teaching environment, teachers start thinking about the things they should be doing....