Literacy

Professional Development

Read a Thon: An Easy School Fundraising Idea

School supplies add up quickly. Field trips are an extra expense for families that not all families can’t afford. Extra treats for teachers to help lift their spirits can be expensive. Pencils, paper, leveled readers, glue sticks, and this year hand sanitizer and all the cleaning things simply add up to a high price quickly. […]

How to Build a Distance Learning Schedule That Works For You

Distance learning, learning at home, crisis homeschooling – no matter what you call it, most of us are doing it. And it’s hard. I’m in the same boat with all of you! Working from home and setting up a homeschool schedule to help my own children was a challenge. I finally found a schedule that […]

4 Tips for Setting Up Homeschool for Your Family

Have you suddenly found yourself homeschooling? Are you thinking to yourself, “I most definitely did NOT sign up for this!”? Or maybe you feel like you are drowning as you are trying to help your kids with school and still do your job with all the people at home now. I know that we definitely […]

How to Organize a Classroom Library for Little Readers

Amazon affiliate links are used below at no cost to you.  You are sitting on your classroom floor surrounded by stacks and stacks of books. You have so much to do to prepare for the kids and organizing a classroom library does not feel like it puts you on a path to leave school at […]

Using AirTable as a Teacher

Keep track of all professional development, lesson plans, lists, RTI data and much more with this FREE online platform! You can easily share it with colleagues and administrators at school to share data. AirTable will give you great teacher organization ideas, including an online to do list!

I recently came across a newer website (and app) called AirTable. Using AirTable in the classroom could be a game changer in a few areas. Because it’s a cloud-based system, you can access your bases (spreadsheets or files) from anywhere.  AirTable lets you customize just about everything in it, which makes it great to use […]

Using AirTable for Online Lesson Plan Writing

Planning lessons and collaborating with a team just got easier with AirTable! Use this to tech site and easily share lessons online with teachers!

I don’t know about you, but I was always looking for easy, more efficient ways to write lesson plans and keep up with them. One neat way to do just that is with online lesson plans that also make sharing easy! AirTable is an online space to create and share content that’s a crossover between […]

Every Teacher’s Christmas Wish List

Are you ready to make your wish list for the holiday season? Here are some of my favorites both in and out of the classroom as a teacher! These 12 things make fabulous teacher gifts!

‘Tis the season of gift giving! Whether you are a teacher or have one in your life, sometimes knowing what to ask for or what to give can be tricky. We know teachers need things for the classroom, but what can we request or give that is needed? What about just plain fun ideas that […]

Apple Watch for Teachers

Are you a busy classroom teacher? Using an apple watch in your classroom is an easy way to help keep you on track all day with your school activities. Every teacher needs an apple watch!

As a teacher, we often use technology in our classrooms to support our students learning and to enhance it.  We want to give them the best, the latest, and the greatest!  We go to trainings on the latest tech tools for our students, but not always for us. Often times we aren’t given tools for […]

20 Tips for Tackling Your First Year of Teaching

Do you feel like you are barely surviving your first year of teaching? I know the feeling! Here are 20 tried and true tips for surviving your first year of teaching!

I remember it like it was yesterday.  My first year of teaching was a doozy. If you hang around here often, you probably are familiar with my first year of teaching story. I met a principal who I just fell in love with at our school’s career fair. I knew I wanted to work for […]

How to Prepare Parents for Kindergarten

As teachers, we wants parents to prepare their kids for kindergarten, but as teachers, we can help prepare the parents for the year with these 5 simple tips.

The beginning of the school year is just around the corner, and although parents everywhere are ready to send their children back to school there is a group of parents each year struggling to find their place. Kindergarten families everywhere are swimming in the newness and uncertainty of the school year ahead of them. The […]

4 Teacher Hacks for EXPO Markers

Save your EXPO markers and make your teacher life easier with these 4 EXPO marker hacks!

We use them every single day in our classrooms-EXPO markers.  Our students use them, they bring in fresh new packs at the beginning of the year, and we cross our fingers that they last all year. My goal was always to make them last, make them easy to use in the classroom, and for them […]

6 Ways to Use Expo Markers in the Classroom

Dry erase markers are a must for each classroom! These 6 ideas are creative, easy to do, and engaging for students!

When it comes to classroom supplies, there are many that we use each and every day. Every teacher has their favorites, but I think there is one supply that we ALL use, not matter what grade level we teach or what subject we teach–EXPO dry erase markers are an absolute MUST HAVE! Most of the […]

6 Kindergarten Teacher Tips

Being a new kindergarten teacher can be overwhelming, but I quickly fell in love. Here are 6 simple tips for kindergarten teachers to remember as they make the transition.

It happens to many of us in teaching.  We get that email or call to our principals office and they want us to switch grade levels. Sometimes we smile and are thrilled about the change. Other times we go kicking and screaming, it seems. That was me my first year of teaching. It was October […]

4 Tips for Managing RTI

RTI–those 3 letters that just make you want to pull your hair out sometimes. As elementary teachers, we already prep for so many content areas. Sometimes adding RTI to the plate is just too much. At least this is how I felt at times. Managing RTI was just going to send me to the looney […]

Chalkboard, Burlap, and Bright Classroom Decor

Chalkboard, burlap, and bright classroom decor that is simple and affordable! I love how inviting this learning environment is, too!

This year I had to JOY of helping my friend set up her 1st grade classroom at my old school.  All of the fun that comes with organizing things, thinking about routines in the classroom, thinking about what will be most exciting for students, and what will make for the best set up for everyone […]

4 Must-Have Apps for Elementary Teachers

There are tons of great apps for students to use, but what about apps for teachers to use as they are teaching? This short group of 4 apps are definitely must-haves for any elementary teacher!

Technology is simply a way of life in the classroom these days. When I first started teaching, I felt so lucky to have an interactive whiteboard in my classroom, especially a mounted one. Now, only a short 8 years later, apps for elementary teachers are a must-have. Along with interactive whiteboards are tablets these days.  With tablets […]

The Secret to Motivating Students to Help Clean

The Secret to Motivating Students to Help Clean the Classroom-Genius!!

Do you ever get to the end of the day and think to yourself, “How in the world did my classroom floor get to be so messy?” or “Where in the world did my clean classroom go?” I did all the time.  I found myself crawling on the floor at the end of the day […]

Classroom Tour and FREEBIES

Teal and white classroom freebies that will help you get organized and be set for the year!

I know what you are thinking, “What is this teal and white classroom? I thought you were staying home with your son and waiting on your adopted baby girl to come home!” You’re right.  I am still at home, BUT my new sister in law and brother both are starting their first year in a […]

Which type of professional development interests you?