I'm feeling like it's time for a little gratitude pep talk. I could really use one. Seriously.

This time of year is so crazy. It's easy to get overwhelmed and even down on ourselves. I say we skip that part this year. 

Do this instead...

Take 5 minutes and write down 10 things you love about teaching, your classroom, your students, yourself and your co-workers. That's 2 things for each category or any combination you like. Got more than 10? Go for it! 

Now post your list where you will read it every morning when you get into your classroom. While this won't change the end-of-year craziness, I'm willing to bet it will change how you deal with the craziness. 

Give it a go!

Teach joyfully,

Lisa

One of the hardest things to get done within the bounds of a busy school week is lesson planning. We all know it is so essential to have well-planned lessons. But, making time for all of this can sometimes seem overwhelming. 

Do you wind up planning late on Friday or over your weekends? Been there. There is a better way!

So how do you plan for weekly lesson planning?

• Decide. What kind of planner are you? All at once or manageable chunks?

• Schedule it. Block out time on your calendar for planning time.

• Break your planning up by subject.

• Plan one subject each day or plan the whole week in one sitting.

• Schedule time on Friday to gather supplies for the next week.

• Guard your time. Shut your door and post a sign- Do not Disturb... planning in progress.

Are you a marathoner or a sprinter?

Think. How do I get the most done? What will I stick with? Do I get in a zone and just go get it done? Or am I a do a bit each day and on a regular basis person?  Find...

It all stared with... a baby.

Let me explain. Before having my own kids, staying organized and getting things done at school was easy because I had all the time in the world. I had no idea I wasn't a naturally organized person. Once I had my first child, it was a whole new ballgame! My time was no longer my own and my disorganized tendencies took over!

Suddenly, my classroom was a mess, and my home wasn't much better. I would take papers home to grade and carry them back to school ungraded. Then, I'd feel guilty for not getting it all done. But, I was falling asleep just looking at the papers each night. Talk about a hot mess!

I had to get organized and maximize my time at school so I could just be a mom at home.

Sound familiar?

I finally got fed up. It took 10 days, including an entire weekend, but I got things under control at school. Then, I sat down and created systems for everything. Seriously. I was on a mission. 

The result? A classroom that stayed...

One of my commitments to myself each year is to read both professionally and for pleasure on a regular basis. Don't get me wrong, I love to read. I just don't always have a lot of bandwidth left by the time I sit down with a book in the evening. [Translation: I'm falling asleep more than I'm reading.] That being the case, I have had to be creative to fit my reading time in. I keep a book with me most of the time. Whenever I have a few minutes of waiting time, I read. Some days I'm inching my way through my book and other days, I'm flying. [It beats falling asleep and rereading the same page over and over.]  

One book I recently finished was Feedback That Moves Writers Forward by Patty McGee.

Oh my goodness! This is a must read for anyone who aspires to help children become amazing, thoughtful writers. This is one of those resources that does it all. It is informative, helpful and passionate. It is a must read for any teacher who teaches writing K-12. 

...

This week I have been so exhausted [already], and I couldn't figure out why. I went to bed last night wondering what I was doing wrong. Then, it dawned on me. I was trying to do way too many things and accomplishing very little. Do you ever do that or is it just me?

The Fractured Focus Trap [aka. multi-tasking]

When I get overwhelmed with how much I have to get done, it's usually because I have lost my focused approach. If we are honest with ourselves, multi-tasking is a myth. I once heard it called switch tasking, an appropriate name. That what I was doing the last few days, switch tasking. I hadn't taken the time to lay out all of my "to dos" and make conscious decisions about each task or project. Instead I was trying to do a bit of everything. What was I thinking?!

Getting Focused

There are lots of ways we can get focused. Here's mine. I set a timer for 5 minutes and list everything I need to do, no matter how small it is. Then, I highlight the items that are...

I have to admit. I'm stressed. As I hear of yet another school shooting this week, I am also heartbroken. As a teacher who was just a few miles away when Columbine happened, it hits me hard every time another school shooting happens. It's hard to see how to end these tragedies. 

Reform Alone is Not Enough

Yes, we need to have some reform around gun laws. I do believe there are people that shouldn't have guns simply because they are not emotionally stable. We need better background checks. And yes, I believe that assault rifles should not be available. However, that alone will not solve our troubles. Let's face it. We are in a fight for the hearts, minds and souls of our kids in America. It's good vs. evil and good must win. Every child matters. Every life matters.

Fencing Kids In

After the Parkland shooting, changes started being made at my son's high school. The gates have gone up a bit higher. The security has tightened. We are fencing our kids in tighter...

Problem solving is the great math nemesis for many students.

As teachers, we know problem solving to be where the rubber hits the road. Knowing how to problem solve and work word problems is where true understanding and application of math skills resides. It's the goal of all we teach in math. 

Often instruction in attacking word problems become a list of "key words". But, key words can and will be used against your students as real math is much more complicated than that. I believe that key words are a crutch we offer students when they struggle, a quick fix. They are nice to know but not the road to true understanding and confident problem solving. 

Here's an alternative. Teach students to be detectives and decipher each problem with code cracking skills. If students look at each word problem as a coded message that needs to cracked open, they are in a position of inquiry instead of answer finding. That is the right mindset for learning from and attacking...

“Perfectionism doesn't believe in practice shots. It doesn't believe in improvement. Perfectionism has never heard that anything worth doing is worth doing badly - and that if we allow ourselves to do something badly we might in time become quite good at it. Perfectionism measures our beginner's work against the finished work of masters. Perfectionism thrives on comparison and competition. It doesn't know how to say, "Good try," or "Job well done." The critic does not believe in creative glee - or any glee at all, for that matter. No, perfectionism is a serious matter.”

- Julia Cameron -

Teacher Perfectionism

As teachers, we work hard to make our bulletin boards and classroom displays beautiful. However, beauty is subjective. Do you only put up perfect or near perfect papers? What about those children that are improving greatly but, perhaps, don't meet the "perfect" mark? Making displays a celebration of progress, not perfection, reinforces the goal of progress to...

Hello My Teacher Friends,

Do you feel like you work all the time?!

When I first started teaching, I worked at a school where staying late was not an option. It simply wasn't safe. So, I used to lug home a bag or grading and planning every night. Most of the time I got to all of it and then rolled not bed. I wasn't married, had no kids and so my time was my own. Fast forward a few years.. add in a husband and a couple of kids and rarely did I complete all that I dragged home. Sound familiar?

Taking care of you...

Here's the gig. Teaching is exhausting- emotionally and physically. We have to take care of ourselves too. I see teacher parents grading at their kids baseball games, posting about how late they stayed up to finish everything, etc. Our families and our health are much too important for us to continue in that vein. 

Try this instead...

1. Get your calendar and schedule regular grading time.

2. Add in extra grading time to your schedule as soon as you assign a project.

3. ...

Do you have a few students that are on your last nerve? Are you feeling like nothing you do is working to keep your class on task? 

You are not alone. We’ve all been there at one time or another. 

Here's the gig. It's NEVER too late to start fresh. 

When I first started teaching I had the great grace of team teaching with a master teacher. What a blessing! I was the blind leading the blind after all. Fresh from college, no kids of my own and only my year of student teaching under my belt. HELP! The best advice Jan gave me? Velvet over steel. 

Velvet over Steel

Have a backbone of steel and a velvet touch. Know your boundaries and don't compromise while always treating your students with dignity.

Here's what you need to do.

Answer these questions as fully as you can.

1. What are your non-negotiables? What are you not willing to compromise on EVER?

2. What behaviors or interruptions drive you crazy?

3. How do you want students to treat each other?

4. How do you...