What do quilting, Harry Potter, and the AP Review have in common?  They all are classes students can take on Outschool.

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Remember when teaching was less about surface standards and more about in-depth knowledge? Or maybe teaching has always been about standards to you and you WISH you could teach more about certain topics. 

Today's episode is all about becoming a teacher-preneur on Outschool. Lisa chats with Wendy Wawrzyniak, a veteran teacher who has a side business of teaching classes on Outschool. Starting with one one-person class about Napoleon, Wendy now teaches an additional four hours each week in addition to teaching high school history virtually in the public school system. So listen in to find out more about how to get started teaching on Outschool [and the secrets of success]. Don't forget to grab the free Getting Started with Outschool Cheat Sheet in the Freebies Vault.

Listen in. 

In this episode, find out: 

• The proc
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Whatever you call it, alternative schooling is bigger than ever. From Pod Schools to Micro Schools to Umbrella Schools to Homeschools, the trend toward other educational opportunities is growing in popularity with both parents and teachers.

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Curious About Teaching In an Alternative Setting?

Meet Connie Gatlin. As a [profession] and the [business or other], [guest] knows …… Whether she is [list 1-3 things they do], [guest] [benefits they provide to students].  Today, Connie will share …… So listen here to find out more about teaching on your own terms, without all the red tape, and having all the control to teach the way you KNOW works. 

Listen in.

In this episode, you will learn:

• What Micro Schools or Pod Schools are.
• How they work.
• Are they realistic ways of teaching?
• How to get started.

You can connect with Connie and check out her school at: 

• Catalyst Academy Website
• Facebook
• Instagram
   

H.O.P.E. Education RE...

Teacher self-care time is important all year long, not just over breaks and holidays. 

It's always a great time to take a minute for self-care. I know. There's SO much to do! News Flash! There will ALWAYS be a lot to do. With the holiday season sneaking up on us, now is a great time to take a minute for yourself.  There's going to be lots to celebrate and just as much to plan, prep, and do. Today, let's talk about the best way to get ready for all that [and to be ready for anything all year long].

Listen in. 

You simply can't pour from an empty pot.

Take some time to take care of YOU. Not only will you be glad you did, but your students, family, and friends will also. Why? You'll be able to be 100% present for all those you care about because you'll be rejuvenated. Self-care fills us up so we have more to give. 

Here are some of my favorite self-care ideas. [The first one is a shocker 😂]

• take a mental health day [YES, get a sub when you're not actually sick as a dog]
• take a
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Do you stress over parent teacher conferences?

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There’s so much to prep and keep track of for parent teacher conferences in the midst of your regular teaching. And then there’s the minefield of helping families understand their child’s strengths and weaknesses honestly but with great compassion. It’s a lot, especially in the meager 15 - 20 minutes of time we have per family!

I don’t need to tell you a lot of confidence comes from being prepared. You KNOW that. But WHAT to prepare is the tough stuff. But before we can dive into preparing for the actual conferences, we need to know parents come to parent teacher conferences with a head full of their own worries, stresses, and things they want to know.

THE NOISE IN PARENTS' HEADS: WHAT DO PARENTS REALLY WANT TO KNOW?

Is my child doing well? How does my child compare to others? Do you like my child? Does my child have friends? Are they happy? How is my child's behavior? Am I doing a good jo...

Do you have a children’s book idea rolling in your head? Have you ever considered acting on publishing it?

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As teachers, I’m sure we all have books in each of us, but when we try and take that first step, we’re faced with the reality that we really aren’t sure where to start, or how that process works.

That’s why for this episode, I’ve invited Lauren Ranalli to come back and share with us the nitty-gritty details and realities of becoming a successful, self-published author. She dives right into the challenges she faced when she first started, and even shares details we never would have been able to prepare for without experience.

Lauren believes that no one should ever have to experience a difficult time trying to get their work out there, so she has graciously shared a few freebies to help kickstart your book-publishing journey!

If you’ve been feeling a book brewing in your mind, then take this episode as a sign; and make that dream c...

Do you hold Morning Meetings in your class or are you a morning meeting avoider?

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While many of us hold morning meetings, many teachers feel the time spent is better used in teaching content. I get it. All teachers are pushed for teaching time. You grab every second we can get to squeeze in a little more learning, right?!

Holding morning meetings can feel like one more thing to do, one more thing to plan for when you're already feeling maxed out. They don't have to be complicated. Actually, morning meetings should have the same format each day, a structure. Once you have that setup, it stays in place. ✅You will change up some of the specifics, but simply create a schedule for the month and then it's done. Just take 10 minutes each month and plan the schedule. ✅ Want some ideas? Grab the Morning Meeting Planning Guide. 

There are lots of reasons to hold morning meetings both social and academic. I use morning meetings for lots of purposes...

Is your email inbox full? Do you have emails in your inbox that are a month old or older? That's stressful!

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If you look the other way, cringe when you open your inbox, or just avoid your email inbox as much as you can because of how many emails are in there, you have email overload. The good news [and bad news] is, you're not alone!

Having a full email inbox is not only stressful, but it's also inefficient and disorganized. A full inbox is actually one of the most socially acceptable ways to be disorganized. We joke about it. We laugh about it and commiserate over it. And sadly, we accept it as a fact of life when that shouldn't be the case. I'm willing to be that the full inbox is causing you a lot of stress [more than you realize]. We're basically failing at keeping up with our email communication. 

Listen in. 

In this episode, find out: 

• Why your inbox is full.
• How to empty that inbox in an hour or less.
• How that full inbox
...

Trying to get your students to "catch" the writing bug? Has there been a story rolling in your head and you're not sure how to get it out? Did you go searching for a story, couldn't find it, and now you're thinking about writing it yourself? Then today's episode is for you!

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Today's guest is Lauren Ranalli.  Lauren is an award-winning children's book author and marketing coach for aspiring and self-published authors. Lauren lives in Ann Arbor, MI with her husband, 2 high-energy children, and a higher-energy puppy. Her fourth book is coming out later this year.

Join Lisa and Lauren as they discuss the ways authors find inspiration for their stories and the importance of showing up, even if your students are only dedicating a short time to writing each day. A regular writing habit can have a huge impact on student growth and on your writing growth as well. PLUS, you never know the impact putting your story into the world will have. 

Listen...

Whether you're just keeping your classroom library stocked with new finds or just looking for author interviews to supplement your teaching, children's book podcasts can help.

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Obviously, you're a podcast listener or you wouldn't be here. As you probably already know, finding great podcasts to listen to that are investing your precious time in can be really hard. With so many podcasts out there it seems like finding what we're looking for should be easy, but it's not! Searching for anything these days can be information overload. 

In today's short episode, I'm sharing my 5 favorite children's book podcasts. These podcasts range from stories read aloud to author and illustrator interviews to children's book industry news. 

Listen in. 

In this episode, I talk about these podcasts:

Julie’s Library Show

Julie Andrews and her daughter share their favorite children’s favorites.

Circle Round 

This podcast features classic tales made...

Do you foster or sabotage your students' independence? We all do things without knowing or intending to in the midst of our busy teacher days. 

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We're human. Mistakes are going to happen. And while we want our students to take on as much independence as they can, sometimes we hinder that very independence without knowing it.

Today's episode is all about...you guessed it, student independence!

I KNOW you want to be that teacher whose classroom runs like clockwork. You know the one...where students know just what to do and get on with it, for the most part, without discussion or argument. What teacher doesn't want that?! 

Well, there are 2 questions you have to ask yourself:

1. What are am I doing that might be hindering that?

and

2. How do I fix it so my students can be independent workers?

Listen in and find out. 

In this episode, find out: 

• The best policies around assignments, deadlines, and late work.
• What you should do a
...