Today is inspiration day!

Sometimes you need a bit of inspiration and Pinterest works, but I actually love Instagram just as much. Here are a few creative souls on Instagram. While there are tons of other great teachers on Instagram, these are a few you might not have encountered. 

@keslerscience

Chris does such a great job of showing what he is doing in science.

@nittygrittyscience

If you are looking for some great ideas for making science come alive, this is the place to be.

@hellojenjones

Jen's creativity, energy and ideas are fabulous! I especially love how she shares the inspiration she gets from others too!

@applesandabcs

So many great ideas for dealing with the "details". 

@thechattylibrarian

Susan has such a love of books and reading. I'm loving her book suggestions. If you message her, she'll give you a list of ideas for whatever you are teaching!

@deepspacesparkle

Her art ideas and lessons are worth checking out! She makes everything so easy, even for not so arts...

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

Do you ever think of leaving teaching? 

When we have one of THOSE DAYS (or weeks), it's easy slide into negative thinking. Let's face it, we all have thought about leaving teaching at one time or another. Teaching is HARD. No one tells you how hard it is. Not really. They can try, but when we are just starting out we are going to change the world. We have no ears for the warnings. But...

Teaching is hard, so we have to have a bigger reason to keep doing it.

Don't get me wrong, There is a lot of joy and intrinsic reward in teaching. But when we are having a tough day, week or even year, it's easy to forget our WHY. Why do we teach? Why did we choose this profession in the first place? Why do we keep on choosing it every day? 

When we lose our why, we lose our way. Are you lost?

Mother Theresa said, " Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin."

So if you have only today as a teacher, what will you do with it? Here's the deal. We get so overwhelm...