2022-08-04 14:11
Teachers are going back to school (or soon will be), hoping and praying for a better year after three years of COVID impacting schools and teaching. Besides setting up the classroom and att… Read More
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Still Teaching Still Learning Blog
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Lifestyle & self-care blog for teachers
2022-07-27 16:00
If you’re a teacher, I don’t have to tell you how busy and overwhelming the back-to-school season gets. It ranks right up there with the hectic holiday season. Let’s focus… Read More
2022-07-22 13:00
On my Instagram Stories, I asked teachers what they love best about summer. I got lots of replies and it made me wonder – how can we keep the summer vibe going as we begin another sch… Read More
2022-07-20 14:19
As a teacher, you know all about planning for school. But what about planning for your life outside of school? If you find yourself struggling to stay organized or get to all the things tha… Read More
2022-07-12 22:35
As many teachers are starting to think about next year and what they might need for their classrooms, along comes Amazon with their epic Prime Days!
This year, Prime Days begin at midnight… Read More
2022-06-01 12:00
It’s the end of another school year and your to-do list is probably a mile long. Besides all the final grades, finalizing student records, and end-of-year activities and celebrations… Read More
2022-05-16 12:00
We all know we need exercise. We can name all the benefits of it and some of us might actually enjoy doing it. But finding the time (and energy) to get to the gym, especially after a long d… Read More
2022-04-25 10:00
Keeping students engaged during content area reading or a literature study is a challenge. Everyone is at different reading levels, yet we all need to understand the content.
How do we get… Read More
2022-03-30 12:00
How do we get every student to stay engaged and participate in group work? How can we be sure that everyone even understands what we’re teaching?
The answer: checking for understand… Read More
2022-03-11 11:00
When you hear the term “self-care,” it’s easy to think that it means spa days or long bubble baths. While both of those activities are awesome for self-care, there are LOTS… Read More
2022-02-23 01:18
Any time is a good time to reset classroom your classroom environment. If you are bothered by anything in your classroom (student engagement – or lack thereof, messy areas, unkind com… Read More
2022-02-09 13:00
So much to do, so little time.
If you’re a teacher and you are constantly frustrated by this fact of teacher life, keep reading. I have 10 tips to help you be more productive at schoo… Read More
2022-01-25 13:00
Self-care doesn’t have to mean taking long bubble baths, getting massages, or going to a spa for the day. (Although all of those sound great, don’t they?)
It simply means doing… Read More
2022-01-18 13:00
Being a good teacher is hard at any time. Being a good teacher during a pandemic is nearly impossible. The tasks seem to multiply, but the time to do them seems to diminish by the day.
I wi… Read More
2022-01-14 13:00
Amidst New Year’s resolutions and COVID still lurking around every corner, everything can feel overwhelming right now.
How about implementing just a few tiny habits that will lead to… Read More
2022-01-02 13:00
As I write this, my winter break is coming to an end. It’s normal to have some dread or anxiety about going back to school and getting back into the school routine, but I’ve fou… Read More
2021-12-28 22:15
Winter break offers a well-deserved time to enjoy the holidays, relax, and spend time with people you love. Unless it really makes you happy, try to take a break from all school-related act… Read More
2021-12-20 23:32
I don’t have to tell you that this is a busy time of year. If your “to-do” list is anything like mine, it feels like more stuff gets added to it every day and not enough t… Read More
2021-12-15 01:51
As I write this, it’s the holiday season and I have way too much to do. But I have learned a few tricks from friends through the years that really help me to stay productive and healt… Read More
2021-12-06 14:00
Self-care has become the big buzzword in education. Everyone knows it’s important, but self-care practices aren’t necessarily the first thing you think of when you’re stre… Read More
2021-11-28 14:00
With the Thanksgiving break behind us and three weeks to go before winter break, it’s a great time to re-establish some good routines and procedures in your classroom. Helping your st… Read More
2021-11-24 00:34
I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase by now – we need to “Maslow before Bloom.” What does it mean and how do we do that?
The phrase itself refers to Abraham Maslow… Read More
2021-11-12 00:38
As an instructional coach, I have had the privilege of working with some amazing teachers. Besides being excellent in the classroom, many of them have also picked up some good time manageme… Read More
2021-10-27 00:29
Some school years (and some times of the school year) are more stressful than others.
When the stress gets overwhelming, try to get back to basics and simplify as much as you can.
Here are… Read More
2021-09-25 20:59
Teachers are under more stress than ever right now.
Teaching is a difficult enough job — planning, endless meetings, paperwork, email, reaching out to or responding to parents, not to… Read More
2021-08-27 00:32
If you know, you know.
Back to school is one of the most exciting times of the year, but also one of the most exhausting.
I am all about making teaching sustainable so that you can be the… Read More
2021-08-15 12:00
Are you ready for the busy back-to-school season? I’ve got some great resources for you today!
This is a collection of posts that will help you get your school year started with minim… Read More
2021-08-09 14:53
Setting boundaries is an important part of self-care for all of us. I recently wrote a post about setting boundaries in your personal life, but how do you set boundaries for yourself when y… Read More
2021-07-25 12:29
At this time of year when going back to school is on the horizon, many teachers are thinking about all the things they need to do to prepare.
But maybe it’s a good idea to spend some… Read More
2021-07-20 14:00
With going back to school on the horizon, it’s time to get organized and think about creating to-do lists that work for you!
Having spent 30 years in education, I have tried about a b… Read More
2021-07-14 13:38
I’ve been obsessing a lot about boundaries recently.
(Do you ever have something on your mind – like boundaries – and then suddenly you start noticing things about that to… Read More
2021-06-25 12:00
Recently a post called “Depression Tips” has been making the rounds on Facebook. It has a lot of good tips in it, but I prefer to call it “how to get out of a funk.”… Read More
2021-06-21 12:00
We need summer rejuvenation more than ever this year.
This school year – rather, the past 15 months – have been surreal. We went from teaching in our classrooms in March of 2020… Read More
2021-06-16 20:00
Time to get excited! The 2021 Amazon Prime Days are coming up on June 21 – 22. Here are some of my favorite things to buy on Prime Days. I’ll keep updating this post, so check ba… Read More
2021-06-04 12:00
If you’re a teacher, you’re a planner. But when it comes to summer, most of us are ready to put the planners away and enjoy some well-deserved time away from school. Some of us… Read More
2021-05-24 12:00
As we head down the home stretch of this COVID year, I want to do as many meaningful and fun activities with my students as possible. But – I’m tired. So I am compiling some pas… Read More
2021-05-18 10:00
Teachers hit the ground running every morning. It’s super important to have some kind of morning routine so that you take care of yourself before you get to school and take care of ev… Read More
2021-05-12 10:00
If you’re a teacher, May is the official home stretch month. And while the end of the school year might seem weeks away, May is one of the busiest months of the year and it tends to g… Read More
2021-04-25 15:42
April is one of my very favorite months. The weather is neither too cold nor too hot, there are signs of spring everywhere, and it’s a perfect month for getting outside. If you’… Read More
2021-04-18 15:18
If you’re finding that your students are getting a little lethargic during independent reading, it’s time to change up the routine!
Here are 10 ways to help you do that.
1 &ndas&helli…Read More
2021-04-03 12:00
If you’re required to keep your students “socially distanced,” you know that recess presents particular challenges! Our usual team games are not options so I have been thi… Read More
2021-04-01 14:00
Classroom community is my thing. I consider it to be one of the most important goals I work on all year. This whole virtual learning and hybrid learning thing has tested my ability to conti… Read More
2021-03-25 12:00
Teacher self-care in any regular year is essential to keep teachers from burning out. But during a pandemic? While teaching remotely or teaching in some kind of blended or hybrid model? Eve… Read More
2021-03-19 12:00
My school district has gone from planning for hybrid learning four days a week (with students in cohorts) to jumping right into in-person learning five days a week (with an option for famil… Read More
2021-03-07 13:00
It’s official: my school district will be opening soon in a hybrid learning model. For my school, that will mean that we teach the cohort of students who are back for in-person learn… Read More
2021-02-23 00:49
February is Black History Month. But I believe that Black history is American history and thus should be taught all year long, just as we teach other topics of history. But, until that happe… Read More
2021-02-15 13:00
If I had the magic secret to motivating students 100% of the time, I’d be a billionaire. We all know that nothing works ALL the time. But when everyone is tired of the routine, motiva… Read More
2021-01-31 22:44
Now that the holidays are behind us and spring is a long way off, it’s easy to start feeling a little down. This year — as the pandemic rages on — it’s especially im… Read More
2021-01-23 13:00
Social-emotional learning, or SEL, is finally getting the recognition it deserves. With all the emphasis now on trauma-informed practices, restorative practices, and student wellness, teach… Read More
2021-01-01 15:53
Here we are – the long-awaited end of 2020. A year of unprecedented changes.
Instead of beating up on the year just past, I am taking a different approach.
One of the many social-emot… Read More
2020-12-23 15:34
Merry Christmas 2020! Even though this Christmas is very different from our usual celebrations, we can still find joy to make our quarantine Christmas a special one.
Here are 10 ideas.
1 &n&helli…Read More
2020-12-22 19:02
Teacher self-care is important all throughout the year, but 2020 has tested us beyond anything we could ever imagine. Besides the enormous changes in how we do our jobs, we are also dealing… Read More
2020-12-10 13:00
I don’t know about you, but 2020 has not been my favorite year. This is the year when we need our beloved holiday traditions more than ever. One tradition is the opportunity to bring… Read More
2020-11-22 22:10
Keeping students engaged in learning is challenging under normal circumstances. But during a global pandemic and stuck with remote learning? Well, that’s a whole new ball game.
Here a… Read More
2020-11-08 23:24
One of the most important goals for my class every year is to build a classroom community. Remote learning (and hybrid learning) make this more difficult, but I am determined to make it wor… Read More
2020-11-02 01:02
Maybe it’s all the COVID statistics and the fact that this virus isn’t leaving any time soon. Maybe it’s all the election coverage with the endless ads on TV, social media… Read More
2020-10-04 20:30
We are about six weeks into the school year – just about the time I am re-evaluating what is working for my class and what is not working.
Even though I keep focusing on what is frust… Read More
2020-10-01 22:11
I’ve been thinking about routines that worked for my class back in the spring. This year, I plan to start small and choose just one routine to establish at a time. When that is establ… Read More
2020-09-27 18:58
We just finished our sixth week of school, sent home our first round of progress reports, and I am exhausted.
How about you?
I won’t go into all that’s causing the overwhelm and… Read More
2020-09-09 01:46
September 11, also called Patriot Day, is a somber day of remembrance and can be difficult to discuss with children.
Whenever I have a difficult topic to discuss, I always start with a pic… Read More
2020-08-23 20:00
The strange start to the 2020-2021 school year is here.
How are you doing?!
I am trying to just take one day at a time (sometimes one hour at a time) and give myself — and others &md&helli…Read More
2020-08-15 10:00
If you are a teacher who is teaching remotely again this year, I’m in it with you. We will all get through this together.
Here are 12 things I am doing before school officially starts… Read More
2020-07-26 10:00
I’m taking a break from all the stress of back to (some kind of) school planning. It’s time to enjoy some beach relaxation before virtual workdays!
Here are some favorite Amazon… Read More
2020-07-24 10:00
It’s official. My school district will start the year with remote learning for at least nine weeks.
I absolutely support getting kids and teachers back in schools, but we have to do t… Read More
2020-07-22 10:00
Wow, what a year. Now that 2019-20 is officially behind us, it’s time to take a breath. We have survived one of the most challenging and stressful school years ever and we deserve a br… Read More
2020-07-19 10:00
I have been in education for 29 years. Whenever anyone asks me how I have lasted so long and been so successful, I tell them my #1 secret: I take care of myself first.
That sounds wrong, do… Read More
2020-07-15 21:24
The 2020-2021 school year is not exactly starting out in the usual way. As I write this, we are looking at doing some kind of hybrid learning schedule for going back to school in North Carol… Read More
2020-07-01 23:42
In my last antiracism resources post, I shared 10 articles that take less than 10 minutes to read.
Here are more great resources I have found (and that I’m using myself), but they&rsq&helli…Read More
2020-06-18 14:11
Do you know about Juneteenth?
Here are some ways you can learn about the important significance of Juneteenth and share the history with children!
When is it?
Juneteenth is celebrated on Ju… Read More
2020-06-16 14:20
While many of us white folk tend to want a list of what we can do to solve the problem right away, these issues go so much deeper than that. The first step is to examine your own beliefs an… Read More
2020-06-07 12:13
I don’t know about you, but I have found several good teaching practices during distance learning that I will actually keep doing next year.
When we were suddenly faced with distance t… Read More
2020-06-05 00:18
Recent news events have made it more important than ever to talk with all of our children about race and about racism in the United States. While families of color often have these conversat… Read More
2020-05-29 21:10
Besides the pandemic, my heart is heavy from the news coverage of the murder of George Floyd in Minnesota. This story, like too many others like it, deserves a response from all of us. Whate… Read More
2020-05-25 14:35
I am still working at home. And I am still allowing work to take over far more of my “home” hours than it really should. Some days are just busier than others, but other days I c… Read More
2020-05-20 10:46
This year I am reading aloud to my students over Google Meet. But I am still relying on my list of favorite picture books to share during the last weeks of school. I hope you find some new f… Read More
2020-05-17 20:00
It has been a strange end to the school year of 2019-20, hasn’t it?
In “normal” years, we spend the last week to ten days of school doing various activities that help to ce… Read More
2020-05-16 18:56
Whether you are an early bird or not, your morning sets the tone for the rest of your day. Mornings can be rushed and busy, so how can you fit in a few minutes of self-care? Here are some qu… Read More
2020-05-09 14:33
It’s time for another Self-Care Saturday! And since it’s Mother’s Day weekend, I vote we have Self-Care Sunday too.
Some favorite self-care activities I will be doing this… Read More
2020-05-08 10:55
It feels to me like I am working MANY more hours now than when I was in a physical workspace. How about you?
Part of it is the fact that we’re doing so many things that are new to us… Read More
2020-05-03 10:00
With social distancing rules in place and so many end of school year events being canceled, teachers (and parents) are scrambling for fun learning activities.
One of the best learning activi… Read More
2020-05-01 10:00
There are so many things we cannot control right now. With distance learning underway and no end in sight, teachers are concerned about how we can best meet our students’ needs.
I find… Read More
2020-04-29 00:18
Updated on 8-11-19 with some more favorites!
One of the best first weeks of school activities is to read aloud to your students. The first week, especially, can be unpredictable in terms of… Read More
2020-04-26 18:57
Self-care is important every single day. But I am trying to be very intentional about spending most of my weekend time doing things that make me happy and give me energy.
Here we go with Sel… Read More
2020-04-25 18:16
Last weekend I declared it “Self-Care Saturday” but after the week I’ve had, I’m now declaring “Self-Care Saturday AND Sunday.”
You with me?
In North Car… Read More
2020-04-21 12:00
While working and planning for students’ continued learning, many teachers are also wondering how to continue building class community and how to look out for students’ mental he… Read More
2020-04-18 16:48
I don’t know about you, but I’m about done with watching constant news updates in between planning and implementing distance learning.
So I have declared today to be Self-Care Sa… Read More
2020-04-16 01:06
Have you been using Zoom or Google Meet with your students? Are you running out of ideas for what the heck to do during these meetings?! So am I.
I sat down and made a big list today and I w… Read More
2020-04-12 20:00
Teachers and parents are well into the distance teaching and learning routines by now. While routine is good, I have noticed that it can be more difficult to keep kids motivated to do this l… Read More
2020-04-10 10:44
This is the last post in this series about distance teaching and learning. We have looked at mindset and realistic expectations, setting up a productive workspace, planning and teaching remo… Read More
2020-04-08 23:24
In this series of tips, we have discussed setting your own mindset and expectations, setting up a productive workspace, and general planning and instructional ideas for distance teaching. Th… Read More
2020-04-05 16:53
I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure I spent more hours working at home last week than I do when I am teaching in a building. So this weekend I am focusing on relaxing. I… Read More
2020-04-04 13:17
In this series, we have focused on building a positive mindset, revamping our expectations, setting up a productive workspace, and planning for instruction in this strange new “world… Read More
2020-04-03 11:04
So far in this series we have focused on building a positive mindset, revamping our expectations, and setting up a productive workspace. Today’s focus is on planning.
As teachers, we… Read More
2020-04-02 14:03
Today’s tips are about setting up your workspace, taking breaks from that workspace, and being productive!
You may have already set up a space that is working for you. If so, read thes… Read More
2020-03-31 12:00
This is a hard one for me.
I have very high expectations for both myself and my students. I’m sure you do as well. So suddenly being told that I can’t expect my students to eve… Read More
2019-11-29 16:28
It’s almost December and time to think about holiday gifts! If you're looking for some gift ideas to show that special teacher how much you appreciate having them in your child's life… Read More
2019-11-22 22:43
With the holidays coming up, I’m sharing tips for preparing for house guests.
When friends or family are staying overnight at your house, you want to make them feel comfortable, relaxe… Read More
2019-11-16 23:42
It’s already November and if you’re like me, you’re wondering how the heck we got here so quickly! As I look at my calendar and start thinking about a busy holiday season a… Read More
2019-11-09 13:41
I am in the midst of one of those super busy weeks at work: parent conference week. If you are already finished with parent conferences, lucky you. Tuck these tips away for the next season… Read More
2019-11-02 16:07
This is a super busy time for teachers. You might wonder, “when is it NOT a super busy time?”. But somehow the demands of the end of a grading period, with all the last-minute pa… Read More
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