I’m not a perfect teacher (who is?), but you can bet I try each and every day to teach my students what it means to be a good human being. A human being who is kind and good to other people. That will always be the ultimate life lesson, my number one objective every single day.

It’s notes like this that make everything worth it 🤩

At the age where I can start sentences with “back in my day…” But really, back in my day, so many corporations sponsored reading programs for kids. Made my own version for Winter Break & finally got the prizes to award participants today 🥳

Got to meet CJ Reynolds today & he gave me a golden mic with bubbles! 🎤💛 Shared with him how I’ve copied his ideas for using a large hand & remote control for the hallway. And just today I ordered a Magic 8 Ball from an idea he shared in the first session! #KEEPLearning25

I just realized 2 items on my to-do list are to do things on other to-do lists (different categories)…and I’m not sure if that means my mind is super organized or super chaotic? It’s like Inception for to-do lists.

A sign of co-teaching done right: you see a student from years ago out in the wild, and they ask where your co-teacher is and why she isn’t with you. 😂

So thankful! 🤩

I could go on and on about how much I love my job. The teacher I am today is because of the great teachers at Kaneland I had growing up and now as a Kaneland teacher myself, it’s because of the amazing people—staff and students—I get to work with every day 🫶🏼

A great way to start my day ❤️❤️

Everyone: You must have a break between Cross Country & basketball seasons coming up? Me: Well I have the State XC meet this weekend Friday-Saturday, and I start working basketball games next week Monday and Tuesday. So I get Sunday off between seasons? 🤣🤣

Even though she was on maternity leave, my co-teacher and I still managed to twin on Twin Day for Spirit Week. Today, I visited her for her birthday & got to meet her baby daughter 🩷 So grateful for work friendships that transcend work and will last a lifetime.

Instead of getting mad & issuing consequences when students don’t do as you expect, explain what you expect, why it’s important & make it a competition w/an incentive! My classes used to take 2-4 mins after the tardy bell to get settled w/proper materials out & ready to start.

2 (of many wins) this week: After a 2-day absence, instead of asking if they missed anything (IYKYK), a student got their absent paper, checked the agenda & asked what to prioritize first 🥹 Had lunch with former students & one said, “I’ve been looking forward to this all day!”

Does anyone know of a platform comparable to @Mentimeter? I’ve used it with 2 ELA classes for a “question of the day” for years. They charge over $140 to do this now, which I won’t be paying out of pocket for, so I’m seeking alternatives! I want to keep this fun tradition! 🤞🏼

Each year when I lesson plan introduction to annotating, I laugh when I see what I put on the Canvas page back in 2019. The page has evolved a lot over the years but the picture will never go out of style😂 @DBruno2582 ('1C' is just the place on the Grid where students see this)

The man…the myth…the legend @CarlAzuz 🎉

A student walked over to my classroom library today and I overheard them say to a friend: “Wow! There are so many good books over here!” Let me tell you the joy that brought me 🫶🏻

This week, I’m slowlyyy starting to set up my classroom, Canvas pages, daily agendas, first-week plans, etc. It probably helps that this is year 10🤯, but this is the readiest & least stressed I’ve ever felt ✌🏼 (Even though after 9 years I still continue changing everything😂)