Blog - It's Not Rocket Science

Teaching through Grief

This is a really hard topic for me to write about, but I told myself when I started this blog I would only write about things I was experiencing so I could write authentically, and this is what we are currently walking through right now so I think it is

Surviving Second Semester

Do you ever have those school years where you legitimately consider not going back after winter break? Where surviving second semester seems utterly impossible? Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE my job and am so thankful I get to do something that I enjoy so much for a living,

Physical Science Scope and Sequence

Last year after completing my full year biology curriculum, I decided to write a blog post to give context for why I chose the particular scope and sequence that I use in biology. I loved hearing from so many of you, so after a little break from product creation, I

10 Tips for Surviving and Thriving in a Public School

A few weeks ago I wrote a little about my experience of switching from teaching at a public school to a private school and 10 things to consider if you too are considering the switch. Last week I wrote about some advice for private school teachers, and this week I wanted to

10 Tips for Surviving and Thriving in a Private School

Last week I wrote a little about my experience of switching from teaching at a public school to a private school and 10 things to consider if you too are considering the switch. This week I want to give some advice for private school teachers to not only survive but

Switching to Public or Private: 10 Questions to Consider

When I started teaching I NEVER, EVER, EVER wanted to leave the public school system. I was so passionate about teaching underprivileged students. Naive as I was, I wanted a “Freedom Writers” type experience with my students. This was so much so that my senior year of college I applied

What I’ve learned: 5 tips for teaching Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration

I am trying to be better about reflecting and editing my curriculum IMMEDIATELY after teaching so it is still fresh in my mind what worked and what didn’t work. To be honest, I have kind of failed at this, because I finished teaching my Energy Flow unit back at the end of October and I am just a little behind getting them out to share with you all. You can read more about the order in which I’ve chosen to teach Biology in my post here. So a little bit later than planned, but here are 5 tips I have for anyone who is teaching Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration.

Goal Setting for the New Year

It’s crazy to me to look back on 2016 and see how different the year ended up than I ever intended or planned for it to. In some ways this was disappointing. In other ways 2016 surprised me in the sweetest ways possible. One of those sweet surprises was with the growth of my Teachers Pay Teachers business, and the start of this blog. But with that surprising growth also came even bigger dreams for what this could be, and with that some overwhelming feelings. I had ended 2015 feeling exhausted by all of my responsibilities at my school, in my ministry, and in my home, and yet I ended 2016 with all of those same responsibilities + a growing business and blog to maintain and market. How was I ever supposed to get through 2017 with all of this on my plate?

Thank You Notes Volume 2: End of Semester

It’s that time of year where the end of the semester is rapidly approaching and our students are starting to realize the inevitability of their grades. But it is also Thanksgiving week and so we should focus on what we are thankful for right? So I figured it was time for another set of thank you notes.