• Blog,  TpT

    When You Need to Spruce Up Your TpT Products!

    I spend so much time creating my products on my Teachers Pay Teachers store, the last thing I want to do is go back into the files and start changing things.  But to keep your store at the forefront of popularity, it is necessary sometimes to go back and rework some of your products. TpT is constantly changing it’s features and what works, it is important to keep your store caught up! You Find an Error This is an easy one.  When you find an error in your products, you need to fix it. I have on two separate occasions had customers graciously reach out to tell me of small…

  • Blog,  Education,  Special Education

    Accommodations for Students with Dyscalculia

    Working with students with Dyscalculia can be challenging.  Students who have dyscalculia tend to have difficulty with number sense, manipulating numbers, and completing computation among other things.  Supporting these students in your classroom can be challenging.  Dyscalculia will mostly affect them in math, but I have had students who are affected by it in science class also because of the math necessary for topics like Chemistry. If you are concerned that your child is affected by Dyscalculia, it may be time for you to have a conversation with your child’s teachers.  Often these students qualify for special education services due to having a Specific Learning Disability in the area of…

  • Blog,  Self Care

    Create a Morning Routine!

    Having a morning routine is the key to starting your day off on the right foot.  Prior to creating a morning routine, I hit snooze three times, scroll social media, and then freaked out that I wasn’t going to have time to get ready.  Because of that, I was starting my day rushed, panicked, and feeling like I was playing catch-up. Creating a morning routine will help you start your day off in a way that makes you feel prepared and productive. Decide what you want to prioritize in your morning routine There are a million things that you could add to your morning routine.  Obviously you can not fit…

  • Blog,  Blogging

    Tips for Starting a Teacher Instagram

    So there are many reasons that Instagram is wonderful, but trying to build a following can be quite a headache! If you are running a Teachers Pay Teachers store, or a blog, you are probably working on having an online presence to help build an audience and get traffic to your blog and store. Maintain Your Brand When you are making an instagram, make sure to use the same or similar logos to what you have on your other sites.  This allows people to recognize you better.  If your logo becomes familiar to them then they will be more likely to follow you and recognize you when they come across…

  • Blog,  Books,  Reviews

    December 2020 Book Reviews

    I read some great books this month.  I definitely did not meet my goal of reading 50 books in 2020 but I guess I will try again next year! The Grace Year by Kim Leggett I saw this book recommended on Instagram from another teacher that I follow.  I don’t typically read young adult dystopian fiction but I put it on hold at the library and when it became available I read it. I have to say that I am so glad that I did!  This was an awesome story that I really enjoyed. In the place where Tierney is from, it is believed that women have evil powers.  In…

  • Blog,  Books,  Reviews

    The 10 Best Books I Read in 2019

    This year I set the lofty goal on Goodreads to read 50 books.  Well due to busyness and the fact that I didn’t make reading the priority that I should have, I did not reach this goal.  But I did read some fantastic books this year.  In no particular order: Beartown by Fredrik Backman Beartown is the story of a small town where hockey is at the center of everything.  The community is slowly failing and the town is focusing on their hockey team and it’s star player.  It tells the story of teenage love, struggles, teamwork, families supporting each other, and what happens when you let someone become too…

  • Blog,  Books,  Reviews,  Self Care

    December 2019 Book Reviews

    To be honest, I haven’t done a set of book reviews in a while since I haven’t been reading as much.  So these books were read over the course of a few months.  One of my goals for 2020 is to read more! Beartown by Fredrik Backman This story is about a town that centers around the sport of hockey.  Because of that, I didn’t think that I was going to be a huge fan of the story.  But, surprisingly, I loved it!  It told the story of a girl struggling with something she went through, a man struggling with who he is now that he’s not a hockey player,…

  • Blog,  Blogging

    Write Emails That Will Engage Your Audience

    Have you read about email marketing?  I see everywhere that email marketing is the key to making money blogging.  But, email writing can be so intimidating! Why does my email list want to hear from me?  If I start sending out emails am I going to annoy them and make them unsubscribe? ConvertKit has a great FREE webinar that teaches you everything that you need to know about email writing. They teach you how to write engaging emails that are going to keep your readers excited to hear from you! But you might also be wondering, what do I actually say to this email list? What do I write? How…

  • Blog,  Blogging

    Building Your Blog Business

    If you are just getting started with your blog, check out parts 1 & 2 in this series! Part 1: Start a Blog! Set Up Your Webpage. Part 2: Design and Monetize Your Blog In this post, I am going to discuss more ways to monetize your blog. Create Your Own Products Being in the education field, this is easy for me because I am constantly creating worksheets and reference sheets for my students.  I use Teachers Pay Teachers to post my products and they do most of the hard work for you.  They collect payments, deal with a lot of the state sales tax laws (but not all so…

  • Blog,  Classroom Management,  Education

    How to Build A Relationship with Your Students

    Research shows that students learn better from teachers that they like.  If you think about it, it makes sense.  If you don’t like your instructor, you probably are not going to be as open to the information that they are sharing.  Not every student is going to like you, and it is not our job to be their best friend.  But if you can build an appropriate relationship with your students you will create a more positive classroom environment where more learning will happen. Build a Relationship by Asking Questions Students will feel like you care about them if you are curious about their life.  On a Monday morning, ask…