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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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?…
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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…
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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…
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How to Run a Business with Your Blog!
So once you have gone to a web host and created your website it is time to design your blog and begin to monetize it. If you have not done that, check out my post on setting up your website here: Part 1: How to Start a Blog Let’s Get Started! Create a visual design! Once you have selected a theme, you can start designing the look of your blog. This is something that you can edit at any time so don’t stress over this. I am constantly thinking of new ideas and trying them out on my blog. Make sure you are including pictures in your blog. Each of…
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How to Start a Blog!
Have you thought of starting a blog but you don’t know where to begin? I started a blog because I was looking for a way to make money on the side without having to go back to retail. I teach full time and I needed a side hustle where I could make my own schedule. I started by creating a Teachers Pay Teachers store and after I got that off the ground, blogging seemed like the next step. Find A Host Personally I love bluehost. They are the easiest, cheapest way to host your own blog. They also come with WordPress which makes creating and designing your blog so simple!…
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Tips for Parent Teacher Conferences
Parent-teacher conferences can be stressful for all involved. As a teacher, it is our job to set the tone and mood of the conferences. Here are some tips for your next parent-teacher conference! Know the Schedule Ahead of Time Before conferences start, make sure you know what parents are coming in and have information about their child ready. Teachers, especially at the secondary level, have a lot of students to remember. But parents don’t always get this. So if you are in a meeting and it seems like you’re struggling to remember who the child is, it is going to leave the parent confused and possibly annoyed or disappointed. …
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Setting Goals as a Teacher
I am always trying to grow as a teacher and as a person. Because of this, I am always setting goals for myself to help guide myself to betterment. Also, in the state I teach in, the teacher evaluator tool requires us to set goals to meet over the evaluation cycle. (The cycle is either one year or two years) Here are some tips for setting goals for yourself whether you are required to by your district or you just want to be your best. Setting Professional Goals A professional goal is something that you want to change about yourself as a teacher. Whether it has to do with the…
