Welcome back to the Not So Wimpy Teacher podcast!   Raise your hand if you went to college to major in virtual education. Anyone? No, didn’t think so.    In this episode, I want to chat about ways that you can make learning fun, even if you're teaching virtually. In fact, I'm going to be sharing seven different ways to make virtual learning more fun for your students.   None of us really went to school and trained for this, but at a moment's notice we all became online teachers, and...

Welcome back to the Not So Wimpy Teacher podcast!   Have you ever heard a student in your classroom say something like this?   “I'm not good at math” or “it's too hard” or “I can't.”   Yep. Me too.   Did you know, research shows that students in the US commonly give up quickly on difficult tasks? These limiting mindsets can make it very difficult to teach new and challenging skills in the classroom.   In this episode, I want to talk about how you can change their mindset so that...

Welcome back to the Not So Wimpy Teacher podcast! Is your school implementing a hybrid teaching model this year? It's basically a combination of in-person and virtual learning, usually with students split into two groups, each of them spending some time learning in the classroom and some time learning from home. One of the best ways to teach with a hybrid model is to flip your instruction. Instead of teaching in person and sending kids home to do the work, have them watch the lessons at...

Welcome back to the Not So Wimpy Teacher podcast! Lots of teachers are faced with this new challenge: "How do I teach writing virtually?” The best thing you can do for your students, if you are going to be teaching virtually for long, is to teach the writing lessons yourself. I know that it might sound intimidating, but I hope these tips will help you to feel more confident. Episode 71 Takeaways: +You can choose to teach your lessons on live video or pre-recorded video. +Run your video...

Welcome back to the Not So Wimpy Teacher podcast! Our team has been hard at work this summer and we are SO excited that our new digital math centers have been released and are ready to go! We've had lots of questions about this popular new resource, so today I'm answering your questions about using digital math centers! Whether you are teaching virtually for all or part of your classroom experience this year, these digital math centers are a great resource to keep your students engaged and...

Welcome back to the Not So Wimpy Teacher podcast! In this episode, I'm chatting with long-time teacher and author, Elizabeth Peterson, about how valuable the Arts are to students and how to integrate them into your classroom in simple ways. In her 20 years of teaching, Elizabeth has been a huge proponent of using the Arts to help students with social and emotional learning.  Episode 69 Takeaways: + You don't have to be a musician or an artist to integrate the arts into your classroom in a...

Welcome back to The Not So Wimpy Teacher Podcast. Whether you will be in-person or online, we want our classrooms to be just as safe as they are engaging. In this week’s episode, I am going to dive into five things that teachers will need to reconsider to make sure the upcoming school year is safe for everyone. COVID-19 is making things hard but not impossible!

Welcome back to The Not So Wimpy Teacher Podcast! In this week’s episode we have an amazing guest, Ashley Marquez from Teach, Create, Motivate. Ashley is here to share three strategies to help teachers with classroom management. She brings innovative learning and fun to the classroom. She’ll teach how to calm the chaos while teaching engaging skills that help motivate independent learners.   Teach, Create, Motivate was built because of her need for creative resources for her students. This...

Welcome back to The Not So Wimpy Teacher Podcast! In this week’s episode I am going to share tips on how to make reading centers easier to manage. Reading centers aren’t just about being busy; they’re about being busy with stuff that is helping to move them forward. Reading centers use activities that review and practice those reading skills that you absolutely need to have them master.  Center time can get chaotic, so I learned how to make my center time more meaningful and better managed...

Welcome back to The Not So Wimpy Teacher Podcast! This episode is something I didn’t think I’d need to record a few months back, and that’s how to make the Centers safer. COVID has brought a world of uncertainty to what will come in the Fall. I wish I had the answers for everything, but what I can do is come up with some tips to help make things a little better. I am not a Doctor, these are just my personal tips, but please do make sure you’re following the rules at each of your teaching...

Welcome back to The Not So Wimpy Teacher Podcast! I am back this week with a new exciting episode. We had a Facebook live party this week and I invited some Not So Wimpy Writing Masterclass Alumni to share their stories.    In today’s episode we’re going to meet Dixie, BJ and Karen, and they’re sharing how they felt before and after the Not So Wimpy Writing Masterclass last year. We’re going to dive in to see what they’re teaching their students now and how excited they are for you to have...

Welcome back to The Not So Wimpy Teacher Podcast! This episode is different from what you are used to — I’m popping in to invite you to something super special! I’ve been waiting a WHOLE YEAR for this moment! Let me start by asking you a question: Do your 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade students struggle with writing?   Don’t feel bad, most students struggle with writing. The good news is that implementing a simple yet effective writing workshop can totally change the game. By the end of your...

Welcome back to the Not So Wimpy Teacher Podcast! We’re getting close to the end of this series on teaching writing. This week we’re going to talk about ways to excite your reluctant writers. You know the ones I am talking about. They don’t have any ideas, they don’t want to try, and they get “done” really fast. These are the students we want to help teach with these five strategies to excite reluctant writers. Our goal is to create a positive experience around writing and build the...

Welcome back to The Not So Wimpy Teacher Podcast! I am back this week to continue our series on teaching writing. In today’s episode I want to talk about how you can be a kick-butt writing teacher, even if you hate to write. I want you to become more confident when teaching writing. Let’s dive in!   In this episode I talk about: The importance of using mentor text, you don’t have to be their only example Anchor charts will help keep you organized Work with me, sign up for The Not So Wimpy...

Welcome back to The Not So Wimpy Teacher Podcast! I am back this week to continue our series on teaching writing. In today’s episode, I am sharing about the 5 mistakes I see teachers making when teaching writing. Don’t get me wrong, I have made these same mistakes too, but I’m going to break them down for you so you can become more confident when teaching writing. Let’s dive in!   In this episode I talk about: How we unintentionally decrease our student’s love for writing The importance...

Welcome back to another episode of The Not So Wimpy Teacher Podcast! This week we are continuing on with our series on writing curriculum. I have had so many teachers tell me how much they HATE teaching writing. They don’t feel confident when they teach writing and that makes total sense. As humans, we don’t like doing things that we don’t know how to do or don’t feel confident doing, right? So in today’s episode, I am going to share 3 tips that you can use to make teaching writing more fun...

Welcome back to the Not So Wimpy Teacher Podcast! For the past few weeks, I have been talking on the topic of writing curriculum. This week, we are talking about writing workshops, specifically how to make them less chaotic. I’ve heard so many teachers complain about how their writing workshops are a hot mess. I completely understand because I had that issue for a long time until I created The Not So Wimpy Writing Process. If you feel like your writing workshops are a hot mess, this episode...

Welcome back to the Not So Wimpy Teacher Podcast! In today’s episode, we are talking all about how to teach writing to our students in a fun and engaging way. When I talk about teaching writing, I often hear teachers say, “But I HATE my curriculum. It’s so boring.” I totally get it. So in Episode 57, I am going to teach you three strategies that you can use to turn boring curriculum into fun lessons that you AND your students will enjoy. Are you ready? Let’s dive in. In this episode I...

It’s Teacher Appreciation week! I know that things are very different this year, but I wanted you to feel extra spoiled and loved. After all, you are pretty darn amazing! I planned a HUGE week of giveaways, promotions and freebies. I explain it all in this episode. Monday 50% off End of Year Awards 9-10 PST 50% off Math Journals 11-12 PST 50% off Grammar Bundles 1-2 PST Resource Giveaways one hour before each sale! Tuesday 25% off everything in my store Giving away...

I’m back and I’m excited to get back to business! Let’s chat about how we can help our students to be better writers and pass the writing standardized tests next year. I have four tips for you... Get your Free Writing Guide here.

Are your students truly engaged in your whole group reading lessons? Are they excited to read and talk about text together? If not, no worries! I’ve got you covered with three of my favorite ways to make your reading lessons more engaging. Read Alouds PowerPoint Lessons Reading Interactive Notebooks Reading Units and Centers MEGA BUNDLE

Test prep is 100x more fun when you incorporate games into your review! In this episode, I am going to share several fun games that you can use to review math, language or reading skills before testing. All of these games are simple to prep and plan! Connect Four Jenga Stinky Feet Cups Candyland

Testing is no fun, but test prep can be loads of fun! In this episode I share math test prep activities that are easy to prep and will have your students begging for more review time. Math Test Prep Centers Trashketball Stinky Feet Fraction Madness Kahoot

Making test prep fun and meaningful can be a challenge. But you have me, and I take care of you! I have collected some reading test prep activities that your students will enjoy! I dare say that you might even have some fun! In this episode, I share five different activities that you can. use for reviewing reading skills and standards before testing. Reading Test Prep Centers Reading Gallery Walk Prosecution and Defense Text Dependent Writing Work Hard. Play Hard.

February is Black History Month. Will you be celebrating black history in your classroom? I am a white teacher and I taught at a predominately white school. I am being very vulnerable here when I tell you that I felt uncomfortable teaching black history. I was scared that I would say the wrong thing, choose the wrong book, or offend someone. I wanted to be culturally sensitive, but I wasn’t always sure how to go about it. Have you ever felt that way too? I hear ya. On this episode, I had...