Do you sometimes feel like your lesson plans aren't great because you are doing them last minute?  Or rather, do you try to "be good" and work on planning ahead of time but don't feel the spark when you do?  We all have different comfort zones when it comes to how far ahead we like to plan.  One size does not fit all when it comes to writing effective plans.  Honor your own way of doing your best work. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. ...

Do you dread making phone calls home because you never really know quite what to say, or you worry that they won't receive your feedback well?  Do you find yourself saying things to your colleagues like, "Well, if their parents were more involved or disciplined them more, they would be a better student"?   Getting parents on our side is a key component of helping our students.  Sometimes the best approach isn't intuitive.   --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to...

Do you feel like you spend too much time doling out detentions or referrals for tardies, bad behavior, etc?  Do you spend too much time calling home for just one or two assignments missed but for many, many students?  Do you get frustrated when a school rule is set by administration or your district, but other teachers in your building won't enforce that rule?  Maybe it is time to take a look at your priorities and stop fighting every battle. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor:...

Do you avoid taking time off because you dread not only writing a sub plan, but also grading "the stack" when you return?  Do you struggle to write a sub plan that has enough work to keep the students busy?   Sub plans can be both engaging for the students, easy to follow, and easy to grade, believe it or not. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/teacherforlife/support

Do you decide not to take time off work because "it's just easier if I'm there than if I'm absent" ?  Do you feel incredible guilt at the thought of taking a couple of personal days just for yourself?  Do you feel pressured by your colleagues and bosses to ALWAYS be at work unless you are sick?  If so, it might be time to get some perspective on the matter. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast:...

Do you feel obligated to get "the boring stuff" out of the way on the first day of school?  Going over rules?  Procedures?  Room organization?  Well, maybe it's time to rethink that strategy in order to reel them in and set yourself up for positive interactions for the rest of the year! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/teacherforlife/support

Do you find it hard to keep up with all the "seismic shifts" in educational trends, and the new expectations put upon us teachers seemingly every couple of years?   Do your perfectionist tendencies give you anxiety about learning how to do things differently when you just felt like you got a handle on the previous "trend"?  You may be doing a lot of worrying for nothing.    When it comes to expectations at work, one size does NOT fit all. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The...

Are you able to "leave work at work" mentally?  As teachers, we usually have to bring home work to finish, but are you doing it to your detriment?  Even if you don't have actual work to grade, are you still spending too much time thinking about the day?   Shifting mental gears from work to home can help....but how? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Do you have a hard time letting go of a day that didn't go well?  Do you turn the events over and over in your mind well after work is finished?  Do you question your skill as a teacher when your expectations for the lesson don't match the outcome?  We all make mistakes in this profession.  How we deal with them is crucial. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Does the idea of really being yourself with your students make you nervous?   Would you like to develop closer relationships with your students but you fear their rejection if you open up more?   Do you feel that the priority of "taking care of business" dominates how you relate to your students?    Opening ourselves up and being authentic can pay off in big ways, not just for you but for your students. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. ...

Do you often think that if you just had another job, your stress would plummet?   Do you sometimes dread going to work?  Do you struggle with the idea that you spent your college years training for this job only to discover that it is killing you most days?  There are ways to continue to teach and minimize your stress if you are struggling with the idea of sticking with the job. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Do you sometimes feel like you're beating your head against a wall when it comes to getting your students to do homework?  Do you find yourself saying things like, "when we had homework as kids, we just did it!"?  Do you feel that your kids are lazy and they just need to "suck it up"?   There are reasons why our students don't always achieve to our standards even though they seem intelligent enough to do so.  Looks can be deceiving. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest...

Do you or your students dread projects?   Do you struggle to come up with ideas for projects that the students will enjoy?  Did you personally hate doing projects when you were a student?  Projects don't have to be tedious or frustrating.  Giving your students choices and appealing to their personal modalites can go a long way. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Do you sometimes (or often!) feel like you aren't doing enough?   Do you fantasize about winning awards for your teaching and wonder if you'll ever get there?  Do you compare yourself to teachers you know who are just on fire professionally?   It's one thing to strive to be better.  It's another thing to sabotage your own success by unrealistically comparing yourself to others.  Just because you aren't lighting up the world of education doesn't mean you aren't a great teacher. --- This...

Do you have a group of colleague friends at work?  Have you tried mingling with different colleagues only to come away feeling awkward or uncomfortable?  Maybe you just haven't found your "tribe" yet.  Getting to know a variety of people at work can lead to strong connections that help us manage this demanding job. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

What do you do at school if your internet goes down?   If that situation makes you freeze and panic, then maybe you need to incorporate more "old school" techniques into your weekly lessons.  Just because it's new doesn't mean it's better.  Your veteran teacher colleagues have decades of wisdom to impart about teaching without technology...it might be worth a conversation with them to learn how to pivot in a pinch.   --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a...

Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed at the amount of suggestions for websites or teaching techniques that you hear about?  Do you feel like you are doing your students a disservice if you aren't investigating all the "latest and greatest" ways to deliver and practice content?  Are you a long-time teacher who sometimes wishes we could go back to the way things used to be when it was less complicated?   Narrowing down your choices can be a huge help.   --- This episode is sponsored by ·...

Have you ever become frustrated at the lack of knowledge that students bring to your classroom?  How many times have you said to yourself "They should know this by now"?   Do you wish they could just be where you need them to be so you can make quicker progress?  You may have unreasonable expectations, but that can be remedied. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Do you get frustrated when students tune out during your presentations?  Do they sit through the whole presentation then say "I don't get it"?  Do you always feel like you are rushing to get all the material down in the notes, only to find later that they haven't copied it all down anyway?  Making your presentation a bit of a puzzle can help! --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Classroom management is every teacher's biggest hurdle.  Do you struggle with certain classes you have?  Do you struggle with particular students who refuse to "get on board"?    Have you tried the old adage "don't smile until Christmas" only to have it backfire?  Classroom management doesn't have to be all about rules and consequences.   --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Do your students ever complain that class is boring?  Do they sometimes say "this is stupid!"?  Do you feel like they won't be happy unless you entertain them non-stop?  There is a way to write effective lessons without the requirement to please them.  We must appeal to their mindset which is far different from our own. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Are you constantly fretting over students who won't do work?  Do you spend a lot of time having one-on-ones with kids who aren't motivated at all?  Where do you draw the line for yourself and shift the responsibility over to them? --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Students will never stop asking us to come to their extracurricular activities, to chaperone their proms, or to let them come "hang out" during their lunch or study hall....and the list goes on.  Are you saying yes for the right reasons?  Have you practiced saying no, and if so, how can you say no without hurting their feelings. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

To be a lifelong teacher, learning how to say no without feeling guilty is an important step in the process.  It's not always easy, but it can be done.  

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