Apple Blossom Teachers

It is TEACHER CAREER KICKOFF time!!! Today is all about how to stand out from the rest and show your interviewers why YOU are the most valuable candidate. We'll chat about how to showcase your unique Skills, Hobbies, Interests, Notable stories, and Extracurricular activities so you can really SHINE!!

Be sure to head to appleblossomteachers.com/careerkickoff to download your FREE Interview Prep Pack, which includes the editable resume and portfolio templates, interview prep checklists, practice questions, and MORE! Plus, you'll be the first to know all the details for the big Career Kickoff Party happening in just a few weeks!

"Why do we need to learn this?"

"When will we ever use this?"

Today is all about helping you see these questions as awesome opportunities for boosting curiosity, rather than the most dreaded questions a teacher can get when trying to build engagement! I'm sharing 5 ways you can help students connect the content you're covering in school to ways in which it applies to them in the real world.

By doing so, you will boost curiosity and inspire lifelong learning, and help students see that knowledge is not isolated...our world needs it all, and they can do incredible things with it!

Do you set clear expectations for effort and craftsmanship in student work, but still wind up with most projects looking simple, rushed, or with little variety?

Students don't always naturally know what it means to produce high-quality craftsmanship, and even when we show them strong examples of great student work we've saved from past years, we either end up with projects that look almost identical to the sample or we scare our students who feel like there's no way they can create that! But I promise, it just takes a few simple tips we can teach and incorporate into our classrooms to take student work from good to WOW!!

Even if you don't personally feel very artistic or creative, these 7 tips can easily boost the level of work produced in your classroom, including your own! Follow along on Instagram this week as I share some throwbacks of these strategies in action in my classroom, and let me know how you plan to use them in yours!

First, STOP the social media scroll!! While we can get incredible ideas from other fantastic educators, the most unique and memorable ideas for your lessons can come from the most random of places! Doctors office artwork? Yup! A magazine article? Totally! The display of soda boxes in the grocery store??? You bet!

You'll be amazed at how much more you notice and connect to lesson ideas once you start training your brain to stay alert everywhere you go.

In the spirit of keeping your teaching creativity and passion from burning out, I've created a FREE E-BOOK just for you, new teachers! Go to appleblossomteachers.com/ebook to download your copy, which contains 3 keys to taking your first year from frazzled to fabulous, and setting yourself up for a fantastic career as the impactful teacher you know you're meant to be!

Today I share some simple tips for building your knowledge of great books your students will love, and actually pumping them up for your students in an authentic way! You will start to see a true community of readers bloom, with real conversations around new favorite books happening so naturally between you and your students.

Not only will this positively impact your students' literacy growth, it will create a great sense of community and relationship-building in your classroom!

I'd love to hear your favorite tip from the episode, and I would absolutely love to chat youth literature with you! Let's connect on Instagram or over in the Apple Blossom Teachers Facebook group to keep this conversation going, and inspire one another with our classroom reading communities!

Today I share 5 quick tips for building a community of readers in your classroom. This is such a great way to strengthen the relationships in your classroom and build a love of reading that will carry beyond your 4 walls!

Today is all about reflecting on how far you've come this year (yes, even if it feels like you've just been treading water!) and setting some goals to really amp up your impact in 2021! Leave today's episode feeling inspired, recharged, and with a sense of direction to tackle the next chunk of the school year, really making incredible strides forward for yourself and your students.

Summary:

Today's episode is all about staying on top of it all...the million little things that pop up in a day of teacher life! We're not talking about big, regular tasks like lesson planning and grading. This is all about the random tasks we need to take care of that pop up throughout the days, and can lead to major frazzle when we lose track! I share 3 common problems with daily teacher-task-management along with some quick systems you can implement that can make a world of difference.

If you are in need of a bit more personal support, email me at [email protected] to get on my list for a complimentary coaching call. I'm here to be your personal mentor teacher, helping you problem solve and continue blooming into the confident, impactful educator you are made to be!

Key Points:

• Problem 1: Losing track of emails you meant to reply to, or needed to take action on.
• Solution: Create a "follow up" folder for any emails requiring action and schedule specific time blocks to tackle your follow up items. Prioritize the tasks, and work through them regularly.
• Problem 2: A million to-do lists, all over the place, and items keep getting forgotten (maybe from that list that fell between your passenger seat and center console!)
• Solution: Brain dump and collect all of your tasks - find great pointers from Shelley over at Let's Live and Learn Blog. Get all your items organized onto a cloud-based to-do list, such as Trello or Google Keep (find great free Google Keep headers on Teachers Pay Teachers). Having your list on a cloud-based app is super handy, because you can add to it from work, home, or your phone on the go! Schedule time to check and tackle your list regularly.
• Problem 3: A task popped up at a random time (think: a parent question at dismissal, or a quick chat in the hall with your teammate) and as soon as you get back to your classroom, it's already been forgotten!
• Solution: Get it added to your list ASAP! If you have your phone in your pocket, get it written down right away. If you don't have your app handy (and I know this sounds silly, but I swear it works!) repeat the task in your head all the way back to your classroom, or wherever your nearest to-do list is! As soon as you get there, write it down! Once it's on the list, and you have systems in place to check your lists, you can start feeling less frazzled and forgetful with all of the little things!

Links and resources:

• Join our conversations in the Apple Blossom Teachers Facebook group
• Follow me on Instagram: @appleblossomteachers
• For more about me and what I do, check out my website.

Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss an episode!

And, if you're enjoying the show, please leave me a rating and a review. Thanks!

Summary:

In today's episode, I share simple systems and activities you can implement in your classroom to continue strengthening your classroom community in a genuine way. These ideas go beyond the basic get-to-know-you and team-building activities and work to build sustainable ways to boost student engagement, motivation, and trust. If you are interested in more in-depth explanations of these strategies, additional ideas, and a set of templates to get you started right away, check out the October Edition of my Classroom Community Building Collection here.

Key Points:

• Teacher systems to implement:
• • Positive notes and calls home - create a system to jot down who you've contacted and a quick jot about the topic can help you see patterns. Who have you been noticing often, who have you been missing and do you need to be more intentional about focusing on the positive for, and what patterns do you notice in things your students are doing well?
  • Patterns of motivation - particularly for students who need a boost in motivation or encouragement, pay attention to what motivates them. When are they the most engaged? Did a particular topic or activity type pep them up? Is it a pattern of more participation early in the morning or later in the day? How can you use these observations to boost their motivation at other times or during other activities?
  • Weekly newsletters with student shout outs - similar to the positive notes and calls home, but this goes beyond just the student and their family. They get recognition from the whole class community, building their sense of pride and helping kids and families see that you value each of your students and their efforts.
  • Classmate Encouragement Challenge - At the start of the week, give each student a post-it or notecard with a classmate's name on it. Throughout the week, challenge them to observe that classmate for challenges in their learning. When they see their classmate needs encouragement on something, they jot down what they observed, a tip for growth, and a positive note or affirmation.
  • On-the-fly stories...getting to know one another beyond the basics - Let your students see you as a real human being, beyond Mr. or Miss so-and-so! Share little life tidbits, memories of trips you've been on or experiences you had in school, family traditions, etc. Likewise, allow small, regular bits of time for students to share bits of their life, and connect with you and one another. Show them you value them as more than just a student, and help everyone really get to know one another.

Links and resources:

• Join our conversations in the Apple Blossom Teachers Facebook group
• Follow me on Instagram: @appleblossomteachers
• For more about me and what I do, check out my website.

Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss an episode!

And, if you're enjoying the show, please leave me a rating and a review. Thanks!

Summary:

We are past the back-to-school buzz, and now really trying to chug along with our students. But October is one time of the school year where, as teachers, we can start to lose that juice we had at the start.

Today is more of a "pep talk" episode, especially for my first-year teacher listeners!

I know it can get overwhelming, and some of you may even be doubting your line of work. But I promise you, YOU CAN DO THIS! I hope you'll stick with me today as I do my best to remind you WHY you chose this profession, and give some little tips for getting through those toughest, most exhausting moments as a teacher.

Key Points:

• The October slump is real, and it can be exhausting. The newness and excitement of back-to-school has worn off, your students are getting more comfortable with you, and the daily routines start to feel a lot more, well, routine.
• Additionally, now that you've got a bit of information collected about your students and their academics, you may be feeling the overwhelm of a wide range of learners and learning needs in your classroom. But you were given these students to help make a difference in their lives and their education.
• I know it can be so easy to get beat down by that feeling of the never-ending checklist of standards to cover and tests to take each week. But I'm giving you permission to go a little rogue today - find small ways to veer off course just enough to really help your students and keep them motivated.
• Additionally, by mixing it up and giving yourself permission to support unmastered learning, you'll keep yourself from feeling drained as you try to get everyone to learn your grade-level content.
• Listen today for a few strategies, and reach out to share your struggles. I would love to collaborate and help you brainstorm some solutions, and give you an even more personalized pep talk to keep your teacher-fire burning bright. Stay tuned for some awesome resources and opportunities on the horizon!

Links and resources:

• Join our conversations in the Apple Blossom Teachers Facebook group
• Follow me on Instagram: @appleblossomteachers
• For more about me and what I do, check out my website.

Make sure you hit SUBSCRIBE so you don't miss an episode!

And, if you're enjoying the show, please leave me a rating and a review. Thanks!