He Gave Me A Melody

This time last year I was headed off to the ISTE conference in San Antonio. It was so exciting! I was about halfway through my last pregnancy, but I felt great! The school year had ended on a high note, and everything felt bright. My Snapchat and Facebook Memories are bittersweet as I look onContinue reading “The Fire Within”

I came into work this Saturday, but all I want to do is be home with my family.  The deadlines, due dates, and all I am struggling with are keeping me from the work I am here for.  I am 100% sure I am not alone.  I’m about to leave and go home to beContinue reading “End of the Year Prayer”

Holy smokes, just like that, it’s the end of the year!  The first day of school flashes before my eyes, I was pregnant, had my son, came back, and now it’s the end of the year…just like that (said more slowly while exhaling).  Seems like Career Day was just two days ago. I remember posingContinue reading “Someone To Count On When the Days Are Being Counted”

For years I’ve known my friend, Carrie.  We were part of a staff that opened our school ten years ago.  She was the first person, besides our boss, that I met, and I greatly admire her.  She is our elementary school music teacher. She offers an Honor Choir for our fourth and fifth graders, andContinue reading “UnSung Hero: Our Music Teacher”

When I was thinking about what I was going to write about tonight, there wasn’t anything inspirational that came to mind. I worked a long day, came home to five children, did all that adulting, and I’m just tired.  I started thinking about some backup ideas I’ve already written rough drafts for…the new cool thingsContinue reading “I love my crazy life!”

It’s not that my young friend, Dan Mason, coined this phrase himself.  I’m sure he’s heard it from someone, possibly a Zig Ziglar quote, like many of us have, but…and I mean a BIG BUT, when he said it, it grabbed our attention.  When I say “our” I mean, my students and myself.  Let meContinue reading “Wake UP With a Positive Attitude!”

As the Easter holiday has passed, my heart is full, and I’m amazed how my faith in God has kept me going in a time that is truly very rigorous.  My son was born this past December, my fifth child, and the joy he brings to my life is what gave me hope after losingContinue reading “The Cost of Encouragement”

As the school year starts winding down, so too can our spirits plummet with the ever-growing deadlines and the unavoidable, state testing! If you feel burdened right now, you are in good company–insert bummed out face emoji. There is so much pressure for you to perform, for your students to test well and show growth, andContinue reading “We Play To Win!”

  It’s not just about volunteering and it’s not just community service, but Service learning has a place for both of these concepts and more.  Service learning has a place in all classrooms, and the best part is service learning is for every level of learner, every learning style, and for any dream imaginable. TodayContinue reading “Hope Creator: Service Learning is for Every Learner”

The early 2000s were good to me as I began my teaching career.  It was a service-learning or gifted program training, or probably both, that taught me the importance of teaching our students to be reflective about their own learning.  Teaching our students to self-reflect, and giving them time during class to practice this skill,Continue reading “Teaching Self-Reflection”