One of the hardest parts of teaching for me is watching my students fail. I take it personally. If my students fail, then I feel I have failed as a teacher, even when logically I know that it’s not always
What to Do When Students Fail
Grow the Good
I bought my house about five years ago. It’s small but has a decent backyard, and I was excited to have the outdoor space. Unfortunately, the previous residents had done very little to care for the yard and it was
A Letter to My Students
To All My Students, You aren’t perfect. If I’m being honest, sometimes you got on my nerves. I probably got frustrated with you at least once or twice – for some of you it was quite a bit more than
Redefining Your Identity
I never intended to teach Spanish. I got a minor in Spanish just because I wanted to improve my language abilities, yet here I am ten years later still teaching Spanish. I’ve learned a lot from teaching both Spanish and
Beyond Surviving
I recently heard a story about people in London. Public transportation there is used by the majority of residents in the city. At some point there was some construction done and many of the normal routes were closed or changed.
Making Gratitude Work
Teaching has a tendency to become a negative profession. I’m sure you’ve heard it in the halls, the teachers’ lounge, or your own classroom. Teachers complaining about disrespectful students, uncaring admin, or ignorant legislators. Negativity spreads quickly and is frightfully
What True Self-Care Is For Me
Lately I have seen and heard a lot of people talking about self-care. Burnout is real and rampant, and many people are looking for a way to combat that. According to most of the people writing and talking about self-care,
There’s Always Too Much To Do – And That’s Great
Today is a snow day for me. It was a little strange because I woke up to a light dusting of snow on the grass, not nearly enough to cancel school. I got up and started going through my morning
Choosing to Stay
As I wrote in my very first post, I didn’t always love teaching. I went weeks and months where I thought about quitting almost every day. After a lot of soul searching, I chose to keep teaching. I chose to
Finding Your Why
At the beginning of every week, I write a quote on the whiteboard in my classroom. The quotes aren’t necessarily related to music or education at all. I just like quotes and they often generate discussions in my classes. This