I taught elementary school grades for 8 years before moving into a coaching role. I was lucky enough to move around to grades 2nd, 3rd and 5th. If you have the opportunity to teach multiple grade levels during your journey, I highly suggest it. It really helped me better understand what I needed to do…

Graphics courtesy of Erin Waters I cannot believe one year ago today I took a leap and turned my blog into a podcast to help reach more teachers who are always on the go. It has been a fantastic ride so far. I have met supportive listeners, empowering educators, and learned even more about instructional…

As an elementary educator of 8 years, a new teacher coach of 3 years, and school hiring support consultant for 4 years, I have seen my fair share of schools, from low income and low parental involvement to high income and high parental involvement. At first, I thought most schools were the same in Charlotte,…

  Holy Cow!! I cannot believe it has taken me THIS long to post about this fantastic event. I learned SOOO much that I had to have an Edcamp Detox for weeks after- you know, think and do unrelated things to keep your brain from an overload explosion! Apparently, those weeks turned to months! But,…

When I was in the classroom, I was constantly taking pictures of students learning. I was so proud of their progress and their mature interactions with each other during learning experiences. One thing that was tricky was which students I could photograph and which ones I couldn’t- and what I mean by that is which…

Congratulations! You are ALMOST at the finish line for another successful year in the classroom!!!  HIP HIP HOORAY! I always loved the end of the year when I could really enjoy my time with the kiddos, from doing unique projects to having authentic conversations not tied to evaluations. I thought you might find it helpful…

As an educational consultant, I often get asked to help with hiring and training of personnel. With over 1,000 interviews under my belt this year alone, there are a few patterns that I wanted to call out in hopes it helps those of you on your own interview adventures nail not just a job, but…

Hot Tip Tuesday Each week I bring to you helpful tips to become a more effective educator on the Always A Lesson fan page on Facebook. (Give it a quick like by clicking here!) I decided to start grouping my social media posts into a blog post in case you might have missed anything. [click here…

I thought I would participate in the #YOUREdustory Blogging Challenge from time to time. Each week there is a blog topic that educators write about and this week’s topic made me pause- that’s when you know, you gotta dive right in! How do you cope with the stress of being an educator? What do you…

All I hear on the news and read in articles lately are theories on our current teacher shortage in the United States, more specifically a quality teacher shortage. I’m calling this crisis, a ‘Teacher Bind.’ Throughout my work as a teacher coach and as hiring support staff in my local school district, this topic hits home for…