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Ten Good Books to Read Over Winter Break

December 13, 2019 by Inspired Together Teachers Leave a Comment

You’ve almost made it through a hectic semester and winter break is right around the corner! We know you will enjoy some relaxing time with family and friends and maybe a pajama/ hot cocoa marathon of Christmas movies.

We also know that many of you, like us, like to spend some time with a great book. In the spirit of encouraging you to relax and do some reading just for fun, we thought we would share some of our favorite books from the last year. We purposely left off books about teaching – you deserve a break!

If you are looking for a good book, here are 10 good books to read over winter break:

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

When their father dies, Danny and Maeve’s stepmother kicks them out of their family home. Once wealthy, they are now reduced to poverty with only each other to lean on. Ann Patchett is a great writer and we loved exploring the themes here- love, loss, memories, forgiveness and learning to define family on your own terms.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Reese Witherspoon recently chose this book for her book club, and it is easy to see why. This book is at once heart-breaking and uplifting. A young girl is abandoned by her mother and basically left to raise herself in isolated marsh. Intelligent and resilient, Kya manages to survive as she learns to use the resources she finds in the natural world. There is a murder mystery, romance, nature, friendship and a beautiful exploration of the human need for belonging.

Becoming by Michelle Obama

This book got a lot of buzz this year and we found it a worthy read. We get a peak into the life of the first lady- her early years, schooling and first career steps. She also speaks candidly of her romance with Barack Obama, her doubts about him running for president, and her life in the white house.

Educated by Tara Westover

This memoir is one of the best books we read last year or any year. Raised in an isolated area of Utah, with survivalist, religious fanatic parents, Tara Westover did not attend school until age 17. Her story of attending college without any formal education and not knowing about the Holocaust to finally earning a PH.D. is a story of personal triumph and the power of education. If you haven’t yet read this- don’t wait!

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

At first it seems as if this book is about a high school hockey team, but ultimately it is about a small town and the people who live in it. As in many small towns, sports are a tie that bind people together, until a tragedy divides the town and changes everything. The book explores human behavior and relationships at their best and worst.

The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan

Spoiler alert- this book is the equivalent of Hallmark Christmas movie. It is predictable, easy to read and goes down like candy. It’s set in a sleepy Scottish village, with sheep, a book bus, and a young heroine trying to escape life in London. Nina creates a new life by helping villagers find just the right book- who couldn’t admire that?

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

This book is for you if you like psychological thrillers. A wife shoots her husband and then goes silent, refusing to speak at all. A psychologist is determined to treat her and get her story. The plot twists and turns will keep you up at night. Brad Pitt has already bought the movie rights.

Lab Girl by Hope Jahren

This one is for science lovers. If you like audio books, it is read by the author herself, a brilliant award -winning scientist. Her memoir will open your eyes to the life and work of a scientific scholar as she discusses plants, soils and trees and her triumphs and missteps traversing the world of science.

The Overstory by Richard Powers

Another work relating to the natural world, The Overstory is a novel about trees and their power to unite us and divide us. We meet a wide cast of characters who all work in one way or another to understand trees, and to save us from the devastation of deforestation. Reading this book an ambitious undertaking, but if you choose to read it you will never see tress the same way again.

Circe by Madeline Miller

Miller does for Greek Mythology what Gregory Maguire’s book Wicked did for the Wizard of Oz – it gives the back story of characters in a famous tale. You know Circe from The Odyssey, the famous siren who lured sailors to their death. Now you can learn how the banished daughter of the Sun God Helios becomes the Circe of legend. Love, war, Gods, monsters, treachery, and betrayal it’s all here as Circe tells her version of the myths we grew up with.

Do you have any great book suggestions to add to this list? We would love for you to head over to our Facebook Groups Teacher Warriors or Thriving Young Teachers and share your ideas. We’re always looking for the next good book!

Our Best,

First Year Teacher Blues

November 22, 2019 by Inspired Together Teachers Leave a Comment

While friends and family view November in oranges, reds, and yellows, new teachers may experience November as blue. Yes, blue. As in first-year teacher blues. “I think I’ve got the blues” or “I am feeling blue” are common sentiments for new teachers in November.

For all teachers, especially those in their first year of teaching, November is not all pumpkin spice lattes and long walks in the leaves. For teachers, November is crunch time.

By November, your students are comfortable with you. They are settled into routines, which might mean boredom or a need for more variety. They may react by showing negative behaviors.

By November, you have survived all the beginning of the year meetings. You’ve dealt with learning new curriculum, parent- teacher conferences, progress reports and report cards. It is a lot.

By November, you’ve settled into a rhythm of writing lesson plans, grading student papers, and writing I.E.P.’s. You are trying harder and harder to to stay organized as the demands on your time and energy increase.

By November, you see your friends first enjoying free time while you are home trying to catch up with your never-ending work.

By November, you are feeling exhausted. You begin to question whether you are in the field or whether you actually have what it takes to do this job.

Ellen Moir and the New Teacher Center followed thousands of teachers throughout their first years of teaching. Their research has shown that new teachers tend to go through a similar set of six phases in their first year of teaching.

According to their research (and our own observations and experience confirm it), the end of November through the end of December is the toughest time for new teachers. This is when new teachers hit rock bottom.

But…it is all uphill from here! If you are struggling, you are not alone. It will get better. Here is why:

New Teacher Center image of phases of first year teacher attitudes. — Image via Ellen Moir and New Teacher Center

Moir and the New Teacher Center describe the first-year teacher’s attitude toward teaching in these six easy to understand phases:

Anticipation: This phase starts in student teaching and generally carries new teachers into the first week of school. The excitement they feel, along with the sense of purpose and wanting to make a difference, are high. The new teacher’s idealism is praise-worthy but they may have romanticized teaching just a bit.

Survival: This phase begins in the first month of school. There is so much to learn, and not enough time to learn it in. Even if they had great teacher preparation, new teachers begin to feel overwhelmed with the commitment, amount of curriculum to learn, and the day-to-day tasks that seem all-consuming. Though overwhelmed, the new teacher still is optimistic and comes to work excited most days.

Disillusionment: This phase is the most disheartening and is the reason we are giving this reminder in November. Look at the graphic. This is when new teachers hit their lowest point. After about 6-8 weeks of strenuous teaching, new teachers begin to question their ability to teach and their commitment to teaching. Behavior management often becomes a focus, as do parent-teacher conferences, and nerves about a first formal evaluation.

At this point when the new teacher feels like there aren’t enough hours in a day to get everything done, friends and family may begin to express their concern that the new teacher is spending too much time on their work and not enough time on their personal lives. It can be a “blue” fall for new teachers, but hope is right around the corner.

Rejuvenation: Hooray for winter break! This short break gives new teachers time to catch up on their rest, relaxation, sleep, laughter, family and friends. There is also time for reflection on the first half of the year and additional time to think of improvements for the second half. The new teacher’s attitude about teaching slowly starts to rise again for the first few months after the much-needed break. The feelings of defeat slowly subside to productive energy.

Reflection: Near the end of the year, new teachers have a chance to reflect back upon the year. As they think ahead about the following year, they focus on what went well and what can be improved upon for next year. They begin to develop a new sense of relief, and their general feelings are those of energy and anticipation for the future.

These phases, experienced by thousands of new teachers, help to explain why November, which is full of brilliant fall colors can actually can seem “blue” for new teachers. But these phases also help us to see that the winter break will bring about a more hopeful spring.

November is a time of first-year teacher blues. Rock bottom blues. But it gets better. Remind yourself why you became a teacher. Read this post to inspire you.

Hang in there, new teachers. Your attitude will grow uphill from here. We promise.

We’ve got a new free guide for what to say to students to improve classroom motivation and management. Interested? Grab it below!

6 Ways to Conquer Halloween Like a Teacher Warrior

October 11, 2019 by Inspired Together Teachers Leave a Comment

It is that time of the year…Halloween! Students are excited, even hyperactive and the days leading to and just after Halloween can be challenging for teachers. Here are some ways to enjoy the holiday while remaining sane amidst the sugar rush.

Know your schools Halloween conventions and protocol.

Does your school celebrate Halloween or attempt to minimize it? Some schools go all out with a Halloween parade in the gym and classroom parties. Middle schools and high schools may have bonfires or special pep rallies. In some schools, teachers plan special activities for a portion of the day but follow regular routines the rest of the day. In some schools, teachers and students dress up in costumes, in others they do not. Find out the expectations and then plan accordingly. You don’t want to be the only teacher to show up in a costume in a school that discourages holiday participation.

That said, in most schools, you can incorporate holiday themed activities into your classroom.

Have fun with it.

Students are going to be thinking about Halloween, you might as well enjoy it. Play haunting music during clean up time. Dress the classroom skeleton in a costume. Tell a Halloween joke. Put fun graphics on handouts or on the white board. Decorate your door (I dare you to come in…) or let students decorate the room. The promise of some time to decorate the room is often a great incentive to get students to focus on doing regular classwork the rest of the day.

Incorporate Halloween themes and words into your lessons.

Take a cue from our friend Esmé Raji Codell , author of Educating Esmé: Diary of a Teacher’s First Year. Among the subjects Esmé teachers are: “Puzzling” (math), “Mad Scientists Time” (Science), and “Time Travel and World Exploring” (Social Studies.)

Perhaps for a week you could teach “Mysterious Mystery Solving” or “Gory Grammar.” Could you devise a science lesson to take place in “Frankenstein’s Lab?”

Most teachers and students enjoy reading Halloween and fall themed stories. Older students might read classic Halloween literature such as A Tell-Tale Heart or “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Most students enjoy reading thrillers or mystery short stories. Build fluency by having student practice and perform a Reader’s Theater show with Halloween themed poems.

Let students learn and practice research and presentations skills by researching the origins of Halloween or on the symbols such as ghosts, vampires and bats. Students could research in the days before Halloween and share oral presentations on the actual day.

Here is a great word list to incorporate Halloween themed words into your classroom activities.

Remind students of expectations.

You don’t have to be a killjoy, but you will need to remind them and expect them to adhere to previously established expectations. Sometimes a quick reminder is all you need. Here is one possible script:

I know you are all excited and that this is a fun week. We can all still work hard and learn a lot. I have some fun things planned for us, but I need you to promise that you will continue to follow the expectations and rules we have already agreed upon.

Be sensitive to students’ needs.

Some families do not celebrate holidays or allow their children to partake in holiday themed activities. In most cases, parents will have discussed this with you ahead of time. One way to accommodate all children is to use secular themes. Rather than celebrating Halloween by having first graders count pumpkin seeds, you can talk about fall and harvesting fall foods while counting pumpkin seeds.

If your school does allow Halloween activities, make sure that activities and costumes are developmentally appropriate. Some children are easily frightened by scary costumes. Older children may enjoy a scare, but be sure it is safe for them to opt out. Make sure that there is no real violence or threat of real violence. Most schools ban costume props such as guns, swords and knives.

Use Halloween as an opportunity to talk about bigger issues.

Many students will participate in Trick-or-Treating. This is a natural time to talk about safety. Halloween also offers an opportunity to develop critical thinking skills. Younger students can discuss the difference between real and imaginary or fact and fiction. Older students might grapple with ideas such as how do our looks affect how we are perceived by others? What do Halloween costumes tell us about gender stereotypes? What is the economic impact of Halloween? Are there real things that can take over our brains?

The weeks around Halloween can be challenging, but with a little planning you can be a conquer the classroom like a teacher warrior!

Wishing you Halloween fun,

Have You Checked These Things Off of Your Summer Bucket List?

July 25, 2019 by Inspired Together Teachers Leave a Comment

With the midway point of summer break past, how are you doing on your summer bucket list?

We all have that list. The “This summer I will…” list. The “I’ll do it over the summer” list. The “I can’t wait until I get to…” list.

Here is a list of common summer bucket list items. How many have you accomplished?

Spend a day at a beach or pool. Swimming is optional but soaking up the sun and relaxing is the main event.

Read a good book, one that is just for fun. Maybe it is a mystery, thriller or romance, whatever floats your boat.

Spend time in a boat. Speaking of boats, as Water Rat said to Mole in The Wind in the Willows, “there is nothing–absolutely nothing–half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.”

Splurge on an ice cream treat. The kind you go out for with a friend, not the kind you grab from the freezer.

Spend time in nature. You might go for a hike, spend the day at a zoo or nature center or take a picnic to a park. If you are up for it, camping is a good way to get away from it all and be outside.

Go to a movie. What is your pleasure? Summer is your chance to see a first run movie, long before it gets to Netflix. Maybe we’ll see you at The Lion King. We’re also looking forward to The Art of Racing in the Rain, and Where’d You Go Bernadette. You get summer bonus points if you go to a drive-in movie.

Eat fresh picked corn on the cob. Really, is there anything better?

Make s’mores. As long as we are talking about food, s’mores around a campfire just screams “summer” so indulge at least once! Try it with dark chocolate with salted caramel or blueberries for a grown- up twist.

Go for a bike ride. It’s fun to tool around on a bike and you’re going to need it after all the ice cream, s’mores, and corn on the cob!

Go to a yard sale. We admit to being fans. The fun is that you never know what you are going to find. You might even find some things for your classroom. We wrote a guide to yard sales here and here.

Do a house or yard project. Have you wanted to start an herb garden in those cute pots you bought last spring? Do you have a yard sale bookcase that is waiting for a coat of paint? Now is the time.

Go on a road trip. Drive to see a family member. Go in search of a waterfall. Head to a tourist attraction. Turn up the radio, sing along and just go!

Attend a baseball game. It’s called America’s favorite pastime for a reason. Eat a hot dog and root for the hometown team!

Have friends over for a barbecue. This is the kind of easy, cheap entertaining we love to do in the summer. No one expects anything fancy, so toss some burgers on the grill and carve up a watermelon.

Go to a parade. Who doesn’t love a good parade? Put on your hat and sunglasses and watch the floats and bands go by.

Attend an outdoor concert or festival. Opportunities for outdoor music in the summer seem to be everywhere. It’s an inexpensive way to enjoy music in a fun atmosphere.

Check out the new kids’ books at the library. Spend a rainy afternoon at the library reading the new childrens’ books. You’ll be ready to recommend some good ones to your students, and you might even find a new favorite book to read aloud.

Visit a local tourist attraction. It is a sad but common truth that while we often visit all of the tourist attractions when we travel, we often haven’t seen the ones nearest to our homes! What is near you that you haven’t been too? Plan a trip.

Try a new recipe. Admit it, during the school year you just want to get something on the table. Flip through a magazine, cook book or Pinterest and find a new recipe or two to try. Maybe it will become a new favorite.

Go to a farmers’ market. In addition to summer’s finest bounty, you can often find music, fresh baked goods, flowers, artisanal cheeses and live music at a farmers’ market. There are often kid’s activities too!

Enjoy playing a sport. Summer baseball, softball and volleyball leagues are in full swing. Play golf or tennis. Or try your hand at some old-fashioned games like badminton, croquet or even corn hole!

Those are our summer bucket list activities. What have we missed? Are there any summer must-dos on your list? Let us know in the comments.

We hope you are enjoying your summer, spending time with friends and getting to do all of the things you don’t get to do during the school year.

Our best,

P.S. Are you ready for fall?

What would it feel like to…

Have everything ready and organized before the first day of school?
Create a beautiful and functional classroom space?
Finally have a system in place to organize and keep data and records?
Have your classroom procedures, expectations and rules clearly defined so students will be motivated, engaged and ready to work from day one?
Build good relationships with key people in your school as well as students and parents before school even starts?

It’s all possible with our new Start Your School Year Strong on-line workshop!

We’ll guide you through all the things you need to do

to get ready for the school year and hit the ground running!

We know that the beginning of the new school year is both an exciting time and a stressful one. There are so many things you need to do! You have to set up and organize your physical space, get your procedures and rules figured out, communicate with colleagues and parents, start lesson planning and get your data collection and grade systems set up. You need to understand your students’ IEP’s and arrange for accommodations. You need to learn the school’s learning management systems and grade portals. The list of things you need to do goes on and on.

You only get one chance to make a first impression. The environment and tone you set for students on the first day will have a lasting impact on how well your school year goes.

Setting up procedures and putting good systems in place before the school year even begins will help you to be less stressed, more organized and more effective overall.

No teacher wants to get off on the wrong foot and then spend several months trying to regroup and start over with different plans and procedures. You don’t have to be that teacher.

Learn more about our new on-line workshop Start Your School year Strong here.

This workshop is open for a limited time, why not get started today?

What Teachers Really Do Over the Summer

June 13, 2019 by Inspired Together Teachers Leave a Comment

We know what teachers really do over the summer.

Recently, we’ve seen Facebook posts from teachers that proclaim to the world, “Yay! Schools out! Three months of doing nothing!” These words are followed by a picture of a lounge chair and a Margarita. If not those exact words, the same sentiment is there in other posts. Now we can sit around and relax.

We don’t believe it.

We certainly don’t begrudge anyone some afternoons with a lounge chair and a Margarita. We hope to indulge in some pool side relaxation ourselves, though we are both partial to Mojitos rather than Margaritas. 😊

Yes, summer often does feel like freedom and we’ve earned some well-deserved rest and relaxation. Yes, we don’t have the exact same work hours. We get to spend more time with our family and even have time for coffee with a friend.

While the world is bemoaning that teachers have several months off, we would like to remind you and everyone else what teachers REALLY do over the summer!

Teach summer school

For the vast majority of our teaching lives, both of us have taught summer school. If not teaching summer school, teachers are often working in day cares, summer camps and community recreation programs. Somebody needs to be responsible for all those students when school is out for the summer and that somebody is often a teacher.

Attend summer school

If you aren’t teaching summer school, there is a good chance you are attending school. Teachers need to keep up their licenses and are required to take classes or attend other professional development opportunities. Many teachers work on advanced certifications or Masters Degrees. Unlike in the business world where corporations pay for training, teachers usually pay for this advanced training themselves. Much of this training happens in the summer.

Work a part-time job

It is no secret that teaching doesn’t make you rich. Many teachers work summer jobs in order to pay bills or save money for their graduate programs. Busy restaurants, bars and other tourist and hospitality industries depend on teachers to staff their shifts.

Read

We hope teachers are reading big fat beach novels and thrillers. We also know that they are reading things to improve their teaching and get new ideas. They are reading children’s and young adult novels so that they can recommend books to their students or find the next great read aloud. They are also reading manuals for new curriculum or the books they will teach in a new grade level or different school.

Move classrooms

Speaking of moving schools or grade levels, we recently polled our TYT Facebook community. We were amazed at how many teachers are moving, whether voluntarily or due to school changes. This requires boxing up everything, hauling it home or to a storage facility and then moving it to the new location. Then it is all unboxed and set up once again. Having done this several times, we know that it is work. Unpaid work.

Shop for their classroom

Summer is garage sale season and teachers are out in full force, looking for books, games and flexible seating options. Target has figured out that teachers spend a lot of their own money on their classrooms and they have responded with the Dollar Spot, an addictive little corner of the store that draws teachers in like magnets.

Spend quality time with their family and friends

Though we don’t like to admit it, family time often suffers during the school year. Teachers work at home on nights and weekends. They coach or work in after school programs. They lead school clubs and activities. Summer offers more flexibility and a little more breathing room. We have more capacity to spend time with the people we care for.

What about you? Do you engage with these summer activities? What would you tell the world about what teachers really do over the summer?

Our best,

4 Things that Should Be on Every Teacher’s Summer Reading List

10 Garage Sale Deals for Teachers

Make Summer School a Smashing Success

The Essential Thriving Teachers Summer Handbook

Share this:

Share this:

Know your schools Halloween conventions and protocol.

Have fun with it.

Incorporate Halloween themes and words into your lessons.

Remind students of expectations.

Be sensitive to students’ needs.

Use Halloween as an opportunity to talk about bigger issues.

Share this:

Share this:

While the world is bemoaning that teachers have several months off, we would like to remind you and everyone else what teachers REALLY do over the summer!

Teach summer school

Attend summer school

Work a part-time job

Read

Move classrooms

Shop for their classroom

Spend quality time with their family and friends

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