theeverydayteach There have been many years during my teaching career that I felt “not into it”, more on the negative side, and even thought about quitting teaching altogether. (Don’t worry, I’m still here, chugging along!) However, I have learned that if you don’t put in a little bit of effort to keep yourself updated and fresh, you WILL start to feel a bit stale (or even bored) with your classroom or lessons. Here are a few things I do to keep me going as a Family and Consumer Sciences Teacher!
1. FRESH Writing Utensils and Planners – For anyone who knows me, I am a LOVER of a good writing utensil, highlighter, etc. This coupled with a new planner makes me feel extra organized and ready to take on the school year. Don’t underestimate the power of a good colored highlighter! My favorites are the Mildliners, pastel highlighters, Sharpie pens, and the Ink Gel pens!
2. Updating Your Favorite Activities – New fonts and clip art can make a big difference! As I work my way through activities, I usually make notes for myself of things that worked well and things that didn’t go as planned. Then, I update my activities as needed and add a bit of flare to them with new colors, fonts, and clip art. I recently updated most of my Vital Signs Unit which was not a huge time commitment but makes things look a little bit nicer. I have also been updating the fonts on my vocabulary puzzles, adding some extras to my all-time favorite food additives activity… Name That Snack!
3. Personalized Touches – Since I do not have one main room, sometimes making your room feel cozy can be difficult! I started doing little things such as putting up LED lights and adding my little succulents to the classrooms were easy, not in the way of the other teachers who shared my space, and the students enjoyed the touches, as well. In fact, they like taking care of the plants and making sure they get water when needed 🙂 Also, personalized notepads give me LIFE!
4. Networking with Other Teachers – Last week, within a 30 minute PD session, I had the chance to work with a teacher from another content area, and we swapped AT LEAST five new ideas to implement into our own curriculums. Teacher conversation is the BEST way to see what others are doing in their classrooms, share your awesome ideas, and update your own content! Adding yourself to a Facebook group or checking out a Pinterest or instagram can all give you new ideas for your classroom.
Drop your great tips and tricks, below!
