It's packing day! I am flying out for a trip tomorrow and will get back on Sunday. This is a trip I have been planning for a while, and I am really excited about it! Two years ago, I wrote a post on what to pack for a cruise (read it here ). Even though … Continue reading How to Pack a Carry-On
The big topic lately that I have been talking about on here is growth and goals and improvement. Since that's still on my mind, I want to continue talking about that. However, I want to talk about in a different way. An important part of having goals is the process of setting them. I want … Continue reading Setting Goals
It's summertime here in the States! As a teacher, I am not "working" during the summer, but that doesn't mean that I'm not working. I am always still working on me, and like any other time of year, I have projects that I'm working on. For me, summer is a time to reset. I can … Continue reading Glow Up
I don't pretend to be an influencer in any way. I don't have this fantasy where I think I'm more important than I am. But I have found these products that make my life a little bit easier and a little bit better. So I want to share them with you. Please note: I was … Continue reading 10 Self-Care Products I Love
Do you remember when you were younger and you were growing and how it seemed that your entire body hurt? Maybe or maybe not. Let me ask another question: if your wisdom teeth grew in impacted (I know mine sure did but hey what hasn't gone wrong with my mouth?), then maybe you remember how … Continue reading Growing Pains
Let's talk impostors today. No, I'm not talking about the Impostors on the game Among Us. I want to talk instead about the phenomenon that is Impostor Syndrome. First of all, we need to know what Impostor Syndrome actually is. The short version is that Impostor Syndrome is the belief that your abilities are not … Continue reading The Truth about Impostor Syndrome
You know what I've really been reminded of in the past month? How important it is to have boundaries for yourself. Boundaries can extend to almost anything. Your job, school, friendships, relationships, or even yourself. And I don't mean this to say that you shouldn't let anyone or anything in. I mean this to say … Continue reading Boundaries
I have to be honest here. I've been staring at my keyboard for a few hours now. I'm not sure which words I want to say first. If you come here from Facebook, then you're probably friends with at least one other member of my family. If that's the case, then you're probably aware of … Continue reading The Truth about Grief
Truthfully, I don't know how long this week's post is going to be. There's a lot going on that I don't really want to share. Everything is more or less okay. It's just a lot. Instead, I am going to share a story of something that happened yesterday and the reminder I got from it. … Continue reading Entitlement
It seems crazy to me that we're already in February! I feel like January always goes by slow, but this year it seems to have come and gone in a flash. By now you might've even abandoned your New Year's Resolutions. Hey, no judgment. It happens. Or you may think that your goals are too … Continue reading Self-Evaluation
I am ASHAMED I'm writing this post. Before this past weekend, I truthfully cannot tell you the last time I cleaned my hairbrush. It was awful, and I am embarrassed. But truthfully, I write this post as a guide for all of you. It took me a while to find something that would clean my … Continue reading DIY Hairbrush Cleaner
You've probably heard the saying "Practice makes perfect." While the sentiment is nice, I believe it to be completely inaccurate. I wrote a post last year on preparation and how I was preparing to take over for student teaching. I mentioned this quote then, but I'll mention it now too: "You practice how you perform." … Continue reading Practice
You ever have those days where nothing is necessarily wrong, but you just feel "blah"? That's kind of how today is for me. Minor annoyances and things, but nothing that really made the day good or bad. So as a result, I don't really know what to write about. And there has been no moment … Continue reading Blah Days
It is so crazy to me that I am wrapping up the last week of my first semester as an actual teacher. I could never have imagined how my first year of teaching would look, but truthfully, I wouldn't change it. I love the 7th graders that I teach, and I hope that they are … Continue reading What I Learned My First Semester of Teaching
I am proud of my work ethic. I work hard to get stuff done, and I know how to persevere when times get tough. A strong work ethic is going to say a lot more favorable things about you than a weak work ethic. It is important to do well and accomplish the things you … Continue reading Work Ethic
It's no secret that holidays look different this year. And truthfully, Thanksgiving seems almost like a slap in the face. We're supposed to be thankful? Really? After everything that happened this year? But even with everything this year brought, I'm still thankful. I learned a lot about myself this year. I've stretched my limits and … Continue reading Peace in the Time of Chaos
I don't want this blog to turn into just teaching stuff. What I am going to do for today is show you how to make a geodesic dome. While I did use this in my classroom, this is something anyone can do. A geodesic dome is not a flat dome. It makes little triangles as … Continue reading How to Make a Geodesic Dome
We have heard it so much this year, "These unprecedented times..." I know many people are over 2020. And yeah, truthfully, this year sucked. But the way I see it, we can't move forward without acknowledging the hardships. No real journey to progress is completely smooth. There are bumps, mountains, valleys, and a lot of … Continue reading End of Year Goals
Happy Election Day! If you live in America, make sure you get out there and exercise your right to vote. I promise you it's so important. I'm not going to post my political beliefs on here and tell you who you should vote for. It's up to you to do the research on what values … Continue reading My Homework Policy
I talked last week about how expectations can be good or bad. But you shouldn't let expectations define yourself or how you see people. This post is related to that in a sense. But it's also not. I know that doesn't make a whole lot of sense. A big thing I am learning is that … Continue reading Be Prepared for Anything
We all have expectations about different things. Sometimes our expectations are met, sometimes they are exceeded, and sometimes we are disappointed. That's life and that's how life works. I have expectations of my fitness goals. I honestly hoped that I would be farther along. When I started focusing more on my health, I hoped to … Continue reading Expectations
Apparently, September 29th is International Coffee Day. Now I know what you're probably thinking. I'm a teacher. I have to drink a lot of coffee right? Wrong. I've never liked the taste of coffee, even when you put everything possible in it. So with that in mind, I know a lot of people drink coffee. … Continue reading Teaching Survival Guide
I think I speak for most people when I say that this year is not what we expected it to be. So much has happened this year that has changed some norms and aspects of society. I like to plan ahead on most things, and honestly, part of me wasn't sure I was going to … Continue reading The Changes a Year Brings
This past Monday, America and some other countries celebrated Labor Day. Besides a day off of school and work, I wondered what is Labor Day? Why do we celebrate Labor Day? So, like any good historian, I set to find the answer for all of you. This story begins back in the late 1800s. To … Continue reading A History of Labor Day
I feel it's been a crazy couple of weeks. Nothing necessarily bad happened, but I'm continually reminded of who I am and where I'm going in life. One of my favorite quotes right now is "Work hard in silence. Let success be your noise." I feel that in my soul. I'm working and running myself … Continue reading On the Grind
I had a different post planned for today, but I can't, in good conscience, write it today. We're still seeing this pain, this injustice in the world. It's not excusable, and it's not acceptable. This outrage that sparked into a flame with the events that transpired in March doesn't need to stop. Changes need to … Continue reading Fighting Injustices
I feel like I keep having to mention posts I've already written, but they just keep being relevant! In August 2017, I wrote a post called "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff" (read it here). It talks about how I worry about life. News flash: I still worry, even three years later. But you know what, … Continue reading Don’t Sweat It
I talked a few weeks ago about the idea of overcoming perfectionism (read it here). I still absolutely feel that way, and what I want to talk about this week is directly related to this topic. The problem with perfectionism, as I mentioned a few weeks ago, is that if you can't get it immediately, … Continue reading Making a Comeback
This is a phrase I find myself saying all the time, whether to me or to my friends. "Be assertive!" I have found this to be such a helpful phrase in many situations of life. For me personally, I am very independent. I hate asking for help to the point where I will struggle along … Continue reading Be Assertive
I know I can be a perfectionist at times. While it can definitely be a good thing for certain things, it's not always the best. You might be like, "Why can it be a bad thing?" Well, I'll tell you. Perfectionism isn't just everything has to be done properly. Perfectionism is also wanting instant results … Continue reading Overcoming Perfectionism
Tomorrow, July 22, is Summer Leisure Day. Unfortunately, like I mentioned last week, things kind of got in the way of my summer plans. However, I still have found some time to enjoy myself. This past weekend, I was able to celebrate my graduation with friends and family. It was a great time, and I … Continue reading Summer Leisure
I'm back! It's nice to get out of town for a week, but it's also nice to be back. The summer is wrapping up for me, and I still have a lot that I feel I need to get done. I know this summer has been so crazy different because of the coronavirus and how … Continue reading Getting Away
As places begin to hopefully open where you are, one of the things that should be opening is the gym. Maybe you've gained a few pounds during quarantine (no judgment). Maybe you're like me, where you keep wanting to get in shape and know that the gym is probably one of the best places to … Continue reading A Beginner’s Guide to the Gym
I enjoy making art. I don't get to do it as frequently as I like, but I do still enjoy it. I painted a canvas over the weekend. It's this week's featured image, and I'll include it at the bottom like I always do. I'm so proud of how it turned out. I'll have to … Continue reading Making Art
As I mentioned two weeks ago, I do my best not to get overly political on here. But at the same time, I cannot be silent while so many are hurting. Again, this isn't about me. I know I speak from a place of privilege. I also know that I have a small but decent … Continue reading It’s Not “All Lives Matter”
For today's blog post, I want to tell a number of small, seemingly disjointed stories. But I promise they all connect, and I want to make my point at the end. I started looking up things for my future classroom on Pinterest. All I searched was "first year teacher middle school". I found a few … Continue reading Starting Small
I try not to be too controversial on here. I try to keep things upbeat, lighthearted, and educational. But I need to speak in this instance. If I try to keep quiet, then all I am doing is allowing the oppressors to win. Please note, today's post will be hard and maybe offensive. If I'm … Continue reading Black Lives Matter
Advice is something we all need at different points in our lives. Advice is also different based on the circumstances. So today, I want to provide you with a good list of advice that I have received or things I have learned to help you out in most situations. As always, the only story I … Continue reading The Best Advice I’ve Ever Received
If you know me, you know I have A LOT of Converse (16 pairs to be exact). Converse are versatile and work well on my feet. I wear them out and take care of them. That being said, I was helping a friend with a project over the weekend, and I was wearing a new … Continue reading How to Clean Converse
In America, and maybe some other places, quarantine and lockdown is beginning to end or at least ease. Whether or not you agree with the stance your state/country/city has taken when it comes to coronavirus is not the point of today's post. What is the point of today's blog post, then, is not about how … Continue reading Now What?
To the Class of 2020, I get this. In fact, I am in the exact same position as you. I was supposed to walk across the stage this past weekend with all my friends and receive my diploma holder. It was supposed to be a wonderful day. But that was just my hope. The reality … Continue reading To the Class of 2020
It's graduation time! I know it's a little different this year because of quarantine and the coronavirus. But it's still a time to celebrate those who (like myself) are graduating this year! With graduation at any level, there usually follows some kind of looking for jobs. I've posted before about job stuff (read it here) … Continue reading Interview Tips
It's been a long time coming! Months of research, writing, phone calls, emails, hours in libraries, nose in books, and eyes tired from the number of articles and newspapers I scoured, but it has all led up to this! For my undergraduate Honors program, the last big requirement is to write a thesis. It took … Continue reading What I Learned While Writing a Thesis
In keeping up with doing recipes, I wanted to share another one with all of you. I originally found this recipe on Pinterest. I make these very frequently, and even people who don't like lemon seem to love these. This recipe is incredibly easy and delicious!!! You Will Need: 9"x13" Glass panNon-stick cooking spray (or … Continue reading The BEST Lemon Squares
It's finally time! Last year, I taught myself how to make macarons. There were a lot of batches that didn't turn out right and a lot of wondering what went wrong. I have worked out the kinks to getting the shells right. The shells are honestly the hardest part. Filling them can be done with … Continue reading My Macaron Shell Recipe
I know that the Coronavirus is on everyone's mind lately. I can't say I blame you. It's pretty much all the news talks about, and many places have stay-at-home orders. I'm gonna be honest: this was not what I expected for most of March and April. I hoped to be student teaching and not at … Continue reading Blogging in the Time of Crisis
The coronavirus is causing many of us to be isolated and quarantined. For me, not only was my school canceled, but my entire student teaching was finished. This means that if the school were to reopen this school year that I don't have to return and make up my days. I can still graduate on … Continue reading Staying Sane while Quarantined
St. Patrick's Day is a very largely celebrated holiday, especially in the United States. But how did this Irish holiday come to be celebrated? Well, since most of the world is under isolation or quarantine, I thought I could share a history lesson with all of you. Maybe it will distract you from the chaos … Continue reading The History of St. Patrick’s Day
Student teaching has been one of the most rewarding but also exasperating experiences of my life. I am dealing with 140 students every single day. Some of the most valuable things I am learning have nothing to do with the content. Today, I want to share with you-- not necessarily tips because I know not … Continue reading Teaching 7th Graders
I've talked about stress before, but except for a post last month where I talked about how not to be stressed at a stressful job (read it here), I realized I've never done a post on how I handle my stress. So let's change that this week! I'm pretty stressed because of everything I have … Continue reading Handling Stress
It was nice to take a break, but it also feels good to be back. And if I'm honest, I'm right back into the fray. That break was short-lived. Sometimes life throws a series of punches at you. They're not always bad punches, but they are attacks nonetheless. My work just got a little more … Continue reading Rolling with the Punches
Fall Break for me starts at the end of this week! I am so excited to have a week off of school! I know some people can get up in arms cause teachers get "a lot of breaks". But truthfully, teaching is hard work. I deal with almost 100 teenagers every day. Not to mention … Continue reading Take a Break
One of the things that I pride myself on as a teacher is that I very rarely take work home. I have a few reasons and methods that help me achieve that goal. First of all, I use my planning time wisely. Since my school is on block schedules, I usually only have 2 or … Continue reading Closing Out
Something that has been on my mind lately is the idea of values. Every person has their own set of values and beliefs that shape who they are. As a teacher, I have values that I expect in my classroom. The biggest one I want and display in my classroom is respect. I don't care … Continue reading Values
Every day is a new beginning. I didn't start understanding and appreciating that until I started teaching, but this isn't something that just applies to teaching. When I was student teaching, my cooperating teacher told me that every day is new. That's such a cliche saying. But then I watched him practice that. He never … Continue reading New Beginnings
It has been a lot these past couple weeks. I did not write last week because there was a death in the family. But I'm here this week, and man do I have a lot to talk about! Respect has been on my mind a lot lately, and I am truthfully surprised I haven't done … Continue reading Respect
We all have expectations. It could be for the day, the week, the year, or even your life. I'm all about setting and going after goals. But, that bring said, sometimes we have to dismantle our expectations. For example, yesterday afternoon (Monday), I had my expectations of how the afternoon was going to go. I … Continue reading Expectations
I love doing things for obscure holidays! Tomorrow, August 11, is Presidential Jokes Day! As an avid history buff, I wanted to share the favorite jokes I have found! Even if you're not from the United States, hopefully you can find these jokes and quotes funny too! "Being President is like running a cemetery: you've … Continue reading Presidential Jokes
I have officially started my second year of teaching! It's so crazy to be back! A lot has changed, but a lot has also stayed the same. I've spent the time this summer working and learning, but I haven't forgotten about teaching. Teaching is like riding a bike. Once you know how to do it, … Continue reading Start of Year 2!
It is definitely a little difficult for me this week to try to get back into things. I got back from my trip late Sunday night, and was immediately forced to be thrown back into a routine. Monday morning I had to be at work pretty early. I was tired from flying in and from … Continue reading Welcome Back
