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
I feel like life gets in the way sometimes. We get busy with certain things and neglect others. Life is always a balancing act. It's important to balance everything you do. Doing too much, even if it's something you love, will wear you down and could destroy you. However, that being said, it is important … Continue reading Putting in Work
Teaching is one of the most stressful jobs out there. I'm not trying to criticize any other job. But every single day, I not only have to worry about my own stress, but the stress of all 140 of my students. If they lash out because of what they're feeling, then it becomes my problem … Continue reading How Not to be Stressed at a Stressful Job
I did a post back in November called "Why Education Matters" (read it here) when Red For Ed Day was happening. Now, almost three months later, I'm back to get on my soapbox! I'm student teaching middle schoolers (7th graders specifically) and it's a handful. I'll be honest though. I'm really enjoying it most of … Continue reading Why History Matters
I am starting my first full week of teaching and planning of student teaching! It's hard to believe that I'm already four weeks into this! A huge lesson that I am learning while student teaching is to understand I don't know everything. A strength and a weakness that I have is that I'm a perfectionist … Continue reading Accepting Criticism
As I prepare to step into teaching and take over the classroom, I think back over how I've gotten to this point. I planned lessons last week and have been working on more for next week. Planning one lesson a little over a year ago was a daunting task that often took a couple days. … Continue reading Preparation
This first week of student teaching has already been a whirlwind. I'm trying to learn the names of 150 7th graders, keep their names (and class) straight, and trying to learn them so that we can both benefit from this time together. I won't lie to you: I don't think this will be an easy … Continue reading Assuming Responsibility
Happy 2020! This has been a year I've thought about for a while. This is the year that I graduate from college and get a job based on my degree! That's so crazy to me! I said this last year, but the first post I do as a blogger (in my mind, at least) sets … Continue reading 2020 Vision
Last week, I hit a pretty large milestone for myself. I took my last ever final! Even though I am still technically a college student, I will not have to take any more actual classes or finals. All I have left to do before I graduate in May is complete my student teaching and write … Continue reading College
About a month ago, I wrote on my middle school practicum experience. I spent 4 and a half weeks in a high school classroom and I got to experience and love all of them. It was such a wonderful time, and I just enjoyed being in a high school classroom. I wanted to use today's … Continue reading My High School Practicum Experience
I'm in the last week of my high school practicum. I have been with 11th graders in high school for the past four and a half weeks. They're a lot of fun, and I am enjoying my time with them. But I don't want to talk about them today. Rather, I want to talk about … Continue reading The Biggest Difference Between my Middle School and High School Practicum
Last year, I did a post on gratitude and shared what I was thankful for. (Read it: https://battlekimoftherepublic.com/2018/11/20/gratitude/). This year, it's a lot harder to determine what to write because all the same stuff rings true from last year. However, there are a few things I want to add to this year's list: Teaching- This … Continue reading Thankfulness
Happy New Year! 2020 is over. I didn't expect the year to go the way it did, in both good and bad ways. I truthfully could not have planned to be in the place where I am now. But, that being said, I do recognize the growth I have accomplished in 2020. I'm not where … Continue reading 2021 Goals
What a year, huh? We made so many jokes about what 2020 would look like. And then 2020 came and flipped all of those jokes on their heads. No one could have expected this year to happen the way it did. But, somehow, we have managed to make it through. We may be a little … Continue reading Wrapping Up 2020
You have probably heard the phrase a number of times. "You can't teach an old dog new tricks." Most of the time, I HATE that phrase. The main reason I hate that phrase is that it's usually not true. You should never stop learning in your life. You should always br learning new things. There … Continue reading Trying New Things
