Teaching to the TOP

049. Time Management Tips For the Holidays

048. Bridget's Week in the Life - In-Class Teaching

Join Bridget as she tackles getting ready for Thanksgiving break and working in-person during a pandemic. Listen to how she struggles with teaching during COVID and how she works to overcome challenges and stressful times. SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW Are you subscribed to our podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. Click here to subscribe to iTunes ! Now if you’re feeling extra loving, We would be really grateful if you left us a review o...

047. How to Press the Reset Button in Your Classroom

Let’s be honest with ourselves… one of the hardest parts of organization is the upkeep and the maintenance. Eventually, you start letting things slide and your system starts to fall apart. It’s human. But you have to acknowledge this when it happens and press the reset button to get yourself back on track. Today we are going to give you some strategies for pressing the reset button in your classroom, whether you are teaching in-person or virtually

046. Michelle's Week in the Life - Virtual Teaching

045. The REALITY of Establishing Balance

044. How to Write Sub Plans During a Pandemic

With so much uncertainty right now, we have to think about the what-ifs. What if we get sick? What if we have to quarantine? The majority of schools are asking teachers to plan for those what-ifs and create sub plans that can last from anywhere between 5-10 days. To help you with this process, we’ve come up with 10 tips on how to write sub plans during a pandemic. TIPS FOR WRITING SUB PLANS DURING A PANDEMIC Tip #1: Have materials in an easy to find location in your room (make this obvious!) Tip...

043. The Secret to Staying Positive During Tough Times

2020 has been a trying year for so many people and in so many ways. During times of uncertainty, frustration, and constant change your mindset can struggle to be positive on any given day. We have also felt a level of sadness and irritation this year, but we have also found strategies and coping mechanisms that have aided us to stay afloat and get things done. In this episode we are sharing our struggles with staying positive but also what has worked for us. Bridget’s Struggles Michelle’s Strugg...

042. The TOP Teaching Tools You MUST Be Using if You’re Teaching In-Person or Virtually

We all have our go-to items that get us through the day. Since the spring of 2020 we have definitely had to make some changes in what and how we use our everyday tools. Today we will share 7 digital tools that you must be using whether you’re teaching in-person or virtually! Be Sure to listen along to hear how we use these tools on a daily basis! OUR TOP 7 TEACHING TOOLS Google Tasks Google Keep Digital planner Google Sheets Bookmarks on your internet browser (Chrome) Screen recording Virtual wh...

041. How to Embrace Being Flexible this Year

2020 is the year of flexibility. Once we get going and things are looking great, new plans, different situations or a complete game plan change happens in the blink of an eye. One thing is for sure, teachers like routine and stability, but how can we possibly build any of this when we don’t even know what this year has to hold? We know that the year has been stressful and let’s be honest with one another, a lot of the time we don’t even want to think of the possibility of change because it only ...

040. Our HONEST Thoughts on Teaching in a Pandemic

This year we are all trying our very best to put a smile on each day and get through all the changes and uncertainty that the year brings. In this episode we share our brutally honest thoughts on teaching during a pandemic. Join us as we share the positives, negatives and how we are working to make it through the school year. SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW Are you subscribed to our podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. Click here to subscr...

039. Our Biggest Back-to-School Mistakes

It’s fair to say that we have all made mistakes in our life. While we hate to make mistakes they help to make us better when we choose to learn from them. In this episode we are sharing two BIG mistakes that we have made when heading back to school. While we share our two mistakes we want you to keep one thing in mind: KISS, Keep It Simple Stupid. Teaching can often feel like a competition instead of a collaboration and while this is not done intentionally, it can manifest in so much that we do ...

038. Simple Strategies That Will Transform Your Teacher Productivity

The beginning of the year can be overwhelming, especially this year. Once summer comes to an end, finding a routine that gets you focused on school can be difficult. Today, we are sharing FIVE simple strategies that you can implement in order to transform your teacher productivity. 5 SIMPLE STRATEGIES THAT WILL TRANSFORM YOUR TEACHER PRODUCTIVITY Strategy #1: Create a Power List for the Day Strategy #2: Complete a Technology Check Strategy #3: Follow the 2-Minute Rule Strategy #4: Take 5 Minutes...

037. Establishing a Functional Workspace (No Matter Where You're Teaching)

This year is unlike any year that we have taught, whether you are teaching in-person or virtual. As a result of the changes this year, we have to rethink our workspaces. Some of us are creating workspaces at home and others are having to redesign their classroom layouts in order to accommodate the new guidelines or needs. Whatever the case, your workspace is like your hub or home-base, and it is more important now than ever before to define your space so that it works for you and the ever-changi...

036. Q&A: Your Productivity Questions Answered

We get countless questions regarding how we manage to do it all . From getting things done to managing our teaching careers with our passions and businesses, we share it all! In this episode, we are answering YOUR questions, but because we had so many, we have organized them into three separate episodes. This is the third in our Q&A series. Be sure to check out Episode #030 where we answer your time management questions, and Episode #032 where we discuss our organization tips. In this episod...

035. Reduce Your Paper Flow with One Simple Change

What if we told you that we have a BIG secret that will help you to reduce your paper flow, keep you more organized, and allow you to gain access to just about anything you may need from anywhere? Our secret that can completely change how you use paper is to go DIGITAL! That’s right. Going digital can solve just about any of the problems you may be having. We know that it can seem overwhelming and frustrating at times, but with time, knowledge and commitment, going completely digital can make a ...

034. How to Simplify Back to School (and Save Money)

August and September is Back-to-School season. There are constant reminders and the desire to get new items to fill out classrooms and prepare our kids for heading back into the classroom. However, this season can be busy and costly. Between purchasing new items for your classroom and for your kids at home, everything adds up at the end of the day. Your time is being pulled in several different directions all in the hopes that the first day of school goes smoothly. But… we think we have some tip...

033. Beginning of the Year MUST-HAVES (Even in a Pandemic)

This year is totally different than any of us could've ever imagined. In fact, things may still be changing by the minute. We know that this is overwhelming no matter if you are in person teaching or teaching online; both of these formats have their own challenges. We also know that on top of being overwhelmed, you are probably feeling as though you have no control over anything right now, but we can assure you that there are some things that you STILL have control over. When you focus on what y...

032. Q&A: Your Organization Questions Answered

We get countless questions regarding how we manage to do it all . From getting things done to managing our teaching careers with our passions and businesses, we share it all! In this episode, we are answering YOUR questions, but because we had so many, we have organized them into three separate episodes. This is the first episode has already been released, you can listen to episode #029 to hear all about how we manage our time management. In this episode we are sharing your organization question...

031. The Habits You SHOULD Be Building This Summer

There are those books that we’ve all heard of and read. Books like Twilight, Harry Potter and Fifty Shades of Grey (we know… so scandals!). However, the book that we want to share and discuss today is not as controversial as Mr. Grey, but it’s one that is very common in the category of self-discovery. To give a short summary, Stephen Covey is the author of the high acclaimed 7 Habits of Highly Effective People . This book outlines 7 habits that Covey believes are necessary to become an effective...

030. Q&A: Your Time Management Questions Answered

We get countless questions regarding how we manage to do it all . From getting things done to managing our teaching careers with our passions and businesses, we share it all! In this episode, we are answering YOUR questions, but because we had so many, we have organized them into three separate episodes. This is the first of three episodes and we are going to answer all your time management questions. ANSWERING YOUR TIME MANAGEMENT QUESTIONS: Below are the questions we have answered. Even if we ...

029. Michelle's Week in the Life - Summer Edition

We all have different seasons in life that we experience. This can be both literally and figuratively. As the seasons change, we have to change our schedules and routines. So while we may find a routine or schedule that works initially, it may not always stay that way. Listen to Michelle as you join her in a week in the life summer edition. She will talk you through planning out her days in order to reach goals in her business and on giving back to herself both mentally and physically. She will ...

028. Bridget's Week in the Life - Summer Edition

We all have different seasons in life that we experience. This can be both literally and figuratively. As the seasons change, we have to change our schedules and routines. So while we may find a routine or schedule that works initially, it may not always stay that way. Listen to Bridget as you join her in a week in the life summer edition. She will talk you through planning out her days in order to reach goals in her business and how to do this while having kids at home. She will share some succ...

027. Our Motivating and Energizing Summer Routine

There is something about summertime and the heat, especially, that seems to zap the energy out of you. Let’s be honest, who wouldn’t want to spend their days lounging around the pool reading a great book. However, the lazy days seem to bleed together leaving you feel unproductive and ill-prepared for the upcoming school year. We are in a new season of our life. Yes, we are talking about summer, but it is also important to know that seasons also relate to where we are in our lives; the circumstan...

026. Tips for Organizing Your Digital Life

Before the world was sent into a world-wide pandemic, many of us were content in our lives as paper-loving teachers. Suddenly, our world shifted and many of us were forced to accept the digital lifestyle. But instead of focusing on the inconveniences and the problems with everything moving to digital, we have to shift our mindsets and adapt by finding ways to overcome our grievances. Today, we are sharing some small changes that you can make in order to better organize your digital life. By taki...

025. Top 3 Things That Worked for Us In Quarantine

When you are thrown into new situations you cannot help but feel as though all the systems, routines and procedures you have created for yourself no longer function on your behalf. What once was a life that had some order and consistency has been thrown for a complete loop and left you feeling defeated. COVID-19 has caused so many teachers to feel hopeless and in need of a new routine. Hours have been spent searching for what new technologies can aid us in successfully doing our jobs. In this ep...

024. Our Experiences in Quarantine: Struggles and Victories

We have to be honest with you all. When word was getting out that school may start to shut down, we were actually a little excited. Now hold on! We had NO idea what this was all going to turn into, but originally, we thought this was a chance to catch-up on things and to have a break. Fast-forward three months and here we are, still in quarantine-ish and trying to make it through to the end of the school year. That said, we’ve experienced some struggles and some victories during these last three...

023. Tips for Creating a Work-Life Balance

Creating a work-life balance is something we, as teachers, have always strived for. It is something that before the pandemic of 2020 hit us, was something that was challenging. Now, working from home we are realizing that establishing a work-life balance is harder than ever before. Before, we had a clear line between work and home. We would wake up, go to work, leave work, and be home. Now, we work from home and live with work. The lines are blurry. Today, we want to share with you some tips tha...

022. A Week in the Life of a Teacher

Listen in with Bridget as you join her for a week in the life of distance learning, being a mom, a wife and running two businesses while in grad school. Bridget talks all about projects and how she plans on managing those projects during the week in order to accomplish her big goals. SUBSCRIBE & REVIEW Are you subscribed to our podcast? If you’re not, I want to encourage you to do that today. I don’t want you to miss an episode. Click here to subscribe to iTunes ! Now if you’re feeling extra...

021. Get a Head Start on the Next School Year Using ONE Simple Trick

We are getting so close to the end of the school year and with all the things that take place during the end of year, it's important that we begin planning for what the summer will look like for us and how we can best set ourselves up for starting the next year stress free and seamlessly. If you are like so many teachers out there, you may not have access to your classroom the entire summer, and this means that you need to be even more prepared before you leave at the end of the school year. We ...

020. Our TOP Secrets for Ending the School Year (Stressfree)

In our experience, there are two types of teachers when it comes to the end of the year. There are teachers who have everything packed up and their room is bare a few weeks before the school year even ends, and there are teachers who are staying several days after the school year ends to finish packing up their room because they didn’t get anything done ahead of time. We want to help you find the happy medium. This means not starting too soon but also not waiting until the last minute to be read...