Can I share something with you? This year has been HARD – really, really hard. I have walked through some personal things that I never thought I would walk through. In my work, I have been stretched in ways that I didn’t know I could be stretched in. And. . . it seems like a hard year has also affected many in my closest circles. It’s definitely been one for the books. But through it all, I have found encouragement through supporting, sharing with, and encouraging others. That is why I have brought my personal life to my website – because one of the things I love to do most through Teaching in Blue Jeans is encouraging teachers.

Why did I share that with you? Because I know that many of you can identify with it. It has been a hard year in education. Actually, it has been a hard last few years. Teachers everywhere are feeling the effects of multiple hard years stacking up. Teacher burnout is high and teacher retention is low. And those who can’t retire but are too close to leave are feeling stuck.

If you are shaking your head, then keep reading because this post is for you!

You are Amazing!

Do you know what I see when I see a teacher today? I see an amazing, selfless person who is strong and perseveres. You guys, this profession is not for the weak! And despite being tired, ok – exhausted, YOU continue to show up day after day for your students.

I see someone who puts their students first, often to the detriment of their family and personal life. #Iamraisingmyhand The struggle to do everything you can for your students takes time and that often means time at home. If you are really good at putting boundaries in place and sticking with them, I applaud YOU! I am not good with this and so wish I was. This seems to be a yearly goal for me.

I see a change maker. Behind every influential person in our world and throughout history is a team of teachers like YOU! Your influence and guidance is molding and making the next generation of influencers (and I don’t mean in the social media sense)!

I see YOU and you, my friend, are nothing short of AMAZING!

Sharing My Blessing with YOU!

I so wish that I was independently wealthy. If I was, I would make sure that classrooms around the world have what they need. That educators earn what they are worth. That kids have all the necessary and not-so-necessary supplies and tools to make 21st Century learning fun and easy.

I’m sorry to say that I am NOT independently wealthy. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have things I can share with you. I can share my passion, creativity, and time through the resources I create. When I create I have two goals: 1 – to make learning fun and engaging for students so they don’t even realize they are learning; and 2 – to help you save time and energy by providing resources that you can rely on in your classroom.

Today I am excited to share two resources that I hope will make the upcoming days and weeks a little easier.

Would You Rather Writing Prompts for Winter

I firmly believe that one of the biggest hurdles we have as teachers when it comes to teaching writing is helping our students get comfortable with putting thoughts and ideas into written form. But this process doesn’t come naturally for many people. It takes practice to be able to allow the words to easily flow from the brain to the paper.

When our kids can do that, it is so much easier to help them polish their writing and put it into a variety of different forms. But we first have to help our students get there.

Daily writing is a great way to do this. And here’s the key – it doesn’t have to be a long, drawn-out process. We don’t have to take every writing piece through all the stages. AND. . . we don’t have to grade for grammar, spelling, and punctuation either. Sometimes we just need to let our kids write.

These Would You Rather writing prompts are perfect for this. The prompts are fun and sometimes even silly. Kids love choosing and supporting their choices. {They don’t even realize they are learning how to support an opinion or write persuasively}.

Math Fact Fun!

Are your students working on multiplication facts? I’ve got a fun practice activity they will love! I know that’s a big statement but I really believe your students will love it!

I had one teacher email me after using this resource and tell me that she had a 100% homework completion rate and that her students had never completed their homework as quickly as they did when she assigned a digital mystery picture.

So what is a digital mystery picture for math facts?

It’s math fact practice with a revealing picture. Part mystery, part pixel art, pure engagement! Students of all ages love guessing what the picture will be as it reveals itself through their answers.

What I love most is that students get immediate feedback. If the student’s answer is correct a few pixels from the mystery picture appear. If the answer is incorrect, the box turns red and the student knows they should try again.

Take a look at one in action:

Grab Both of these Resources for Your Classroom

You can grab both of these resources to use in your classroom by filling out the form below.

Thank you for all that you do.