English & Language Arts Teacher Blog

Another week of touching hearts and changing lives!

Helping Students Develop Grit: A Teacher’s Guide Part 6:

Tip # 6: Teach Reflection

These are some of the strategies that I use with my kiddos to help them reflect on their personal and academic growth:

Journaling: Writing about challenges and successes helps students process their experiences and track growth.

Self-Assessment: Using rubrics or checklists lets students evaluate their strengths and areas to improve.

Goal Setting: Reflecting on goals and progress keeps students motivated and focused.

Peer Discussions: Sharing insights with classmates helps students learn from others and build persistence.

Prompted Reflection: Questions like “What was tough, and how did you handle it?” encourage deeper thinking about effort and strategies.

Try these out and let us know how it goes! Don’t forget to tag us in your posts on Instagram and Facebook!
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Check out this awesome YouTube video on how to make education videos on Canva!

​Also, many districts provide a FREE Canva account to their teachers so check with yours to see if you can enjoy all the benefits of the paid version at no cost to you!
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Because our headspace matters when we are trying to show up as our best selves for our students, our loved ones, and ourselves!

We’d like to think of this as a little bit like life coaching for teachers :-)

Here’s a beautiful stanza from the poem “Good Timber” by Douglas Malloch:

“Good timber does not grow with ease:
The stronger wind, the stronger trees;
The further sky, the greater length;
The more the storm, the more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
In trees and men good timbers grow.”

​​Sharing is caring—so please forward this to any teacher that could benefit from this message and help spread the love!

The goal of these messages is to help ourselves improve—for our students, for our loved ones, and for ourselves. 

You can always reply to this message or message us on Facebook here!

Keep touching hearts and changing lives!
Charlie with Shining Scholar Education
Our podcast is back—check it out!
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P.S.: Looking to monetize your educational content? Consider joining our TPT Affiliate Program for 25% commissions here!
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Happy new year! Hope you all had a great & restful break and got to spend time with your loved ones! 

Now let’s rev up for round 2 —2nd semester! 🙌
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The Word Play Hotel 😂

Helping Students Develop Grit: A Teacher’s Guide Part 5:

Tip #5: Give Feedback That Helps Them Grow

Good feedback can make a big difference. When students receive detailed feedback that points out specific areas to improve and how they can improve, they’re more likely to feel motivated. 

Here are some examples:

For Reading Improvement:

1. Perseverance with Challenging Texts
   Feedback: "You showed great effort tackling a tough text. Keep practicing breaking it into smaller parts—you’ll get better at understanding complex ideas each time."
   
   
2. Developing Vocabulary
   Feedback: "It’s okay to encounter words you don’t know. Each new word you learn builds your reading strength—keep adding to your word bank!"
   
   
3. Improving Annotation Skills
   Feedback: "Your annotations are improving. Next time, try adding a question about what you don’t understand. Asking questions is a sign of deep thinking."
   
   
4. Inferencing
   Feedback: "You’re making great connections between the text and what you already know. Keep practicing to find clues in the text—it gets easier with each attempt."
   
   

For Writing Improvement:

1. Revision Effort
   Feedback: "I see how much effort you put into revising this essay. With each draft, your writing is becoming clearer. Keep refining your ideas—it’s how great writers improve."
   
   
2. Using Evidence
   Feedback: "You found a strong quote to support your point. With more practice explaining how it connects to your argument, you’ll become even more persuasive."
   
   
3. Improving Organization
   Feedback: "Your essay structure is improving. The way you organized your ideas shows growth. Keep working on using transitions to guide your readers."
   
   
4. Grammar and Style
   Feedback: "Your sentences are starting to flow better! The effort you’re putting into sentence variety is paying off. Keep experimenting with different structures to strengthen your writing."

Remember all feedback should be Growth-Mindset-Oriented! Here are some examples!

1. Mistakes as Learning Opportunities
   Feedback: "I noticed a few errors, but they’re opportunities to learn. Each time you correct a mistake, your skills grow stronger."
   
   
2. Effort Over Talent
   Feedback: "Your improvement shows that hard work pays off. Writing well isn’t about being naturally good—it’s about practicing and refining your ideas."
   
   
3. Building Stamina
   Feedback: "You’re building reading and writing stamina. Each time you stick with a challenging task, you’re training your brain to handle even tougher ones."
   
   
4. Celebrating Small Wins
   Feedback: "You nailed the opening paragraph this time! Keep building on this progress—it’s all about improving one piece at a time."
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These can really make a difference for our kiddos! :) 

Try these out and let us know how it goes! Don’t forget to tag us in your posts on Instagram and Facebook!
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Disclaimer: None of this constitutes medical advice and if you are really struggling with sleeping please speak to your doctor about the best options for you! 

(The following links are Amazon affiliate links, but don’t worry, it does not affect your price at all. 🙂)

This might not come as a surprise to you, but as you can imagine most Americans do not get enough sleep. 

I’m sure we as teachers are in our own special category of getting even less sleep with everything we have to do for our kiddos day in and day out.

I’ve also struggled with getting enough rest in the past and that’s why I’m sharing with you these amazing ASMR playlists (which stands for autonomous sensory meridian response, which is what happens when you hear or see something that sends a tingle down your spine or gives you goosebumps) that I found on YouTube!

ASMR Playlist 1

ASMR Playlist 2

There are tons available and these are the ones that stood out to me the most, but just search “ASMR playlist” on YouTube until you find one that you really enjoy! 

These playlists along with Sleepytime Tea Extra (get it on Amazon here!) has really helped me get much better night sleep! 
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Because our headspace matters when we are trying to show up as our best selves for our students, our loved ones, and ourselves!

Another fantastic zen loan:

The archery teacher at the academy was renowned not only for his skill with the bow but also for his wisdom about life.

During a local competition, his most talented student hit three bull’s-eyes in a row, drawing cheers and applause from the crowd. Praise flooded in for both the student and the teacher.

Yet, the teacher appeared neither impressed nor pleased—his expression was almost disapproving.

Later, when the student asked about his reaction, the teacher replied, "You have yet to learn that the target is not the target."

BAM! 🤯

​​Sharing is caring—so please forward this to any teacher that could benefit from this message and help spread the love!

The goal of these messages is to help ourselves improve—for our students, for our loved ones, and for ourselves. 

You can always reply to this message or message us on Facebook here!

Keep touching hearts and changing lives!
Charlie with Shining Scholar Education
Our podcast is back—check it out!
​
P.S.: Looking to monetize your educational content? Consider joining our TPT Affiliate Program for 25% commissions here!