English & Language Arts Teacher BlogThis blog is for secondary English, ELA, and language arts teachers filled with lesson plans, humor, product recommendations, teaching ideas, tips, and tricks and much more! This week’s a good week for good choices! But First, A Chuckle! This show is this week’s recommendation, so more info in that section below! Helpful Stuff I know many of you are go-getters and doers but also keep in mind that it’s summer and as much as we want to check off everything in our to-do list, it just might not be possible to do EVERYTHING. Since I am at home most of the time with my 2 & 4 -yr-old boys, there’s not a whole lot of time for working, as you can imagine, lol. So what I’ve been doing to manage these lofty aspirations and goals is to choose one big thing per day that if I accomplish that would make it a successful day in my book. What one major thing done tomorrow would make it a win for you? Try it out and let us know how it goes! Don’t forget to tag us in your posts on Instagram as @shining_scholar_education and Facebook as Shining Scholar Education! Because through helping others, we all win! Recommendations As you saw in the video trailer above, I have to recommend this hilarious show called Abbott Elementary! Since Ted Lasso has finished, I was looking for a good show to help me unwind in my limited free time and this show is perfect, especially for teachers! Even though it centers around an elementary school, it still strikes a chord with teachers of every grade because the show’s teachers face the hilarious situations that we are all familiar with: fundraising, quirky students, parent conferences, lack of funding, etc. This fantastic show is available on Hulu.com. A Little Inspiration Here’s one of the best quotes from one of my favorite shows of all time, The Office (American version): I wish there was a way to know you're in the good old days before you've actually left them. -Andy Bernard Many of us are in one of the many seasons of good old days now so let’s enjoy them!
As always, please forward this to any teacher that could benefit from this message and help spread the love! Leave a comment with Facebook below or can always message us on Facebook here. Keep changing the world, Charlie with Shining Scholar Education P.S. Consider joining our TPT Affiliate Program for 25% commissions here! Want to join our email list? Click below! MS ELAR teachers Click here! HS ELAR teachers Click here! And check out our TPT store here! Hope you all are enjoying summer so far! Helpful Stuff
A lot of our mindset and attitude comes from the way to look at things. Some of these things we have on our plate are blessed responsibilities that others would really love to have. Think about all the responsibilities you have in your life. Not try reframing it in a way that really shows you what a gift it is. For example instead of saying I have to take the kids to the doctors appointment, thank, I get to take my kids to a doctor’s appointment. Yes, it’s across town, yes, they might get fussy on the way, but at least you have health care for your children, which is something that many many parts of the world do not have. Hope this helps! Recommendations In a past email I recommended a fantastic podcast called “My Unsung Hero” and this week I would like to recommend one episode specifically titled “Pierce Forde’s Story”. When Pierce was hurt in a motorcycle crash, a stranger stayed by his side. (Episode’s Spotify link)! A Little Inspiration Remember, we are aiming for progress, not perfection! So don’t beat yourself up over that stress-eaten cupcake. Or losing your temper with someone. Just do a little better next time. Maybe eat just half. Maybe take a 5-minute cool down period before you respond next time. The demand for perfection will sabotage you more than you know. So be compassionate with yourself while still striving to improve! As always, please forward this to any teacher that could benefit from this message and help spread the love! Leave a comment with Facebook below or can always message us on Facebook here. Keep changing the world, Charlie with Shining Scholar Education P.S. Consider joining our TPT Affiliate Program for 25% commissions here! Want to join our email list? Click below! MS ELAR teachers Click here! HS ELAR teachers Click here! And check out our TPT store here! Another week, another chance for improvement! Helpful Stuff
It is incredibly important to guard your mentality and attitude throughout the day and one of the best ways I’ve found to do this is to listen to pre-recorded audio messages I’ve spoken to myself. Yes, really! And no, I’m not crazy, lol. I record messages customized to my specific goals for myself as a father, husband, and teacherpreneur. I also include things I want to keep at the forefront of my mind: being grateful, being more patient with the people I love in my life, being more present when I am with people I care about, etc. Inspiration for my messages comes from anywhere: YouTube videos, podcasts, conversations with great people —anywhere! I use this wonderful app called “Philips Recorder” (which is available for both iOS and Android) to record these messages to myself. Then I listen to them *FIRST THING* in the morning while I’m getting ready for the day. I also truly believe that listening to these messages in your own voice really helps your subconscious mind absorb the messages, since I think our inner voice sounds exactly like our real voice! Try it out and let us know how it goes! Don’t forget to tag us in your posts on Instagram as @shining_scholar_education and Facebook as Shining Scholar Education! Because through helping others, we all win! Recommendations The “My Unsung Hero” podcast is a recent addition to my top 10 favorite podcasts! In short episodes ranging from around 4-6 minutes, you hear real-life stories from real-life people that have been affected profoundly & positively by others in so many ways. One episode that sticks out in my mind is Bill Price’s story, in which he was a young man of 15 years, in the summer of 1972. It was a reunion for the summer program for academically gifted students, which he had attended. When all his friends had left, Bill was left alone and felt abandoned while other groups were socializing around him. All it took was one girl (named Wendy Westman, he still remembers her name after all these years) and her kind act of inviting him to join her group to change his life forever. Bill says in his own words that this event inspired his positive trajectory in life. Through her kind actions, Bill came to the realization that we all have the power to be kind to someone. He is now a psychiatrist and states that part of his work is being kind to others. Perhaps the coolest part of this episode is that it ends with a call for Wendy Westman to reach out to the podcast to reconnect with Bill Price once again, since he has searched for her since that wonderful event but has not been able to find her. He wants to share with Wendy how her kind actions still positively affect him to this day. Now that’s a GREAT story! A Little Inspiration Remember: You are more powerful than you think you are. You are more capable of change than you currently realize you are. Remember these things as you set out to change the world and work towards your dreams every day. As always, please forward this to any teacher that could benefit from this message and help spread the love! Leave a comment with Facebook below or can always message us on Facebook here. Keep changing the world, Charlie with Shining Scholar Education P.S. Consider joining our TPT Affiliate Program for 25% commissions here! Want to join our email list? Click below! MS ELAR teachers Click here! HS ELAR teachers Click here! And check out our TPT store here! Hope you all are getting a much needed break even if it’s temporary or you’re teaching summer school! Helpful Stuff & Recommendations
With the school year ending for most of us, now would be a great time to jot down or journal reflecting on some changes you would like to make for next year. Maybe it’s how you assign homework. Maybe it’s when you do your grading so you maximize your free time. Maybe it’s how and when you communicate with parents so it’s respectful of your own personal time. We’ll revisit these changes when the school year starts back up. Use this time to really keep all those great ideas that will make next year better, more efficient, and more enjoyable for both you and your students! A Little Inspiration Even when you mess up or let yourself down, remember today’s not over yet. Even in the last 10 minutes of the day, you can do 10 jumping jacks, write the outline for that email you need to send, make a healthy snack before bed, and make at least the last few minutes for that day a success. This will do a lot for your perception of yourself. You will see yourself as more and more like a person that can be successful and does things that serve you and your goals. This is powerful. As always, please forward this to any teacher that could benefit from this message and help spread the love! Leave a comment with Facebook below or can always message us on Facebook here. Keep changing the world, Charlie with Shining Scholar Education P.S. Consider joining our TPT Affiliate Program for 25% commissions here! Want to join our email list? Click below! MS ELAR teachers Click here! HS ELAR teachers Click here! And check out our TPT store here! |
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