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! Hope you are all back and feeling refreshed! Some of us may also be sounding down until the next break—and that’s OK! 😂 Helpful Stuff TolentinoTeaching is a wonderful Youtube channel for secondary English teachers by English teacher Brian Tolentino. One of his best videos is his “Learn 3 SAT-Vocabulary Words in 3 Minutes!” where students are taught 3 SAT vocabulary words, write down & study them, then get quizzed on their meaning with images and multiple-choice questions! Recommendations Check out this AMAZING (and FREE) Literary Analysis Graphic Organizer by fellow TPT’er Lindsay Ann Learning - Secondary English Resources! In her own words, this product will: “Teach literary analysis with confidence! Your students will learn a successful pattern for thesis statement writing and close reading with these time-tested literary analysis graphic organizers!” 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! A Little Inspiration  Keep those that support you close to you and remember to reciprocate! :)
As always, 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. 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 are enjoying the much-deserved break! Helpful Stuff & Recommendations Here are 21 great teacher relaxation tips from our friends over at gradeschoolgiggles.com! 1.Read a book Escaping a long day by snuggling up with a good book can be a great way to relax. 2. Do a craft Getting creative with some crafting can be a great way to bust stress and have fun. 3. Get a massage While getting a massage may not be an everyday stress reliever, it can make a world of difference. 4. Take a hot bath Pour in the bubbles and combine it with some good music, a favorite candle, and a riveting novel, and let your stress melt away. 5. Talk with a friend Sometimes a good heart-to-heart vent session with a close friend is exactly what’s needed to let go. 6. Go out for dessert and coffee Yum. A change of scenery can make a world of difference. Try relaxing over a nice dessert and a steaming hot cup of your favorite drink. Bring a friend or go alone, but savor the treat lingering over the flavors and scents as you relax. 7. Get outside Speaking of scenery, getting outside can do wonders for your soul. Take a drive to somewhere scenic and go hiking. Look out at the view and take in just how amazing this world is. 8. Explore aromatherapy Scents are tied to memories and emotions. Try adding some essential oils to your bath or slathering on your favorite lotion. Explore what scents help you unwind. 9. Get your nails done (Guys do this too!) Sometimes a little pampering can really boost our moods. Looking down at your pretty nails might just make you smile. Plus, getting them done is pretty fun too. (Doing them yourself works too.) 10. Laugh so hard you cry Laughter is great medicine. A good laugh can turn a bad day around. Is there a movie or a specific comedian’s act that makes you laugh so hard you cry? 11. Take a walk or exercise As little as 5 minutes of moderate exercise can boost your mood. Walking, running, or working out can all help us release stress (). 12. Put on some music and clean the house Tackling a job can make us feel accomplished. Pick a small area where you can see a visible difference, turn up your favorite tunes, and revel in your accomplishment. 13. Play a mindless video game or an app on your phone Have you ever found yourself perseverating about something hours after it happened? Vegging out with a mindless video game or app on your phone might help you break your train of thought. 14. Practice meditation There are some great apps for phones that can walk you through different meditations. You can find guided meditation apps or just background music. Either way, meditation can be a great way to get in touch with your feelings and calm any anxiety you might have. 15. Yoga Yoga combines the benefits of meditation and exercise. It’s a great way to relax your mind and your body. It’s also great because it can be as gentle or strenuous as you want. 16. Put on your favorite song and dance around like no one’s watching You know those scenes in the movie where someone is dancing around in their pajamas, sliding around in their socks, and singing into their hairbrush like an off-key hyena? Let go. Be silly and just get into it. 17. Binge watch a good show Mmmm…popcorn. Add a fluffy blanket and a good spot on the couch, and an evening of T.V. can be a relaxing end to a busy day. 18. Pray When the things we’re stressed out about are totally out of our control, worrying doesn’t change anything. Sometimes the best thing we can do is pray for guidance and trust that we will make it through the storm. 19. Turn your shower into a steam room Turn the water on high and point it away from yourself. Let it get all steamy, and pretend you’re at the spa. 20. Linger over a cup of tea A hot cup of Earl Gray is my vice. Taking a few minutes to linger over a cup of tea: breathing in the hot steam, smelling the aroma, and sipping mouthfuls of its creamy goodness as I rock on my front porch is bliss. Sharing it with a friend is even better. 21. Play something silly with your kids Connecting with your loved ones can provide a huge mood boost. Doing something silly with your kids that gets you laughing is a great way to leave work behind. 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! A Little Inspiration  As always, 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. 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! The countdown for the breaks is on so let’s really make every day count! Helpful Stuff & Recommendations The following links are Amazon affiliate links, but don’t worry, it does not affect your price at all :). These amazing laminating sheets (100-Pack Self-Adhesive Laminating Sheets by Office Square, Self-Seal, No Machine Needed, Letter Size, 4 Mil Thick) have been a game-changer for my classroom. They are about twice as thick as the laminating machine at my school, making my signs and classroom forms waaaaay more durable! Here’s a pic of a laminated “closed” sign I hang on my metal classroom door so students know that it is my conference time and may not be in my room.  Check out this video tutorial and use this free TPT template to get started! I had a ton printed in about 30 minutes, saving me much more time in the long run by not having to handwrite them all!
Or you go print your own custom Post-it 50-sheet pads for about $4-$5 (they offer lower prices per unit if you buy more than 1) on Vistaprint. 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! A Little Inspiration Let’s remember that even when our jobs are not so inspiring, there are some people that could only dream to be in our shoes. This is not to belittle nor downplay what serious issues may be going on with your work, let’s just keep everything in perspective. 🙏 As always, 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. 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! Greeting Because what we do MATTERS! But First, a Chuckle! Devin Siebold "Substitute Requirements Then and Now" Helpful Stuff I recently discovered that my wild dream of printing on Post-it sticky notes can actually happen!  Check out this video tutorial and use this free TPT template to get started! I had a ton printed in about 30 minutes, saving me much more time in the long run by not having to handwrite them all! Or you go print your own custom Post-it 50-sheet pads for about $4-$5 (they offer lower prices per unit if you buy more than 1) on Vistaprint. Recommendations What teacher has everything they need? I know as both a teacher and a parent that supplies and other necessities often come out of our own pockets. I also know that there are parents out there that are eager to help in any way they can because they see how much hard work and time you dedicate to their children! Aaaaaaand with Christmas (and other holidays) just around the corner it would be fantastic to have a list ready to go! Check out this amazing article on how to create a teacher wish list on Amazon! Pro tip: your list’s shipping address may be visible to the buyers (especially if you allow purchasing from Amazon’s third-party sellers) so I recommend using your school address to receive gifts from your list! :) Check out our Amazon Gift List for ideas and inspiration! 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! A Little Inspiration  I recently discovered the website enddd.org (which stands for End Distracted Driving) and I came across a shocking statistic: even though most parents say they want to keep their children safe and would do anything to do so, 70%-80% of their children reported that their parents drive while distracted, inherently putting their children’s safety at risk.
This was a shocking to me as it was disheartening. But we can always do better and information is key! That's why I've included this image all over my classroom, in this email, and I have shared it with students to pass along. I have also sent it to friends & family regardless if they have children or not because they share the road with children. As always, 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. 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! |
Archives
February 2026
Categories |
RSS Feed