Whenever I met with my middle school English department, sat down with a colleague to collaborate, or simply talked to other others that teach any type of writing, the question would always come up: “So, how do you teach the essay anyway?” The academic essay is often largely subjective in terms of skill sequence and design involved in a unit plan. As I get the opportunity to work with more and more teachers, I find that this type of assignment is largely assigned based on the teacher’s own personal learning experiences, the teacher’s experiences with their mentor teacher, or a commonly known set of skills that everyone thinks is accurate. I am not saying that my way to teach any academic essay is better than anyone else’s method of teaching the essay. This post serves as a starting point for a larger discussion about how the genre of academic essays is implemented throughout the various grade levels. The goal should always be consistent. For the sake of this post, I am going to use the Six Traits of Writing as a common language to talk about how writing is taught in a classroom. I like the six traits of writing because all of the terms used can apply to many different types of writing. Throughout this post, you will find examples and tips on how to approach each part of the academic essay.

Interested in using any notebook or journal to make life more positive? I have found that people use a notebook or journal for six different reasons: productivity or planning, expressing emotions or feelings, reflection, setting goals, learning something new, and getting inspired. The best part about journaling is that you can design a system that works for you. You do not have to have the perfect planner-you can create one! You do not have to wait to find joy-it can be found within the pages of your notebook! This post offers a basic introduction to the WHY behind journaling and also an overview of how to SETUP your notebook to get you off on the right track. You can choose how you learn throughout the post: 1.) Watch the Youtube video 2.) Review the Google Slides presentation on your own 3.) Listen to me walk you through the presentation through the Loom link.

Positivity is something we have to actively seek even when it isn’t easy. It is important to have a strategy to know how to shift from a negative place to a more positive one. This shift is known as a mindset shift because we can choose to voice our feelings, state our goals, and come up with a plan that is obtainable. You are literally shifting from a negative place to a positive one with a specific set of steps. A mindset shift can be used for a variety of reasons:

• You woke up in a funk

• You don’t feel like getting out of bed

• You are having a bad day where it feels like one thing after another

• You don’t want to work out

• You are dreading doing something

• You are struggling with motivation or procrastinating on a project

• You are completely overwhelmed

• You are cranky and no cup of coffee is helping

This post contains a quick video tutorial on how to do a mindset shift in any notebook or journal. You can also get some ideas of when to use a mindset shift from the informational slides that follow.

I often get the Sunday scaries during the school year. Sometimes, I even get summertime Sunday scaries just because my system-body and mind-have become accustomed to expecting what the coming week will hold. One strategy that always helps whatever level of scaries I am dealing with is the organization and planning of my upcoming week. I have planned my weeks for a long time now on Sundays. It has become a Sunday morning tradition where I will look to the week ahead as a fresh start, a way to get ahead, or just a way to find some time to relax. This post contains a quick Youtube tutorial that shows you 3 different examples on how to plan your week. You will also find some more weekly layout examples in this blog post and detailed directions on how to use any notebook or journal to plan your best week.

I became a teacher in 2010. I decided that I wanted to go into teaching when I was in high school, and I have never looked back…until now. When I started Writing Mindset in 2017, I wrote about the frustrations that happened within the field of teaching. Things like grading, lesson planning, and feeling like I was running a never-ending race of papers, emails, and strategies to reach young readers and writers. I always felt like I belonged in my classroom, if only I could get the amount of paper under control or figure out how to self-care my way out of stress. 12 years is a long time to try to get the balance thing right, and the secret is, that there is no balance.

Teaching is a work of the heart.

At first glance, the Passion Planner system is one that does not look like it could adapt to different types of planning and journaling. It comes with a printed layout, and using the weekly planner I have, the times are already filled in. However, after looking at some creative posts on social media, finding some awesome stickers, and using markers in new ways, I have been appreciative of how easily the Passion Planner can adapt to my needs. I just recently stopped tracking all things baby. We have a full blown TABY (toddler-baby) and her schedule is far easier to predict at this point. I have entered a season in life where I am declaring boundaries on work, and then looking at how I am taking care of myself physically, mentally, and emotionally. This post outlines how I am focusing on using my Passion Planner to become a health journal. My health journal will include a daily focus, routines, steps, exercise goals, water intake, self-love statements, and more. This post will also give lots of inspiration for creating your own health journal.

“Something has to happen…” This is what I said to one of my teaching colleagues at school regarding the level of stress, burnout, and fatigue that we were all experiencing.

I have said this in previous years, but now going into a full two years this March of teaching in a pandemic, alterations need to be made to my strategies of self-care that are realistic and adjust to the new normal of teaching and motherhood. My life has changed in a multitude of ways in the past two years.

1.) Virtual teaching and the Covid-19 pandemic created an atmosphere where we lost boundaries we never had. Teaching moved itself into our living rooms. We taught with our children on our laps, in our living rooms, and with dinner cooking during staff meetings.

2.) I became a mama. Now with an almost toddler, I am still trying to navigate my schedule on a daily basis as a classroom teacher and what that looks like after bedtime.

Classroom teaching has remained unchanged. It is just as hard as it was before, but my overall tolerance for inadequate systems is becoming something that can’t be ignored anymore. When we moved back to in-person learning, the education system as a whole tried to hold on to the things that were good about virtual learning, but we quickly fell back into old habits, routines, and schedules. We lost the social-emotional learning aspects of teaching that were so important and needed for so many children. But, we also remembered that realistic self-care wasn’t just wanted for teachers; it was needed. This post is a declaration of boundary-setting and some strategies I am going to propose regarding setting actual healthy boundaries with the profession of teaching as a whole. I am beyond wanting band aid fixes. I acknowledge that I do not have all of the answers, but one thing I know is clear: I can’t keep doing business as usual.

I have been talking to my teacher friends about something that naturally occurs each school year: Each of us will end up with at least one tougher class than the rest of the classes. This might be an advanced class that is really concerned about grades, a class that struggles with engagement or behavior, or a class that seems to constantly be at odds with each other. We have all seen the teacher memes or posts that highlight many of these ideas:

Your most challenging student will never be absent.

Dear teacher, I talk to everyone. Moving my seat will not help.

When a student asks to go to the restroom, just seconds after their best friend.

Welcome to teaching! When salaries are low, and everything is your fault.

When you find out that your worst-behaved student…has 3 younger siblings.

There’s no tired like teacher tired.

The sayings are true. We are tired. We are constantly making minute-by-minute decisions, and we are genuinely exhausted. Instead of dreading a class, I would like to offer some ways to turn that class into one that you love again. Nobody wants to be miserable. So, if some systems are put into place for both the teachers and the students, then the parameters are setup to safeguard your happiness as the leader of the classroom. You are no longer controlling chaos, but perhaps enjoying being in front of 30+ middle schoolers (at least in my position) again. This post offers 25+ tips that are designed to revise and edit classroom systems, reframe negative thinking, and insert more love and joy into your classroom for each and every hour. Take what you need. If you are struggling with a particular hour in your day, maybe you try one or two of these tomorrow or next week.

I first tried a traveler’s notebook system in the fall of 2020, and this is how I stumbled upon the narrow size or traveler’s notebook size of roughly 4.5 x 8.25”. I grabbed the traditional Midori style notebook that had elastic bands on the inside to try out the system. I loved experimenting with inserts and different sizes of notebooks, but I was hoping to still get the same notebook feeling that I get with my other bullet journals. I liked the idea of life in one notebook. After searching high and low for a traveler’s size actual notebook (not an insert), I came across the Archer & Olive company and their traveler’s size notebook. Since finding this size notebook, I now have purchased 3 of these so far. This is by far my favorite size notebook. Why? I love the size of this. It is easy to carry, and it still lays flat when I am trying to write for a larger amount of time. The only reason why it does not become my main notebook is that I need to use my planner to feel organized. This post is a complete review of the Archer & Oliver Traveler’s Size Notebook.

I am republishing this post when I normally would have set my school alarm. I am raising my not-cold yet coffee to all of the teachers on winter break. We made it, but more importantly, we must take care of ourselves in order to care for others. Winter Break is the time of year when teachers get to rest and rejuvenate. These two weeks are more than trying out new self-care strategies, focusing on wellness or adjusting our overall mindset. I am trying to move past the buzzwords and embed some of these practices into my life so they become not just the norm or routine, they are my automatic responses to dealing with the stress and chaos of teaching. These two weeks are vital in how we will work with our students for the remainder of the year. We must pour into our own selves just as much as we help others. Our health is their health.

How will you spend your winter break? Here are 115+ different ideas on how you could incorporate some self-care into your winter break broken down by mental tips, physical tips, practical tips, social tips, writing teacher-specific tips, and general teaching self-care tips. I have also added in some mama self-care at the end of the post!

I first started using the Passion Planner system in 2017, but abandoned it when I discovered bullet journaling and creating my own layouts. With bullet journaling, I loved the freedom of a blank page, and I had the time and energy to create layouts and spreads that worked for me. Fast forward to the recent process of pregnancy and motherhood, and everything got busy. I really felt like I could benefit from the focus that comes from using the Passion Planning system and planners not only because I didn’t have as much time to create layouts, but I also wanted to refocus on the dreams and goals I had before pregnancy and motherhood. Passion Planners have now turned into the ultimate tool when it comes to planning, goal-setting, and also tracking my schedule and baby’s schedule.

It started with virtual teaching in the fall of 2020 when I had to take things day-by-day. I started the 2020-2021 school year almost 5 months pregnant, and I was facing a crazy year of teaching without being in front of kids. I literally took things in the transition to that school year day-by-day. I loved the Daily Passion Planner because it was undated, and I could really focus on a few months at a time. In comparison, I tried the Weekly Academic Passion Planner for the 2021-2022 back-to-school year season because it gave me a chance to plan out my year as a new mom. This post goes into detail about my experiences in two Passion Planners, why I chose the new Passion Planner I did, and what I love and don’t love about each planner. I talk sizes, layouts, and different spreads that are included and what works for me now.

When I think of productivity, I think of schedules, goals, and the day-to-day grind. I think of planners. I think of lists that get to be checked off. I love a good list. Productivity may be one of the main reasons I will often turn to a journal or notebook, and bullet journaling has created an outlet where planning can become beautiful. Whether you choose a more formal setup of a planner like a Passion Planner or if you prefer a blank page, sometimes figuring out what system works best for you can make the difference between feeling in control and calm or full of chaos and overwhelm. This post contains ideas for daily, weekly, and monthly layouts for scheduling, and it also has a focused list of journaling prompts to help you figure out what really needs to go into your planning setup. Remember: Your journal can operate as a planner. No need to reinvent systems. You can create your own systems based on your style.

This post is for those on a mission or the ones that may not know what their mission is yet. As a middle school teacher, I have made it my career and life to incorporate all aspects of learning into every part of my life. Simply, I am a learner. We are all learners. I am a problem solver by nature. When faced with something I don’t know, I try to find the answer. This might include literature study in my classroom or figuring out how to install a flapper on a toilet. It might involve looking up how to insert code on a website or following directions on how to assemble a piece of furniture. Learning is about the ah-ha moments-big and small. If you are at a place in your journaling where you feel stuck or you need to figure out what you want to learn next, this is the post for you. Write down which prompts stick out to you and then jot them down now or for later on. This post provides the journaling prompts needed for learning, exploration of new ideas, and finding a pathway to your own education. It also highlights some helpful layouts for traditional bullet journaling.

After having our first little one this past year, I hit a learning curve with all of the things a new mom has to keep track of and record. Being a person who loves planning, I was obsessed with learning about schedules, wake windows, bottle timings, night wakings, and more. I found out immediately that schedules and sleep were linked. This caused me to become hyper-focused on how to get our little one on a schedule because sleep was the key to functioning again. I ran to a well-known app that worked perfectly for the first 8 months. An app on my phone was great because I could track feedings, pumping, diaper changes, and sleep patterns all in one spot. I also had a report that would come to my inbox weekly when we were updating our pediatrician on how things were going. Apps are amazing things, really.

Then, our little one started daycare, and it wasn’t feasible or practical to have the daycare use our tracking system, and it was too tedious to try to keep entering in the day’s information all at once. I was exhausted after work, and I didn’t want to feel like I had one more chore to do at the end of the day. I was also finally moving to a place where I was more “go with the flow” and didn’t feel the need to track every minute of our little one’s day. I have always been an analog person. I love the feel of paper when it comes to both journaling and reading books. I get why other people enjoy the other mediums, but when I was faced with how I keep track of our little girl’s schedule in a new way, I immediately ran back to paper. This post outlines how you can use any bullet journaling or planning system to keep track of your young one’s day. I go into detail about what I track, how I track those items and some setups that might work for you

August always feels far away, and then all of the sudden it is here. It has to be one the fastest moving months throughout the year. Back-to-school advertisements and sales are everywhere. All of the teachers I know (including myself) are struggling with how the fall will look for students, teachers, and families as we return to teaching during a pandemic. How quickly will burnout set in? Will everything be okay? The new dynamic of being a mom will also be on my plate as I enter the upcoming school year. Managing family schedules, daycare, and finding time to fit in what really matters is going to be an added challenge. I have loved bullet journaling for the past 4 years, but I have also used a Passion Planner occasionally when I need to get myself back on track in terms of organization and goals. This post outlines how I plan to use BOTH a Passion Planner and a bullet journal to keep myself on track in terms of goals and tasks, but also dreams, family time, and trying to fit in a certain amount of self-care to avoid burnout.

When I make a list of non-negotiables each year, Friday Free Write is on the list. Free-writing doesn’t have to be on a Friday, but the English teacher in me loves the alliteration, and I love ending the week with a little bit of joy. Free-writing is joy. Why? Free-writing allows students to explore the topics, genres, and prompts of their choice. When I survey students at the end of the year, they always say to keep free-writing. I even always offer for the administration to come do walk-throughs and observations during these times because I want them to see the excitement and happiness kids get out of free-writing. While I can infuse love into academic writing, there is nothing like having time to think of your own story and then share with others. This post walks you through what is free-writing, what it looks like in a middle-school classroom, and the logistics of setting up a free-writing time-block in your own literacy classroom. I answer commonly asked questions including what to do when kids won’t write. I would urge non-English teachers to also consider free-writing time as it helps students learn the power of generating their own ideas and showing them their ideas are important enough to put down on the page.

In the midst of summer break, I wanted to take some time to discuss the number of teachers who are leaving the profession as a whole. There is a mass exodus of teachers who are retiring early or leaving positions due to the work load, the toll of the past school year, and the general atmosphere that is education in the current social and political state. It is also now the norm when I run into people I haven’t seen in awhile to ask me: “Are you even returning in the fall?” The assumption is I would run from the experiences of the past 2020-2021 school year. The prediction is that I would leave teaching, and if I said that I wouldn’t be returning in the fall, I would be met with an all-knowing look of “i get it.” I acknowledge that the teaching and education job culture and climate has reached a critical mass of unrealistic expectations that are demeaning and unhealthy. However, this isn’t the first time many of us have contemplated leaving the field of education.

The idea of leaving teaching is one that I have spoken extensively about on the blog for many years. The first post sparked many of the other posts that really got my blog going back in 2017. I spoke about the paper load and the time spent outside of the classroom on teaching-related tasks. The second main one addresses why I stayed teaching for over 10 years (at the time of the post publishing) and continued to come back each year. I said in that post: “I hate the amount of paper and workload we have, the criticism that teachers face, the growing pressure to “fix” the achievement gap, standardized testing, stress and stress eating, the absurdity of sub plans, and the growing anxiety we feel related to work.” This was before the pandemic happened and virtual learning took place.

This summer marks my first summer as a mom. The school year ended abruptly with virtual teaching coming to a close. School ended by saying goodbye to kids over the internet. Little circles with initials on a Google Meet screen. Many of whom I have never seen their face throughout the whole year. Most of my students were relieved that online school was over, but there was also a handful of them that didn’t want to log off on that last day. It was hard in many ways. I was ready to be done because I was ready to start summer with our new baby. The last day of reporting for duty all teachers were emailed our assignments for the fall. This email brought up uncertain ideas, assumptions, and predictions about what it would be like to return full-time in-person.

I have no idea what the fall will hold.

I am going to be taking our baby to daycare for the first time, we will return in-person to school in masks and go back into my classroom, and we are going to navigate what school looks like after being online for over a year. I miss my classroom more than I can tell you. I miss the way kids would browse books in my classroom library. August comes with so many uncertainties. I am planning on keeping my bullet journal for regular journaling and ideas as I enter the new year, but I am looking to move back into a Passion Planner for August to get myself organized for the school year. This post outlines how I am approaching the middle month of summer as a teacher and new mama, and it shows some key pages that are keeping me organized and motivated. In the past, I have used the month of July for a mid-year check-in. This year, I am taking it one month at a time to learn how to adjust to motherhood.

The first few moments of class are critical for a variety of reasons, but the main reason for really focusing on those first few minutes is your entire lesson could be a success or failure depending on whether or not your students are engaged from the beginning. I love talking to teachers about warm-ups. I love hearing different strategies and ideas. One of the most powerful pieces of teacher advice I have to give is there is power in sharing the why or purpose behind your lesson right away. Our brains are hardwired for the information of “why am I here?” to feel safe and to create a sense of belonging. On another level, your warm-up helps unlock your classroom environment. You make students feel welcome with a warm-up.

So, how do you start class?

I have started my middle school English Language Arts class in a variety of ways. I sometimes rotate my warm-up strategies based on the grading marking period or trimester. I sometimes keep things that work well, and then I toss out other things that don’t. I almost always come back to some form of creative writing or choice reading with conferences.

Before having a baby, I loved to write down powerful sayings, save quotes on my social media feeds, or underline important phrases in books. After giving birth, I am realizing that affirmations really help you control the narrative of the daily conversations you have with yourself. The postpartum period right after giving birth is a time when you don’t have the time or energy to monitor what you are saying to yourself, but it is the most important time in those first few weeks that the things you say to yourself matter more than you can ever know. Keeping track of the inner conversation as a mama is part of the healing process. Whether you choose to write some of these affirmations down on a sticky note or grab your favorite journal, take what you need based on how you feel. This post is really like the postpartum affirmations buffet. Please help yourself to a serving of self-love and care. Then, when you are feeling frustrated, alone, tired, or discouraged, make sure you give yourself another serving if needed. This post has 100+ affirmations that aren’t fluff. Whether you are struggling with breastfeeding or feeling alone after giving birth, jot down a mantra or a saying that you can tell yourself over morning coffee or when you find one quiet moment in the bathroom.