Tonight, as I was scrolling through my social media feed, I came across a post about the Sunday Scaries… and their new cousin, the Back to School Scaries. I was appalled by the subsequent comments by teachers that feed into all the negative ideals that this phenomenon entails. It wasn’t the fact that teachers were writing about their feelings of nervousness, inadequacy, depression, and anxiety about having to go back to work after the weekend or summer vacation that was shocking to me. It was the celebratory presentation of the term – complete with cute little clipart to give each feeling a c ..read more

The field of education plays a vital role in shaping the future by nurturing young minds. However, it is disheartening to witness a concerning trend: new, and oftentimes young, teachers leaving the profession prematurely. While teaching offers immense rewards, a growing number of young educators find themselves disillusioned and ultimately departing from the field. In this blog post, we will explore some of the key reasons I believe are behind this disheartening trend and shed light on the challenges faced by young teachers in their quest to make a lasting impact in the teaching profession. O ..read more

Reading is an essential skill that lays the foundation for a child’s academic success and personal growth. In recent years, educators and parents have increasingly turned to reading logs as a tool to encourage regular reading habits in elementary classrooms. However, despite the best intentions, reading logs have faced significant criticism and shown limited effectiveness in fostering a genuine love for reading. In this blog post, I’ll explore the reasons why reading logs don’t work for me in my elementary classroom and discuss alternative approaches I use in my classroom to help foster a lif ..read more

Teachers can make the most of their summer vacation in several ways. Here are some suggestions that I am going to be doing this summer to make sure my mind, body, and soul are ready for the back-to-school season. Rest and rejuvenate: Summer vacation provides an excellent opportunity for teachers to recharge their batteries and take a break from the demanding school year. It’s essential to prioritize self-care, get enough sleep, and engage in activities that bring joy and relaxation. Take some time to do what you always have wanted to do for yourself but kept putting off because of your busy ..read more

Returning to work after a long-term illness or maternity leave can be challenging, especially for teachers who have been away from their profession for an extended period. I have recently returned to the classroom after a four month absence to deal with an ear problem. Here are some tips that helped me to navigate this transition and make a successful comeback: Returning to work after a long-term illness can be challenging, especially for teachers who have been away from their profession for an extended period. Here are some tips to help you navigate this transition and make a successful com ..read more

As I am a full time teacher, mom of three, wife, blogger, and small business owner, every minute of my day is GO! GO! GO! For a long time, I was feeling extremely overwhelmed with everything that needed to be accomplished during any particular day. That resulted in me procrastinating BIG TIME and either leaving things to be completed at the last minute (often poorly or completely forgotten, I might add) or just pushing those things to the back of my mind thinking that I will just get to them tomorrow. Those tomorrows would come and I would always have an overwhelming feeling of knowing that n ..read more

It’s been awhile since I have given this little blog the attention it deserves – and with it being a brand new year, there is no better time for me to start putting a little more time and effort into this space. When I started I Heart Grade 3, I was so full of motivation and couldn’t wait to share my ideas about teaching, learning, and life in general but life in its truest form came between myself and this space on the web. As I was reevaluating my goals for the coming year, I decided to put a little more emphasis on this blog as a personal challenge. And what better way to start than to re ..read more

Gone are the days of busting my budget and my body to create the perfect Pinterest classroom. I decided to let go of the unrealistic expectations I had in order to create a visually “cute” class. After coming to my senses, I decided to go for a clean, simplified look where I decided to decorate smarter and not harder! The result looks a lot like my classroom from last year, which was coincidentally, my last blog posted here. Whoops! I have always been a fan of polka dots so I kept them as my “theme” this year. They have become somewhat of my trademark the past few years! Here’s what the room l ..read more

We’re back for another school year! Here’s hoping you have had a wonderful, restful, and enjoyable summer vacation and are getting into the groove of the new school year and enjoying your new students. The beginning of this year has been very busy! Our school population has grown and because of that, our school had to expand. Throughout the summer, an extension was built on to my school and I am one of the teachers who got to move into the new space! I knew this move was going to happen in the spring, so I took the end of the year pedagogical days to get rid of things that had been gathering i ..read more

There is a social media post going around Facebook asking people about their unbucket list. I am very familiar with the term “bucket” list but had no idea what an unbucket list was. Being my curious little self, I clicked the link to learn that an unbucket list is a list of things you would NEVER do again. So, after pondering my life’s unbucket list of getting a sunburn, dying my hair blonde (yes, I did that once, unfortunately), and drinking wa-a-a-y to much wine at a friend’s wedding, I wondered what this list would look like if I applied it to my teaching life. Here is my list of 3 things ..read more