Several years ago, I developed a teaching mantra (read more about that here) to help me stay focused on what really matters in teaching and learning. After feeling completely overwhelmed by the vast amount of possibilities for teaching and learning, not to mention the daily demands of teaching a class full of kids, each with their own budding personalities, I narrowed it all down to what I wanted for kids when they graduate high school. I am a big fan of the long game when it comes to education - each of us is on our own journey and kids are no exception; putting pressure on ourselves to do all the things and meet all the needs in one single year is an impossible ask that will put every single teacher (and likely a few kids and their adults) over the edge in no time. Instead, I choose to focus on making sure that we have moved the needle ever so slightly every day in each of these 5 areas. Did we do a read-aloud? Perfect. Tackled a bit of math? Great. Wondered about the world around us? You betcha. Did we treat our friends and classmates with kindness? Sure did. And, of course, we got outside for some fresh air and moved our bodies. Teaching doesn't have to be complicated if we are intentional about focusing on what really matters.

Each of the resources on my website is filed under one of these categories so that you too can be intentional about focusing on the important things. Each section contains practical tips, tricks and resources that will help you support the kids in your lives as they walk their own paths, whether they are in kindergarten or grade 12.