10 Tips for Becoming a Virtual Tutor

Teachers turned stay-at-home parents: FINALLY! A WIN IN 2020!

Deciding to be a stay-at-home mom seemed like a no-brainer before I actually had to leave my job. I loved teaching in my own classroom, and I feared never getting that feeling of excitement and adrenalin we all know and love. 

Just when I left, enter virtual tutoring! PHEW! What a relief it was to have this new option. It's a blast being able to plan lessons on my own schedule and tutor for a couple hours a week right from my home desktop. Honestly, it's easier than you might think and, as an added bonus, you're your own boss. Yay for my fellow "mompreneurs!"   

Before you dive into the world of virtual tutoring, here are some tips you'll wish you knew!

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12 Tips for 12 Months of Bullet Journal Monthly Spreads

One of the best things about keeping a bullet journal is the ability to mold your spreads to fit your specific needs. 

As a teacher, my monthly layouts were always jam-packed with meetings and reminders. Nowadays, mom life has me scheduling doctors' appointments and little (socially distant) outings. 

Whether I'm in teacher or mom mode, there are 12 go-to tricks I rely on for creating useful, fun layouts that fit any style. 

What should this month's 
calendar look like?

It's a question that sometimes causes more mental stress than necessary. 

To help, I've compiled 12 months of my monthly spreads. From organization tools to memory savers, each comes with a tip for making the most of your page. 

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Baseball or Bows...No One Knows!

Gender reveals have been getting a bad wrap in 2020, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't have them. Fireworks aren't necessary, but a celebration certainly is...this year more than ever!

This past weekend, I was fortunate enough to attend and help plan my cousins' outdoor, socially-distant gender reveal party. We had a BALL!

Baseball, that is!

My cousins are HUGE Mets fans (please hold your laughter), so it only made sense to throw them a Baseball or Bows Gender Reveal party. 

Here are a few simple crafts and decorations I made to celebrate the new rookie of the year. 

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5 Skills Schools Don't Teach That Are Impacting Students' Futures

Every day, it seems like a new standard is being added to the curriculum. Yes, teachers are overwhelmed so no, it should not be entirely their responsibility to teach kids how to be functioning humans (although sometimes it is).

Parents help out immensely with teaching our little ones important life skills, but we hope that our school systems are reinforcing those same ideals in the classroom. Are they?

Let's be totally clear: I think the following can be taught first and foremost right at home. 

Still, when that isn't enough or we just need someone else to help carry the message along, here are 5 important things schools should teach our kids.

1. Maintaining a Prolonged Attention Span

Have you heard of mini-lessons? Quick explanation: Students learn a skill in a lesson that's about 10-15 minutes long. Then they're expected to go off and produce quality work using that skill. In theory, it sounds good, right? Here's what you need to know...now go do it!

However, over the past 7 years, I've noticed a steady decline in my students' ability to remain focused during those 10 minutes, and god forbid we need to extend it just a bit...forget it! 

That's because we are training our kids to move from one thing to another as quickly as possible. I'll never forget when my college professor docked points from my student teaching observation because my mini-lesson ran for a full 14 minutes. Oh, the horror!

Outside the classroom, we need to be able to sit and listen for longer than a few minutes at a time. I'm not suggesting teachers make those times non-engaging for students, but I am hoping that they're not afraid to keep things going a bit longer if their students need it.

Hold on as I step up on my soapbox and say, "Get rid of the mini-lesson and just teach!" Our kids will be better for it.

2. Occupying Oneself

Engaging! Hands-on! Movement breaks! Teachers do their best to keep kids occupied and busy whenever possible.

This absolutely has its place in the classroom, but are constant stimulation and teacher-led tasks ultimately harming our children's development?

It's rare to find a child who can independently select an activity and maintain participation in that activity for an extended period. Why would they? They're trained to rely on adults for scheduling their day from sunup to sundown.

That's why I LOVE using this mnemonic to remind kids of things they can do independently: 

Get your free PDF copy of this poster by clicking HERE. 

Available in multiple colors!

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The BEST Games for Your Virtual Baby Shower

Virtual Baby Showers are IN (or maybe just necessary in 2020). Either way, you don't want a chatroom full of guests who are completely disinterested in what's happening during your party.

The answer: Digital Baby Shower GAMES.

This is a game we played in person during my baby shower, but it is ABSOLUTELY adaptable for online use.

Keep ready for easy to follow steps and tips for vote collection, winner selection, AND easy to mail out prizes!

Baby Relay!

This game is SO exciting for everyone involved and will work perfectly virtually!

For this game, you'll need:

• Google Forms
• Baby dolls (stuffed animals work too!)
• Diapers
• Baby bottles (drink of choice) 

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5 Things To Remember When Starting Baby on Solids

Who knew that feeding solids to my baby would come with its own cardio workout? At least it did for the first few days. 

To get my little cherub to eat those first few days, I sang, danced, nearly did a headstand to get her to open her mouth, only to watch her tiny tongue snowplow all of our hard work down the front of her shirt. It was a terrible endorsement for the bib industry. 

What's more, did you know that the first few days have very little to do with eating? It's all about teaching them to bring the food to the back of their throats and actually swallow. Sure it seems obvious now and maybe you think I'm ridiculous, but I honestly thought that was just something we knew how to do from birth. Spoiler alert: it's not. 

As I write this, we're deep into week 5 of eating solids. Parents, it gets better. She's actually tasting and enjoying foods now. Hooray! As is typical with motherhood, I've learned a lot from this experience despite the rather short timeframe. I hope it helps you as you and your baby navigate solids for the first time together. 

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Writing Valuable Student Comments + Student Friendly FREEBIE!

Digital communication is synonymous with 2020. Maybe more so now than ever before, being able to clearly and professionally chat online is something students should be practicing. Adults too for that matter. Let's be honest...were we ever really all that impressed by emails and comments left by our coworkers? 😜

Comments and emails need to be direct, concise, and professional. This can TOTALLY be taught at the elementary level and beyond!

Sure, we're working to encourage a generation of texters that short notes can be both grammatically correct and detailed even if they're brief. Will they be resistant? Probably. But as soon as they start receiving clear and meaningful messages from their classmates,  they'll be hooked! Trust me on that one. 

In my 1:1 classroom, I used Google Slides and Google Docs daily. Even when we weren't separated by distance learning, having students leave comments on each other's digital work amped up our classroom community so much! 

So how do we encourage this? First things first! We need to make sure our learners are comfortable with the tools for leaving comments. Here's how it's done: 

This information and more is included in my Teachers Pay Teachers store for FREE. 

Click the image at the bottom of this post to get your copy today!

Leaving Comments on Google Slides/Docs

Step 1: 
Click the comment button in the upper-righthand corner.

Step 2: 
Select “Comment” 

Step 3: 
Write an AWESOME comment! 

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OK, now that we know how to leave a comment, what kinds of things do we want our students to write about? Remember, this reaches way farther than the classroom (my favorite kind of skills to teach!). 

Social VS Scholarly

There's a time to be social and there's a time to be professional. Comments on our classmates' work are definitely something to take more seriously. After all, we want to make them feel good about their work, don't we? 

Knowing someone took the time to read something you've written AND to leave a thoughtful, well-crafted comment can really brighten someone's day **cough cough...feel free to do so at the end of this post 😉 **

Social Comments are more appropriate for Instagram and texting. It's the kind of writing that doesn't offer much in the way of feedback or effort. Here's an example from my TPT resource: 

Scholarly Comments, on the other hand, offer so many different things! These all-important types of comments are...

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Tips fo Keeping On Top of Your Infant's Busy Schedule

There is busy, and then there's MOM BUSY. I've always been a planner, but ever since my pregnancy begin my Bullet Journal has switched over from meetings to mommying (it's totally a word...). With so many things to do and remember every day, my Bullet Journal is often what keeps me sane!

What is a Bullet Journal?

So glad you asked! Here's a basic overview:

A Bullet Journal is a planner that you design to fit your needs. It can be as simple or as fancy as you want it to be, but the important thing is that you make it work for you!

I know what you're thinking... 

"I don't have time to make so many journal spreads. I'll just buy a pre-made planner. DONE!" 

BUT DON'T DO IT! 

Trust me - this is worth whatever effort and time you can put into it.

Before finding this system, I abandoned so many planners. They just didn't have the types of pages or space I needed to keep track of the things that were most important to me in the moment -- and even more so with growing kids in the picture, what we need changes constantly!

So when do I do this? I typically spend time making my spreads while pumping or at night once my daughter has gone to sleep. It's a really great way to unwind, be mindful, and often reflect. Once the pages are made, it takes seconds to jot things down or check something off a list.

Efficient AND an excuse to unwind? I'm in!

If you're a new parent, new to journalling, or just looking for some help keeping track of the 1,000+ things parents need to remember these days, here are a few spreads that I recommend. 

1. Food Log

Now that my daughter has started to try out solids, keeping track of her eating schedule has helped me out so much. Is this our third or fourth day having bananas? Is she ready to try something new? 

My food log has allowed me to take note of when and what my baby is eating. In the calendar boxes (see image below), I log the times my baby sat down to eat solid foods (AM and PM). 

On the right, I keep track of the first few days a new food is introduced to ensure there's no unwanted reaction throughout my pediatrician's recommended 4-5 days trial period. I've also included a small space for notes about each food that I need to tell the pediatrician about or if there's something I just want to remember. 

This spread also helps me when it comes to making my grocery list for the week. I can plan ahead for what she will eat in the coming days (yes, of course, I have a grocery list spread too!). 

2. Doctor Appointments

Those tiny "next appointment" business cards the receptionist hands me at the end of a visit will get lost. No question about it. Rather than hold onto it, I immediately make a note of when the next check-up will be. Here's how: 

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Starting Solids

The Food Journey Begins

I eat my cereal without milk every morning. It's always one of my go-to fun facts for those "One interesting thing about me is.." icebreaker games bosses make you do in meetings. When I tell people this, they're either 100% in agreement or they're borderline offended.

There's only one way to eat cereal and it's WITH milk! 

For me, it's all about that CRUNCH you just don't get with soggy Cheerios.  Jam it packed with fruit or chocolate chips, but leave that milk in the fridge. Not to mention, dry cereal is there for you to enjoy after sitting on the kitchen table for hours while you feed, change, and enjoy your baby. Basically, it's a mommy friendly food choice.

All this to say it makes me wonder what kind of eater my baby will be. Will she explore new flavors or stick only to the classics? Will she prefer a crunch or a squish? Will she invent her own way of eating things?

Here we are at the start of month four, and my pediatrician has officially recommended introducing solids.

I am a mix of emotions. 

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Get Your Writer to Write More with Twin Sentences!

Elementary-aged writers are always finished with their writing --

"I added a word!" 

"But I can't think of anything else!"

"Oh come on! I'm DONE!"

Getting my fourth graders to add more to their stories was always a herculean task... That is until I heard about the glorious Twin Sentences strategy! It's quick and so easy for kids to understand.

So What Are Twin Sentences?  

For every sentence they write, it must be followed by a sentence that adds more detail. This lets us SHOW our readers, rather than TELL them what's going on in our stories. We want our readers to see a movie in their heads, not fall asleep while reading.

For example...

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Six Ways Pumping Time Can Actually Improve Your Mental Health

Moms have so little time to themselves as it is. I'm grateful for even the smallest moments of "me time." They're few and far between these days!

That's why I try to maximize the time I spend hooked up to a breast pump as much as I possibly can. Sure, it's only 15 to 20 minutes here and there, but that time really adds up quickly. Not to mention it's a great opportunity for some mindfulness...something all moms absolutely need.

Sure, you could use the time to shop online or mindlessly scroll through your social media feed. We can do better than that though, ladies!

Here are a few ways to take care of YOU during those pumping minutes:

{This post contains affiliate links. This means if you click on something & purchase it, at no extra cost to you, I will earn a commission.}

First off, this is all made MUCH simpler with a hands-free pumping bra. I have two and it's made a world of difference in allowing me to do so much more. They're pretty inexpensive and SO worth having.

                                   

Bullet Journaling

This is my favorite way to unwind while being productive all at the same time!

If you haven't heard of bullet journaling, it's essentially a creative planner and scrapbook combined (at least that's how I use mine). Doodle, plan, jot down thoughts...it's whatever you need it to be!

Remember that bullet journals do not have to be perfect! It's all about being free to make what you need however you want and without judgment. If you mess up, it's OK! This is about mindfulness and relaxation. If that causes you more frustration, maybe jump ahead to the next suggestion. 😏

I've used it to track my own to-dos and goals, but it's helped me with so many mom and baby things too. It's my one-stop-shop for baby's doctor appointments, schedules, jots about her habits. You name it, I've tracked it! This is a huge help when we go to her pediatrician. Everything I need is in one place. I just keep it in the diaper bag and we're all set.

I personally love the Scribbles That Matter notebooks. Their thick pages don't allow your pens' ink to bleed through, which just makes my heart happy. There are so many other journals available though so find the one that works best for you.

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Born Into Quarantine

A newborn, a doctor daddy, and I quarantined together due to COVID-19, but perhaps not for much longer.  

It's official: I'm a new mommy! Exciting right?! I could just shout about it from my apartment window! Actually, that's really all I can do right now...

My beautiful baby girl was born in the midst of the COVID-19 quarantine, so no one but her mom and dad have had the chance to hold her. Yet even that might not be the case in the coming days. Soon it may be just me and my baby.

Our hospital experience was certainly not what I had always envisioned. Recovery rooms full of family and friends sharing in our excitement, ooo-ing and ahh-ing over the first grandchild on both sides, the sweet smell of flowers, and giant balloons that would block our rearview window on the drive home...we had none of that.

Instead, my husband and I were the only ones allowed at the hospital. While we did get a lot of extra bonding time with our newest little family member, we longed for others to share in our joy, especially during these tough times.

The pediatrician recommended we not see anyone even once we returned home. I had assumed as much. The real punch in the stomach was when she recommended my daughter and I find somewhere else to live once my husband returned to work. He's an Internal Medicine resident for a local hospital dealing directly with swarms of COVID-19 patients.

Update:

Following her 1st month birthday, she and I moved out of our apartment, leaving my husband there alone. For me, that's the worst part of all of this. Healthcare workers risk not only their lives to help others, but have to make sacrifices no one should be asked to endure. Not being able to hold or be with your newborn daughter? I miss her when she's upstairs napping! How can he stand being apart from her for months at a time?

Parents are strong. We do what we need to do for the sake of our children. 

In just the two months that I have been a mother, I've noticed big changes in myself. When I look at my daughter, my heart melts into a puddle, yet I'm tougher now than ever before. In an instant, your whole world changes. Motherhood is funny like that.

Our family is fine. We're doing the best we can. We rely on video chatting, pictures, and text messages. Warm, Spring, Jersey weather allows for socially distant visits in the fresh air but watching him walk away from us each time is heartbreaking. I want to hug my husband. I want my daughter to see her father every day and feel how much he loves her.

Sure, being the mom of a baby born into quarantine is challenging, but it's nothing compared to the heartache our essential worker parents are facing.

So thank you to all of our first responders and essential workers. We appreciate and miss you every day.

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Raising a More Confident Child

The students that are always at the forefront of my mind are those with low self-confidence. More so than the struggling reader or mathematician, these are the kids that keep teachers lying awake at night.

Confidence is not an "either-or". It's not something we're born with or without. Only our experiences can influence our own self-confidence That, my friends, is where parenting can do a world of good.

So how do we raise confident children? Based on my observations and many conversations with parents over the years mixed with a bit of personal experience, I suggest trying a few if not all of the following things.

1. Allow Kids To Take Ownership of Homework Struggles

While whether or not to assign homework is a hot topic in education right now, the fact is that we can use homework as a tool for helping our children be self-advocates.

Too many times, parents tell me of the arguments and tear fests that ruin an evening because the homework is "too hard." What's the worst thing we can do as parents? One is to yell at our children about how to do the work or force them to finish. The other is emailing the teacher on their behalf. Please don't do either of these, I beg you.

Instead try this: Have your child write their teacher a brief note explaining what exactly they're stuck on. I encourage my students to do so on a brightly colored Post-It Note and stick it right on the homework page. I recommend these lined Post-Its for added neatness. This encourages students to approach their teachers with a specific question.

Even if the homework is unfinished, trust me when I say teachers will appreciate the students' ability to communicate what's frustrating them. In turn, students' confidence often soars once they see that they can get the help they need if only they advocate for themselves. Give it a try and let me know how it goes in the comments below!

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Free Printable Pizza Valentine Cards for Kids

Who doesn't love a cheesy mix of pizza and Valentine's Day? I know I do! That's why these FREE pizza valentines are the perfect slice of love for your kids.

There are 6 cards on each printout, with a mix of the 3 different phrases and designs. Keep scrolling to get your FREE download!

You don't have to tell me...Valentine's Day sneaks up on me every single year, and I'm often found scrambling to find a cute option for cards for every student in my class. Here's a quick, free option if pizza is the way to your kid's heart. 

Putting Your Cards Together

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Simple Baby Shower Games

I did away with an old-school, Italian tradition and had a baby shower! I know, it's a silly tradition to begin with, but for years I heard my grandmother worrying about celebrations happening before the "actual" day. To be fair, I did have my Sweet 16 two days before my real sixteenth birthday against her wishes, and OK sure there was a horrible nor'easter that night, but does that really prove anything?

Anyway, my shower was all I could have hoped for! My mother, sister, and I put a lot of work into the little details. Exhausting in trimester 3? Absolutely, but it was totally worth it in the end.

Our games were a hit! Here are some ideas you might want to try during your fun-filled shower.

Guess Mommy's Belly Size! 

This game was easy to set up. All you'll need is:

• Yarn
• Pencils
• Card stock
• Scissors
• A basket 
• Print and Cut feature on Cricut Design Space

Guests used the yarn to estimate the size of my belly. We put small grooves on the ends of the card stock to make it easier for them to wrap their cut string around it and to keep the guesses together in the basket.

After all, guesses were in, my sister measured my belly in front of everyone. She used that string as a measure against everyone's predictions. Just to prove there was no funny business, she held the winners' strings beside mine as a reference.

We ended up with three winners! Two teachers and my cousin, a third-grader. Coincidence? Well, estimating lengths is an NJ elementary school state standard, so I'll let you be the judge.

To play this game at your own baby shower, 

check out my FREE template here!

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Parenting Styles From a Teacher's Perspective

Stand up comedian, John Mulaney, said it best:

"Kids are much more supervised now, but also, they have a lot of rights. Like, that’s the biggest civil rights increase I’ve seen in my lifetime. The rights of children have gone through the roof." [The Comeback Kid (2015)]

Kids are allowed to do so many things now without any regard for consequences. In fact, too many of my fourth graders this year hardly knew the concept of this mysterious word, "consequence." You mean I can't do whatever I want and get away with it? This mentality stems from a few different areas. School district policies often play a role in this, but I'll save that for another day. Today, I want to focus on how the parenting styles of today are impacting kids.

Parents should have strong relationships with their children that allow them certain freedoms, but what does that really look like? After several eye-opening parent-teacher conferences and conversations with students as well, I've narrowed parenting down to three common approaches:

• Best Friend Parenting
• Do-No-Wrong Parenting
• Balanced Parenting

Each has its pros and cons, but (spoiler alert) in my opinion, balanced parenting is the way to go if you want to raise well-rounded, respectful future adults. Here's why...

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4 Myths About Pregnancy Debunked

If you asked me before I became pregnant if I knew what to expect, I would have said, '"Absolutely!" I'd watched enough movies and listen to plenty of stories from my mom, in-laws, and friends about what they experienced. Everything they said generally seemed to align. Now seven months in, I've found that my experiences didn't quite fit the mold. Here are 5 myths about pregnancy that my body chose to debunk.

1. It takes a few months to get pregnant

This is true for some, of course, but it wasn't for me and my husband. We were very fortunate to get pregnant rather quickly, but I'd heard from so many that it took many months. 

This advice led many
people I know to start earlier than they were truly ready, anticipating that it would take many tries before any little swimmers won the gold medal. So, if you're not ready just yet, just wait.

2. Morning sickness happens in the morning

Whoever coined the phrase "morning sickness" owes us an apology for false advertisement. Just in the morning? Eh, I can handle that! Well let me tell you, I had ALL DAY SICKNESS. 

From week 5 through week 12, nature called from the moment I woke up in the morning, into the wee hours of the night. I do owe a few of my apartment complex neighbors and a restaurant an apology for the not-so-fresh surprise they may have had the misfortune of spotting while walking past a bush or two. Listen, ladies, you do what you have to do sometimes.

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Should I Email The Teacher About This? Encouraging Self-Advocacy

Not too long ago, the only way to reach your child's teacher was to leave a message for her to call you back or just wait for conferences. Either option gave parents time to think, "Is this something that needs to be shared?" More often than not, I'm willing to bet the answer was no.

Today, email has made communication between home and school faster than ever. Don't get me wrong, at times this is great! Michael will be in late today. No problem! Sarah had an issue with the school bully? We're on the case! 

Still, every once in a while, the fleeting thoughts of parents who just tucked their little ones into bed make their way into our already overflowing inbox. So before you hit that send button, check out these real email messages my colleagues and I have received that maybe could have stayed in the draft folder.

"The class next door played a video and the sound distracted my child."

Anyone who has lived in an apartment before knows the struggle of trying to take a nap while your neighbor blasts his Top 40 playlist. You might knock on the door and ask him to turn it down a bit, but ultimately you may still hear it. You will survive. The same goes for school. Besides, it's very unlikely that our children will one day work in an environment void of all noise and distractions. 

Instead of sending that email, have a conversation with your child about strategies for refocusing on the task at hand. Practice mindfulness by taking several deep breaths or take a short break. Chances are the class next door will make noise again.

"My child left his homework folder in school."

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