Recharge Without Feeling Guilty:

Educators care deeply about their students, but supporting others starts with taking care of yourself.

Whether your ideal summer includes travelling, spending time outdoors, reading a novel, or simply enjoying a slower schedule, giving yourself permission to rest is part of being an effective educator. Returning refreshed can help you bring more energy, patience, and creativity to every tutoring session.

Reflect on the Year:

Before diving into new resources or planning ahead, take a few moments to look back.

Ask yourself:

• What teaching strategies worked especially well?
• Which lessons did students enjoy the most?
• Where did students tend to struggle the most?
• What successes are you most proud of?
• What is one area you’d like to improve next year?

Writing down your thoughts and reflections now makes it easier to build on your strengths and identify areas for growth before September arrives.

Learn Something New:

Professional development doesn’t have to mean sitting through hours of training. Learning can happen in small, enjoyable ways.

Books

The Growth Mindset Coach by Annie Brock and Heather Hundley 

A complete and easy-to-follow guide for inspiring every student with the power of growth mindset. Created by teachers for teachers, this is the ultimate guide for unleashing students’ potential through creative lessons, empowering messages, and innovative teaching.

The First Five A Love Letter to Teachers By Patrick Harris II

In The First Five, Patrick brings to light the realities of teaching, especially in the first five years. He immerses you in his world with personal stories that lead to lessons,  questions, and exercises to help you reflect on your own journey. Each chapter includes interviews with a diverse group of educators. 

Risk. Fail. Rise. by M. Colleen Cruz.  

Mistakes are part of learning. Every educator knows this. But what happens before and after a mistake that facilitates that learning is rarely explored practically. In Risk. Fail. Rise. teachers will learn how to address their own teaching mistakes, model with their own mistake-making, and improve their responses to others’ mistakes. 

How to Become a Better Writing Teacher By Carl Anderson, Matt Glover

This is a hands-on, practical guide for teachers looking to improve their writing instruction. Carl and Matt offer 50 high-impact actions teachers can take to level up key aspects of their practice, including: getting to know your students as people and assessing them as writers, increasing student engagement in writing, becoming curriculum decision-makers, individualizing instruction and connecting students to mentor authors.

Podcasts

Teaching Unscripted 

Each week we talk with authors, educators, and mentors about the topics teachers face including teaching writing, reading, math, science, English, and ESL, plus observations on school culture, professional development, and more. Whether you’re a new or experienced kindergarten, elementary or high school teacher, you’ll find our talks relevant, entertaining, and accessible.

Shake Up Learning Show – Host Kasey Bell, is an ed-tech leader, international speaker, author, blogger, and digital learning coach for K-12 teachers. Kasey helps teachers learn how to meaningfully integrate technology in the classroom through her expert presentations, on-air coaching calls, and powerful interviews with educational leaders and discussions with student guests. Learn how to integrate technology and digital learning tools, grow as a leader, refine your instructional strategies, and transform your classroom. Kasey is also an expert in Google for Education and G Suite tools, as well as Google Certifications. If you’re looking for practical ideas that you can use in class tomorrow, look no further. The Shake Up Learning Show will help you become a more dynamic teacher and Shake Up Learning in your classroom! 

OnEducation

There’s a lot going on in education: technology, grading, policies, planning, grading, iPads, conferences, grading, classroom management, grading, curriculum, special education, and… did we mention grading? We get it. We’re here to help. We have honest conversations about teachers, teaching, and everything in between. Meet Mike and Glen. We’re educators, and we’ve been where you are. Mike is a Canadian computer science teacher and technology integration specialist. Glen is an American foreign language teacher with 20 years of classroom experience who has recently transitioned into a role as an educational technologist. We cover it all. This isn’t your typical teacher conversation—it’s the staff room (the good one). We’re real, honest (sometimes brutally so), insightful, and always hoping to leave you informed and inspired. Join us as we talk with world-class educators, answer your questions, and explore what’s new in education.