Cool Cat Teacher Blog is at coolcatteacher.com

My goal is to read books for an hour each night. In this episode, I wanted to share some of the books that have me thinking this summer. It is a wide assortment of books that I've linked to at the bottom of the show. From technology to interpersonal skills to ponderings from history, sometimes patterns emerge between random books in surprising ways. If you have books you'd like to suggest for my reading list, message me on Twitter or use the contact us form on my website. I'd love to hear what you're reading! Today’s sponsor is  Lum.io , an award-winning digital learning tool that will transform your lessons into active, collaborative learning experiences If you’re looking for a collaborative learning tool to make it easy to level up your lesson materials you already have with assessments, game-based activities, collaborative spaces and lots more all in one place, Lumio is the perfect choice for you. Head to  Lum.io  for more information and to sign up for FREE. Edi...

Self-care is a word thrown around a lot these days in education. In the real world of teaching, answers aren't always easy. In fact, as I release this episode, "self-care" is the reason I did not go to #ISTELive that is this week. I need to focus on my health. So, it is fitting that today I discuss the reality of teaching with another teaching veteran. We share how we have navigated the stresses and struggles of teaching as we seek to live a balanced life and do what matters. In addition to the podcast, I've included some inspiring poems, quotes, and a video from the day I learned to walk this past May. I, Vicki Davis (the show host) have made some mistakes in self-care in the past year, and open up about what I've learned from those mistakes and how I'm moving forward to teach better and take better care of myself.  My hope is by being open about my own struggles and by bringing in the research that this show and blog post will help all of us teachers take ...

Today, Million+ follower, TikTok teacher, and creator of #TeacherTipTuesday, Megan Mayer, shares her thoughts about TikTok, how to prevent profanity on TikTok and why it is a valuable tool for teachers. Megan talks openly about what she’s learned about her videos that have gone viral, how to pick hashtags, and secrets for making videos that will help teachers. We end the podcast by discussing the controversial things teachers sometimes see doing on TikTok that we wish they wouldn’t. I’ve joined TikTok and am learning. This interview with Megan introduced me to TikTok as I embark on a learning journey on a new platform. Sponsor: Advancement Courses Last summer I took my professional development with  Advancement Courses  and I am so glad that I did! On my blog, I recently shared  10 Ways to Rejuvenate and Learn This Summer . All of the course ideas come from the advancement courses catalog to go to  https://www.coolcatteacher.com/top10    Learn about some...

Can we have joy in schools? How about on social media? With so many difficulties, it seems beyond impossible sometimes to find joy but it can be done. Today, Dean Shareski, the author of Embracing a Culture of Joy brings his perspective to the challenges of modern living and learning. While his message has been around for a while, it is perhaps even more important today. In today’s show we’ll discuss: How Dean brings joy and humor to Zoom meetings (and podcasts) including some cool hardware and software The ambient irritability that seems to be prevalent today Why we still need joy How small kindnesses can make a big difference and some examples in schools Keeping perspective as we face problems How we can embrace multiple emotions at once Having concern for the world’s problems and still finding joy in your day The importance of reflection How Vicki gets information from her students at the end of the school year to become a better teacher ...

The end of the school year can be so exciting and give us ideas for great teaching. Jillian DuBois talks about her end of the school year and from the conversation we have twelve inspiring ideas for classrooms everywhere including: how to use the element of surprise in learning vocabulary building ideas watching bald eagles and teaching ideas about them how eagles fly higher on turbulent winds how to know children in even a very large class and more. Show notes and transcript:  https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e783   Sponsor: Advancement Courses Last summer I took my professional development with  Advancement Courses  and I am so glad that I did! On my blog, I recently shared  10 Ways to Rejuvenate and Learn This Summer . All of the course ideas come from the advancement courses catalog to go to  https://www.coolcatteacher.com/top10    Learn about some courses you might want to take and some things that you need to do this summer. Your c...

Awesome teachers connect with their students. KeKe Powell teaches second grade and has lots of ideas for ending the year and also just connecting with kids. She also shares some of her story of deciding to share what she does with a wider audience as she is becoming an education influencer. If you’re considering if you want to share or if you just want great teaching ideas, this is a great listen for you. Scroll down for the show notes and transcript. Notes and Transcript: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e782   Sponsor: Advancement Courses Last summer I took my professional development with Advancement Courses and I am so glad that I did! On my blog, I recently shared 10 Ways to Rejuvenate and Learn This Summer . All of the course ideas come from the advancement courses catalog to go to https://www.coolcatteacher.com/top10    Learn about some courses you might want to take and some things that you need to do this summer. Your current needs should impact your pro...

School leadership is more challenging than ever. Assistant superintendent Chris Chappotin shares ideas for making yourself available, the importance of taking things off teachers' plates (and not adding to them), and questions you can ask when encouraging leaders. Practical, encouraging ideas are shared throughout this show for principals, administrators, and anyone working to encourage school leaders. Transcript and Resources: https://www.coolcatteacher.com/e781 Sponsor: Readlee is an amazing literacy tool that enables teachers to go from collecting reading data a couple times a year to getting data each week (or day!) in just 5-10 minutes. Developed in collaboration with researchers at the Harvard School of Education, students read aloud and the tool collects data on fluency and accountability (think words correct per minute and total time read, among others) and a recording and transcript of their reading . You can provide feedback to your students on any text (print or di...