Work Smarter Not Harder!

Today I am linking with Laura from Where the Magic Happens, Krista from Teaching Momster, and Lisa from PAWsitively Teaching! I have joined forces once again with my bloggy friends to bring you the best, most amazing giveaway on this Labor Day weekend!

All of us have been thinking about ways in which to treat our readers and followers. We thought hard, and I mean ... really, really hard… and decided that we can treat you to our best ideas to work smarter rather than harder… at school and home!

We know what it takes to be a great teacher, the stress, the time, the energy! We also know that we crave time to ourselves and our families... so working smarter rather than harder makes sense ... right!!??

During the summer I get a little bit lazy ... and when school starts back up it can be a bit overwhelming so I have become a TO DO List Junkie! I am always writing my lists on sticky notes or scrap paper and somehow they get lost or misplaced ... but this year I found this free Weekly To-Do List from a Scholastic Top Teacher and it has helped to keep me organized! I love that I can make my list for each day of the week on one piece of paper!! We all know... an organized teacher ... is a happy teacher!

I LOVE guided reading time but I know that it can be VERY time consuming to plan all those lessons if you are purposefully planning to meet individual needs. I work with a lot of teachers helping them learn about guided reading and writing lessons. So many of them try to avoid guided reading because it takes up too much time to plan for it. Jan Richardson's book, The Next Step in Guided Reading is a wonderful resource for learning about the different levels of readers and what your lesson should look like ... teachers love this resource but they needed lesson plans that would make their planning for the different groups more specific yet less time consuming.

Another thing I LOVE about this book is that it is like a menu ... once you know what your student's need, you can use this book to purposefully plan for meet those needs! I created these lesson plans and you can grab them for free.

This summer I was a part of a book study for Jennifer Serravallo's new book, The Reading Strategies Book. This is another time savor for teachers ... no more looking through resource after resource to find the just right strategy for your little ones ... this book is packed full of 300 strategies that equip the teacher with the why and the how for teaching them :) This book is another "menu" for explicit teaching!! I highly recommend both of these professional resources!

And since I am recommending books ... remember to take the time to read professionally ... you will be working smarter, not harder when you keep up with current research ... even when it is old research with a fresh twist!

There are a lot of studies out that have linked a healthy lifestyle with work productivity. Similar to getting enough sleep, exercising and eating healthy boosts energy levels, clears your mind and allows you to focus more easily. {We all know that TEACHERS have to be focused at all times in order to be productive!} My new motto is Healthy is the New Happy! I am working hard to live by this motto. Below are a few things that I have been using or doing to meet my goals.

Detox Tea ... I drink this every evening to unwind and it is beneficial because it keeps my kidneys and liver cleansed from everyday toxins. I have noticed that when I do not drink enough water during the day and when I eat too many carbs, I get very bloated! This tea helps keep me from getting bloated!

I CANNOT live without these fizz sticks ... I stopped drinking soda 3 years ago when I kept getting kidney stones {yep, because teachers can never get to the bathroom as often as they should} and my kidney doc told me to give up soda!! I was so happy when I found these because they do not have artificial sugar or flavors and they are certified vegan and gluten free too! They give me just enough energy mid-day!

At the end of a long week, I have learned to treat myself with a facial mask and a relaxing bath to unwind! I LOVE this aromassentials line. It is called UNWIND and it smells fabulous and leaves your skin feeling refreshed! There is also a second line which I love called AWAKEN :)

A good night's sleep is a must for a focused mind! Sometimes I just can not unwind during the week because of my jam packed schedule, however this little bottle has been a life-saver or should I say sleep saver?? Seven squirts on the tongue {it tastes like lemon} and lights and electronics off it is ... and within 30 minutes I am out! All natural, no chemicals, not addicting ... just beneficial goodness!

I can't forget the exercise ... I have discovered the SEVEN app and it has helped me become more active! I have set the alarm on my phone via this wonderful app and it reminds me that it is time to do some exercise ... I can determine what kind I want to do and how often!!

Do you work with emergent readers in your classroom?? I have made some fabulous resources that go along with the Pre-A, emergent and early lesson plans in Jan Richardson's book called The Next Step in Guided Reading.