#teacherlife

[peakperformance-nutrition]

POV: You’ve been on your feet for 8 hours and that "heavy leg" feeling is setting in. ☁️🦵

We talk a lot about skincare and hair growth, but we rarely talk about the literal foundation of our day: our circulation. If you spend your day standing, walking, or even sitting at a desk for hours, you know that throbbing, "tight" feeling by 6 PM. It’s not just "being tired"—it’s your vascular system asking for a literal break.

3 Ways to Decompress Your Legs Tonight:

The Inversion Hack: Lay on the floor with your legs up against the wall for 10 minutes. It uses gravity to assist your blood flow and instantly kills the "heavy" feeling. 🧱

Cold Water Finish: At the end of your shower, blast your legs with cold water for 30 seconds. It causes your blood vessels to contract and then dilate, boosting natural "pump" action. ❄️

Internal Support: Topical creams feel nice, but they don't reach the valves. Nutrients like Horse Chestnut (Venocin®) and Witch Hazel work from the inside out to strengthen the "walls" of your veins so they don't stretch or break. 🛡️

The Routine Upgrade: Varicorin 💎

I’ve been researching Varicorin because it’s the "Gold Standard" for people who actually use their legs for a living (nurses, teachers, athletes). It’s a multi-angle approach to vein health:

Reduce Swelling: Uses high-potency Escin to fight inflammation and fluid retention.

Circulation Flow: Centellin® helps eliminate that nagging "heavy" pressure. 🌊

Vessel Strength: Hesperidin helps prevent those tiny capillaries from "breaking" into spider veins.

It’s about more than just looking good in a skirt; it’s about having the freedom to move without pain by the end of the day.

✨ [Discover the Varicorin vein-health protocol here] ✨

[teacher-in-survial-mode]

Welcome to the Hunger Games. May the odds be ever in your favor.

[modaclothofficial]

Cute Teacher Sublimation Design – I Love My Job for All the Little Reasons (PNG + SVG)

✏️ Calling all loving teachers! This digital design is made especially for preschool, daycare, and kindergarten educators who truly love what they do. The quote “I Love My Job for All the Little Reasons” is surrounded by colorful, happy kids—perfect for sublimation, classroom gifts, or fun decor.

🎨 Use it for: • T-shirt designs 👕 • Mugs, totes & teacher gifts 🎁 • Classroom wall art or signs 🖼 • Back-to-school projects 💼

📂 What you’ll receive: ✅ 2 PNG files (with quote + kids) ✅ SVG files ✅ Transparent background ✅ High-quality 300 DPI resolution

✨ Bright, happy, and ready to make your classroom or gift stand out!

👉 Available now on Etsy:

🎯 Made for Loving Teachers! This adorable "I Love My Job for All the Little Reasons" digital design is perfect for preschool, daycare, or ki

[thedangirbil-blog]

So I work at a school and one of my seven year olds wrote the first half of a wonderful story and I just had to share. The combination of competent storytelling and creative spelling workarounds was just too delightful.

Below are the original manuscripts, plus a transcription with marginal notes. All original spellings and punctuations have been preserved, with the exception of added paragraph spacing for the sake of clarity in dialogue scenes. Pro tip: read it out loud, both to for help in understanding the spelling and for the extra hilarity.

it was the first Day of school, and velvet the hamster class pet was listining what the Teacher mrs. Jeapers was saying abuot where the class should go for the feald trip.

mexico siad alegsander

to far ansered mrs. Jeapers,

Texes siad dan

to hot ansered mrs. Jeapers,

how about new-york siad andey

yes ansered mrs.-Jeapers.

While the kids were talking velvit squect with his heart can I come too squect velvit

it looks like velvit wants to come too giggled alegsander.

that will not be neccesary siad mrs. Jeapers. (The author informed me that the teacher is from Transylvania, so this line plus all previous lines should be read with a vampire accent.)

Velvit thoute that if he could'nt go to new york with the Class he had to go himself! So he was going to tell his friends carret, scales, tobey, and capiten squeaks. (The author had previously asked me for a good name for a small, gray rat and I said Toby. The suggestion was gleefully adopted but the spelling was modified without consultation.)

does it have cats asked tobey

barely said velvit

then Im in siad tobey,

does it have carrits asked carrit

probabley siad velvit

than I'm in siad carrit,

does it have peanuts asked capiten squeaks

lots said velvit

Than I'm ing

does it have kids I can eat asked scales (The author informed me that Scales is a full-grown boa constrictor, so kids are one of his favorite meals.)

Well... I heard there were lots of kids siad velvit than I'm in! (She clarified that she didn't forget to color Carrit the rabbit, she's just white.)

So they Ran down the hall and then andey was Running down the hall way She must of forgot her lunch Box or something but it was the end Andey saw them all! all one of them

then she Rushed over and picked them all up and siad you animals just be triying to escape.

She carryd them to the open window she put them on and the said be free! (The author wanted to make sure that I was aware that Capiten Squeaks was a hedgehog and as such was not supposed to be outside. She also clarified that the hand in the illustration was the hand that threw Velvit and his friends out the window.)

who are you asked a cat

we... are class... pets siad tobey.

pets? I was a pet once But I'm a stray now

whats your name?

donut siad the cat. it was a sunny day and mud everywhere and I like to stay clean I got mud on me then my owner was gone! (According to the author, the brown spots in the illustration are the aforementioned mud.)

and now I am the most muddy stray here said donut. (After reading this line she flipped back to the previous page and showed me that Donut was previously drawn as having stripes, but he is now so muddy that he is entirely brown.)

what was your oner called? asked velvit.

andey donut anserd.

Andy! Andys at our school!

She is?!?! if I take you to new york will you guys tell me where andy is? askd donut

yes scales siad. (Upon my inquiry, the author confirmed that Scales did, in fact, transform from an adult boa constrictor into a king cobra in the time since being thrown out the window.)

This is where the author was interrupted and forced to leave off writing for the time being by her father picking her up for hip hop lessons. If any more chapters are released I will publish them here. Thank you for your continued readership and support.

[theyuniversity]

“Alot” vs. “A Lot”: Why One Is Right and the Other Isn’t

Let’s clear something up once and for all:

“Alot” is not a word.

Yes, it shows up in texts, tweets, and even the occasional essay—but that doesn’t make it correct.

✅ The Correct Term: 

A lot

“A lot” is a phrase made up of two words:

“A” (an article)

“Lot” (a noun meaning a large amount or number)

Together, “a lot” means “many” or “a large quantity.”

Examples:

I have a lot of homework tonight.

She drinks a lot of coffee.

We laughed a lot during the movie.

It’s informal, but it’s real—and it’s useful!

❌ The Common Mistake: 

Alot

“Alot” might look like it could be a word, but it’s not recognized by dictionaries or style guides. It’s simply a typo or misunderstanding that’s crept into common usage.

And while spellcheckers often catch it, they don’t always explain why it’s wrong. So now you know: no space = no good.

Pro Tip: Try Replacing It

A good test is to replace “a lot” with “many” or “much.”

✔️ I have a lot of shoes. → I have many shoes. ✅

❌ I have alot of shoes. → I have alot shoes. ❌

If it doesn’t work, it’s not a word.

Bonus: The Mythical “Alot” (For Fun)

If you’re a fan of grammar humor, you might love Allie Brosh’s classic blog post from Hyperbole and a Half, where she imagines the “Alot” as a big, furry creature that shows up every time someone writes it.

It’s hilarious—and a great way to remember the rule.

TL;DR

✅ a lot = correct

❌ alot = nope

Use “a lot” when you mean “many” or “a large amount.”

Don’t squish them together—it’s not a thing.

Website | Twitter |  Instagram | Medium | Pinterest

[blvcksims-4]

📚✨ Just Launched Something Special! ✨📚

Hey y’all — I’ve been working behind the scenes on something I’m super excited (and a little nervous) to share! I officially have a Teachers Pay Teachers store where I post printable activities and resources for early learners 🖍️💡

Right now I have: ✔️ ABC Tracing Workbooks ✔️ Practice Hand Writing ✔️ Visual Cards

I made these with care — especially for parents, teachers, homeschoolers, or anyone supporting early childhood education. I’m all about keeping things simple, engaging, and actually useful 💛

If you want to check it out or support, here’s the link: 🛒 LINK TO MY STORE

Even just a share means a lot! More resources coming soon — let me know what you’d love to see next 🌱✨

[persimmonsrain]

Teaching = connecting

Teaching, at its core, is a deeply human endeavor. Beyond instructional strategies and curriculum outcomes, what often sustains teachers through the demands of the profession is not just the act of teaching itself but the relationships formed within it. Human connection in the classroom is not a sentimental bonus; it is a central, evidence-based contributor to both teacher effectiveness and well-being.

Educational psychology increasingly acknowledges teaching as an emotionally laborious and relational practice. As Hargreaves (1998) asserted in his seminal work, The Emotional Practice of Teaching, "Good teaching is charged with positive emotion. It is not just a matter of knowing one's subject, being efficient, having correct competencies, or learning the right techniques." Rather, good teaching “arises out of the relationships teachers build with their students.”

This idea is echoed and expanded upon by Sarah Mercer (2016), who emphasizes that language teaching in particular is inherently affective and relational. She argues that the quality of interpersonal relationships in the classroom significantly impacts both learner success and teacher well-being. Teachers who feel connected to their students are more likely to experience intrinsic motivation, job satisfaction, and resilience (Mercer, 2016; Yin et al., 2019).

From a cognitive science perspective, the social brain hypothesis suggests that our brains are evolutionarily wired for connection (Dunbar, 1998). Social interactions stimulate neural circuits related to empathy, reward, and meaning-making suggesting that the emotional bonds we form in classrooms are not only psychologically satisfying but neurologically reinforcing. This could explain why something as simple as a student’s enthusiastic participation, or an appreciative glance during a lesson, feels deeply rewarding.

Positive psychology offers further insight. Fredrickson’s Broaden-and-Build Theory of Positive Emotions (2001) posits that positive emotional exchanges such as those between teacher and student enhance our cognitive flexibility, build resilience, and create upward spirals of well-being. These brief yet powerful moments of interpersonal resonance contribute not only to teacher flourishing but to more dynamic, trusting classroom environments.

In practical terms, these human interactions can turn a routine lesson into something meaningful. A simple “thank you” after class, a student bravely asking a question, or the shy learner finally laughing out loud, these micro-moments of trust and joy are small, but they accumulate. They are often what teachers remember long after the term ends.

As a language teacher, I often receive affirmations from my students, verbal and non-verbal, that they feel safe, seen, and engaged. These connections don’t just help them learn. They help me teach.

There are days when I enter the classroom exhausted, uncertain, or quiet from life’s weight. And then, something shifts. A student greets me with a smile, another asks a follow-up question from yesterday’s lesson, and sometimes the quietest one says, “I like today’s activity.” These may seem like small things, but in the life of a teacher, they are everything. They remind me that presence matters. That being human in the classroom isn't a flaw; it's a gift.

And so, while we prepare our materials and plan our outcomes, it’s worth remembering that no learning happens in a vacuum. The relational space we co-create with our students may be the most powerful pedagogy of all.

It is in those shared silences, honest laughter, and mutual care that we not only build understanding but belonging. And in that belonging, we teach and are taught in return.

How do you nurture meaningful connections in your own learning or teaching spaces?

Selected References:

Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56(3), 218–226.

Hargreaves, A. (1998). The emotional practice of teaching. Teaching and Teacher Education, 14(8), 835–854.

Mercer, S. (2016). Teacher well-being and the complexity of language teaching. In Gkonou, T., Tatzl, D., & Mercer, S. (Eds.), New Directions in Language Learning Psychology (pp. 103–123). Springer.

Yin, H., Huang, S., & Wang, W. (2019). Work environment characteristics and teacher well-being: The mediation of emotion regulation strategies. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(24), 4701.

Dunbar, R. I. M. (1998). The social brain hypothesis. Evolutionary Anthropology, 6(5), 178–190.

[ovvercome]