Best of Dear Teacher/Love Teacher – Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

The Best of Substitute Teacher Guest Bloggers

Posted on August 8, 2013August 8, 2013 by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

Dear Teacher,

Today’s post is the best of the guest blog posts by “Substitute Teachers.” I was away for almost two weeks, and I asked a few people to post in my stead. They did a wonderful job and there were amazing posts while I was gone! I enjoyed reading and applying what they wrote!

I am going to use today’s post as a little plug. I am looking for help in two areas. I would love to have a collection of “Substitute Teacher Posts” to use when I am unable to write and to possibly to a weekly guest post. I am looking for people who might like to write some words of encouragement, hope, and/or challenges. Some teacher testimonies, stories from the trenches of teaching where encouragement and hop made a difference, would be awesome, as well. You don’t need to be a blogger, you just have to have something to say! Email if you are interested: dearteacher@outlook.com.

The second plug is another requests for stories or words of encouragement, but this is stories about teachers that you have had in the past that made a difference. I want to collect thank you letters to former teachers and/or stories about how what they did and how they taught made a difference in your life. I think we could learn so much from reading stories and letters like this! I want to post these stories from time to time, and if I get enough I would love to think about putting a book together. Would you like to be a part of this? Please? 🙂 Use the same email to let me know your interest, or just send me your letter or story. I am going to start by posting my letter soon!

Okay, now for the posts. Read a few and share the one you liked the most!

Teaching as a Lifestyle – How great teachers go the extra mile because teaching is more than a job.
Just Keep Moving (in the right direction) – The art of being happy and not giving up but moving forward when things are rough.
Why (Did I Become a Teacher)? – This was the most popular post while I was out (it was shared as many times as my most popular posts) and it is about remembering why you became a teacher in the first place. Great post!
The Imagination Box – Why creativity might be the most important and vital tool of teachers.
Courage and Trying Again – Teaching is about courage and never giving up, ever.
A Teacher “Prayer” – A quote and thoughts that remind us about the blessings and challenges of being a teacher.
The Take Care of You Challenge – A challenge for taking care of yourself during the summer and breaks so that you can be a better teacher for your students.

Which one is your favorite? Why? Since you liked it, share the link with others and spread the encouragement! 🙂

You are awesome! No matter what the week has been like, today will be great. Make it great. Keep moving and keep teaching, Teacher!

Love, Teacher

PS…I am going to officially stop sharing the link in the Edmodo communities (I am only going to share in the Dear Teacher/Love Teacher group there from now on). It is never more important than now for you to share Dear Teacher/Love Teacher with others. Share where ever you can and spread the encouragement revolution! By the way, you can share in the communities, I am just not going to.

Best of Dear Teacher/Love Teacher, Handwritten Note, Picture Note, You Are Awesome!!!

The Best of the Picture Notes

Posted on August 7, 2013 by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

Dear Teacher,

Today’s “Greatest Hits” are messages that I have enjoyed creating for us. I say us, because sometimes I go back and look at them/read them for encouragement and inspiration, too. I started making the picture notes as a way to send a second message at the end of each day near the end of the school year. I know now that I can’t sustain two posts a day, so the picture messages are weaved into the daily messages.

What has been so much fun is finding new ways to make them. The phrase “There’s an app for that” has never been truer for something! I have found online and tablet apps that let me make fun picture messages to brighten our day or to encourage us.

Because I have started to write a little message along with the picture notes, I have decided to break the “best of” into two lists. Picture notes with no extra message and picture notes with extra messages. Check out as many as you have time for and enjoy!

Just a Picture Message

An Apple for You Because You Are Awesome! (the first picture message)
A Quick Note at the End of the Day (first hand-written note)
Week’s End Note (this was the first “outside of the box” hand written note…really fun to make…gave the post-its to a teacher at my school and she still has it!)
Day’s End Encouragement (the Playdoh note…the picture at the top of the post…really fun to make…my son helped me!)
The Empty Cup (one of the most popular picture notes, and my favorite)
Downhill From Here (really fun to make, too)
Day’s End Encouragement Note (another of my favorites, I put this picture on the post yesterday)
Desktop Time Machine (another of my favorites)
One of the many reasons you are AWESOME… (fun to make)
Encouragement for the tough days… (I like this one!)
Day’s End Poem (a poem for you)
Friday Freedom…Go home, Teacher! (another fun one to make and one of my favorites)
The Writing’s on the Board (yep, this was fun to make, too)
Scraps of Teacher Love (popular one and I loved making this one)
The Thank You Note You May Never Get (this is one of the most popular posts, in the top three)
How Are You Awesome? Let Me Count The Ways… (the last one in my classroom for the year)
A Personal Note to You, Teacher (a letter I wrote to you)
Always a Brighter Tomorrow (after my hiatus)
Wake of Awesome (this is probably in my top five…I have linked to it in posts a lot)
Teacher Superpowers – Super Vision (I really loved making this one!)
As You Face a New Week, Remember… (using a popular internet meme)
Yeeeaaah Buoy! (another one in my top five)
Teach with Ferocity (lesson from a lion)
The Sky is Not Your Limit (the most recent without an extra message)

Picture Note with Extra Message

New Day/New Week (the first picture note with an extra message)
Big Like New York (New York as a metaphor)
Teacher Superpower – Differentiation Control (pancakes and differentiation)
Apple Influence (Apples and your Influence)
Creativity and Cap’n Hook (lessons from Captain Hook)

Which ones are your favorites? Why? Why don’t you go share some of the links? 🙂

You are awesome! I hope you are having a great week! You are making a difference! Keep being awesome and keep on teaching, Teacher!

Love, Teacher

Repeat PS from Monday and yesterday…I have an idea. I want to compile stories about teachers who have made a difference in peoples’ lives. It can be a story or a “Dear Teacher ___________” thank you letter. I want to share them on here and maybe in a couple of other ways (possibly a book). If you are interested, email dearteacher@outlook.com and put “Teacher Story” or “Teacher Thank You Letter” in the subject. Thanks. I am excited about this project! (I will post more details about this soon, but please send your story/letter if you can!)

Best of Dear Teacher/Love Teacher, Pep Talk, You Are Awesome!!!

The Best of the Pep Talks

Posted on August 6, 2013 by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

Dear Teacher,

Today’s “best of” is made up of some of my favorite posts to write, and include some of my favorite all-time posts. Every once in a while we need to remember why we do what we do and get excited about it. We may be on the downside of the teaching roller coaster and a little boost of reminder is all it takes to be headed back up the hill. That is what these posts are about! They are supposed to remind you of the awesomeness of what you do so that you want to go out there and be awesome-er! Here is to being awesome-er!

Some of these are older and you may have definitely missed them. Check out as many as you can and let us all know your favorite (and why)!

Hopelessly Hopeful (one of the very first Dear Teacher/Love Teacher posts)
Fridays of More (what Fridays really mean for teachers most weeks)
Rock Star (this one is one of my top favorite posts, and it was an early one)
Friday of Awesomeness (another Friday pep talk…this one, too, is among my favorites)
Pick Your Pep Talk (a choose-your-own-adventure pep talk…this one was fun to write)
The Ripple Effect (how the little things we do spread out to others)
Quotable Quotes to End Your Week (pep talk from the words of others)
Small Steps the Make Big Differences (words to help you when the teacher mountain looks too big to climb)
Some [funny and inspiring] Thoughts on Teaching (the title says it all…there are more videos than words in this one)
I am a Teacher and a Fungi (a pep talk from a science lesson…learn something about fungus and be inspired at the same time!)
You Have What It Takes…to Innovate (the most recent pep talk, based on a post I read at Edutopia)

Well, I hope you are “pepped” after reading a few! Pick your favorite, tell us why it is your favorite, and then go and share the link to it! You can have more than one favorite, if you want. 🙂

You are awesome! Today is going to be a great day! You are going to have a great rest of the week! You are amazing and are making a difference for the future! Never forget that! Keep on teaching, Teacher!

Love, Teacher

Repeat PS from yesterday…I have an idea. I want to compile stories about teachers who have made a difference in peoples’ lives. It can be a story or a “Dear Teacher ___________” thank you letter. I want to share them on here and maybe in a couple of other ways (possibly a book). If you are interested, email dearteacher@outlook.com and put “Teacher Story” or “Teacher Thank You Letter” in the subject. Thanks. I am excited about this project! (I will post more details about this soon, but please send your story/letter if you can!)

Best of Dear Teacher/Love Teacher, Theme Song, You Are Awesome!!!

The Best of the Weekly Theme Songs

Posted on August 5, 2013 by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

Dear Teacher,

For me, this is the last full week before teachers go back to school for the new year. I have so much planning and other things that I want to get done! I think I am going to have to chill it with the blog for this week. So…this week will be the “Best of Dear Teacher/Love Teacher.” I am going to post links to several posts from the last three months, and then I am going to give you a challenge. I want you to pick your favorite, share why it is your favorite, and then share it everywhere that you can (Edmodo, Facebook, Twitter, etc…).

Today is the best of the weekly theme songs. Because there have not been that many, I am going to share a link to all of them. Which is your favorite?

My favorite is Stronger. That song has been in my head a lot since I found out the results of the State Tests. I know that I can use the unmet expectations as fuel for next year. It is driving me to work harder to have things together for my students and to use what I have learned to be more effective in years to come. I am stronger, and I will continue to get stronger!

Which is your favorite? Why? Go out and share the encouragement!

You are awesome! You are amazing! This year will be the best one yet, I just know it! Keep on teaching and keep on getting stronger, Teacher!

Love, Teacher

PS…I have an idea. I want to compile stories about teachers who have made a difference in peoples’ lives. It can be a story or a “Dear Teacher ___________” thank you letter. I want to share them on here and maybe in a couple of other ways (possibly a book). If you are interested, email dearteacher@outlook.com and put “Teacher Story” or “Teacher Thank You Letter” in the subject. Thanks. I am excited about this project!