awesomeness – Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

To Be a Teacher…

Posted on February 3, 2015February 3, 2015 by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

Dear Teacher,

I am sorry that my words of encouragement have been few and far between this year. It has been a rough and busy school year.

But I guess that this is not news to you.

As I talk to and get feedback from other teachers, I am hearing the same thing from them. It is a tough year. There is no time. It is all that I can do to keep my head above water.

We are all just trying to survive this year, aren’t we.

It isn’t easy for any of us, even the most veteran teachers.

This school is is just plain difficult.

I have some good news and some encouragement for you today.

The Good News: For most of us, this school year is half-way over!

And there was much rejoicing.

The Encouragement:

You know what takes to be a good teacher. Nay. You know what it takes to be a GREAT teacher. You know because you are one.

I know that this is a trying year. There is so much extra on your plate. There are so many curve balls to contend with and handle. There is just a lot of…well…everything this year. It is not easy to let your greatness show.

But, you awesome teacher, you, know what your students need. You know what is best. You know how to reach and teach even the most difficult students in your class. You know what it takes to get your students where they need to go. You have the knowledge and the know-how!

I have four words for you: Stick to your guns!

Stay true to the teacher that you know you are. Sometimes that means having to fight battles over what is best for your classroom. Sometimes you just have to go through the motions of the extra that you are asked to do. Sometimes you need to let a few of those unneeded plates drop (you know all of those many plates that you have to spin for the sake of spinning and not for the sake of the precious ones in your class). Sometimes you just have to stand up for what is right.

It is not always easy to do, but you have to remember who you are there for…your students.

I know, there is voice after voice after voice telling you the best way to do your job. Sometimes those voices are right. Sometimes you are already doing a good job and can afford to put some voices on mute. Have the courage to do that. Find the voices that count, but don’t forget your own.

Be courageous and do what needs to be done today.

Make your students your goal.

Remember them today.

Be strong.

You can do it!

You are awesome and I completely believe in you! You have what it takes to do what it takes. You are making a difference! You are strong and courageous. I know that you will make choices today that will help your students be everything that they can be! Keep going! Keep on teaching, Teacher!

Love, Teacher

Announcement, Challenge, Weekend Note

Facebooking, TpT Storing, and Contest Announcing

Posted on June 29, 2013 by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

Dear Teacher,

Great Saturday morning to you! I hope you are relaxing off your week and getting ready for another one! I just wanted to announce a few things this morning. I think you really like one of the announcements!

Later today or tomorrow I will be starting a series of posts that I will put up on the weekends. The Secret Occupations of Teachers, or S.O.o.T. for short. I will be talking about some of the things that we do that most people don’t know and how being a teacher is not just about teaching. I will acknowledge one of our “other jobs,” encourage you in that “job,” and give you a little challenge in your role in that “job.” I am excited about starting this, and I hope you will enjoy reading them and find a lot of encouragement from them!
I am repeating the push for sharing the Dear Teacher/Love Teacher Facebook Page this weekend that I did last weekend. The more people that here the messages of hope, the further this Teacher Encouragement revolution will spread! If you haven’t “Liked” the page, please do and join us! If you have or after you do, share! Share, share, share the page with everyone you know involved in education! Let’s see how far we can push this in one weekend! The number of page members tripled last week, let’s see if we can do that again!
This might be a motivation for you to want to join and share the Dear Teacher/Love Teacher Facebook Page. Tomorrow I am going to announce a giveaway there! The number of winners will be determined by the number of “Likes” on the page and the number of people who participate in the contest. For every 25 Likes on the FB page, there will be one winner in the giveaway. “Like” and share! The more the merry…who is not merrier when then win something?!
A quick note on the Dear Teacher/Love Teacher Facebook Page that might motivate you to “Like,” if you haven’t: I am going to start doing a majority of the promoting of the blog there and on Twitter. I am going to leave the Edmodo promoting more up to you. I would love to have each of you share the blog with your Connections and one Community that you are in each day! I would also love to have one person in charge of promoting in each of the main communities. I call dibs on Science! 🙂
Last but not least, I have finished another resource for the Teachers Pay Teachers Store, and I am very excited about this one! It is a printable note based on the image on this post. I don’t know if you can tell, but the “I Heart Your Awesomeness” image is my favorite one so far! The note is in a series of PDF files and four manipulable Word documents. The note is in a variety of sizes and comes as both B&W and color images. You can print and then use space to write a quick note and pass it on to a teacher or student to encourage and give hope! I plan on using these myself. I am so excited to just have them for myself. The Note of Awesomeness is on sale for $1 (28 printable pages for $1 is not bad at all…I’ve paid more than that for one thank you note!).

(c)DearTeacherLT2013 (You may use this picture if you link back to my blog.)

Thank you for indulging me in making these announcements! I hope you have an amazing weekend! Look for the S.O.o.T. post later today or tomorrow as well as more information about the Facebook giveaway!

You are an awesome and amazing teacher. Keep on teaching, Teacher!

Love, Teacher

Get Psyched!, New Day, Pep Talk, You Are Awesome!!!

Dawn of a New Day

Posted on June 21, 2013June 22, 2013 by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

Dear Teacher,

Today is a new day! It is a bright start! Yesterday does not matter, good or bad. Today is something brand new. Get out there and shine your awesomeness! You will do great and wonderful things!

If yesterday was rough, today is hasn’t been written yet. Don’t let yesterday ruin today! Make today amazing!

If yesterday was a good day, today is just starting. Don’t rest on yesterday, make today an even better day!

Don’t be sad. Don’t be lazy. Don’t let today just happen to you…you happen to today. Make it a day unlike any other!

Help someone. Cheer up someone. Encourage someone. Do something that you and others will remember and make a difference that will be remembered!

You are so awesome, Teacher! Awesome the heck out of today! You are amazing and believed in! Be awesome today!

Keep on teaching, Teacher!

Love, Teacher

For more hope and encouragement: @DearTeacherLT (Twitter), Dear Teacher/Love Teacher Facebook Page, and the Dear Teacher TpT Store.

(c)DearTeacherLT2013 (You may use this picture if you link back to this blog.)

For more hope and encouragement: @DearTeacherLT (Twitter) and Dear Teacher/Love Teacher Facebook Page.

Feedback, You Are Awesome!!!

A Favor to Ask…

Posted on May 25, 2013May 30, 2013 by Dear Teacher/Love Teacher

Dear Teacher,

Happy Saturday! I hope you are having an awesome day with friends and family!

This is just going to be a quick post, and I am going to step outside of my normal posts and ask a favor. I want some feed back from you, my readers. This is aimed at those for whom this blog has meant enough for you to follow it via WordPress, email, and Twitter. The blog has resounded with you and you get it. We need encouragement as teachers, and we need challenges given with a positive spin. I am more than happy to offer that. Actually, it fires me up to be able to do that, and your comments and thanks for the encouragement has encouraged me. I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Here is the feedback that I need. I am approaching summer break. I know that I have readers in the Southern Hemisphere as well as the Northern Hemisphere. There are also teachers at schools that go year round. I need to know what you would like from this blog over the summer. If you don’t mind and have a couple of minutes, could you respond to the question that applies to you? You can do it here or to my email: dearteacher@outlook.com. If you do email, please give a subject that shows you are responding to this so I know it is not spam.

Northern Hemisphere-ers with a summer break: What do you need/want from the blog? Do you want some teacher encouragement over the summer? If so, what kind? How often (daily/weekly/something else)?
Nothern Hemisphere-ers that teacher year long and Southern Hemisphere-ers: Would you still like me to post daily or would you be okay with a few times a week? What kind of posts would you like to see most?

Thank you for your feedback! I appreciate it! I also appreciate all of the shares with others. I want this blog to give encouragement to as many teachers as possible! Please continue to share. Thanks!

Once again, I hope you have an awesome Saturday and rest of the weekend. I will close with a pep talk from the Kid President. I am sure that we have all seen it, but it is still great encouragement. Do something awesome not school related this weekend!