In college I had plenty of friends who weren't sure what they wanted to do. I was sure I wanted to be a lawyer... until I wasn't sure. Not because I couldn't, but because the Lord changed my heart and priorities. Daniel and I were recently engaged, and I realized starting a family was more important to me than being a lawyer. I switched my major from political science to history, and that was that! Decisiveness when it comes to big life choices has always been easy for me. I can't say the same for all my little life choices though. When I decided to become a teacher, I was a little late in the game. I couldn't very well start the education program at DBU when I was already almost done. That's when I made the choice to work my butt off to secure my professional future as soon as possible. I do not like uncertainty at all. If you're like me and want to have that dream career ASAP, then read my five tips for landing your dream job.


1. Don't Waste Time in School
I obviously don't mean to skip school entirely, unless your dream job doesn't require it. I have so many friends who went to college for 4-5 years to get a Bachelors. I highly suggest going to school full time year round to graduate earlier. I graduated in 3 years without becoming overly stressed. My dad gave me some incredible advice in high school that he probably doesn't even remember, but he said to treat school like a job. Just act as if you have to study and be in class from 8-4, and you'll have plenty of time to get everything done while still having evenings for fun! If 8 hours a day seems like a lot, it's because it is. Realistically you don't need this much time for class and studying. If you finish early that's great take the afternoon off.  I suggest taking minimesters (week long courses), or summer classes online.  If you want to land your dream job then stop dragging out college and graduate already. Another plus of graduating in 3 years and at 20 years old is that prospective employers will be impressed. I've never had an interview where this didn't come up, and I always feel like it has a huge impact on their impression of me.


2. Gain Experience
One of the biggest mistakes I see is friends not applying for every job in their field or turning jobs down because they weren't perfect. You need experience to land your dream job, and if you keep passing up opportunities to gain that experience you will never get there. I knew that I wasn't going to land my dream job immediately for a few reasons. I was straight out of college, and did alternative certification for teaching. I had to gain experience to be able to speak with confidence in my abilities as a teacher. I started out as a teacher in Oak Cliff at Stockard Middle School. Although this was a really difficult school to work at, it was in Dallas ISD who pays really well. For some people this would have been a great job because of the salary, but honestly I choose environment over salary.


3. Build a Killer Resume
Don't wait until the last minute to create a resume, and get recommendation letters. Start working on your resume, and add to it throughout your career. Recommendation letters are a huge part of your resume. I keep every relevant recommendation letter I've ever received and give them all to prospective employers. It's important to have recommendation letters from different categories of people. As a teacher, I had one from my principal, instructional coach, fellow teacher, and college advisor/professor. If you aren't a teacher, then I would suggest getting a recommendation from your direct supervisor, peer, and a college professor if possible. People are impressed with organization. I compiled all of this to include in a portfolio showcasing my teaching abilities. It included a letter, resume, philosophy of teaching, recommendations, transcripts, sample lesson plans, examples of student's work, and even observations. Having a collection of documents that prove you're as great as you say you are will go a long way in landing your dream job.

4. Prepare for your Interviews
Do not walk into an interview without preparation. Spend time with a friend, or even by yourself going over possible questions. Even if they don't ask any of the questions your practice, you will gain confidence from going through the motions. Also prepare a killer outfit. Overdress. I don't mean to wear a tuxedo like in Step Brothers... if you haven't seen their interview scene go watch it now. I just paused writing this to go watch it which reminded me of another tip! Have questions prepared for your interviewer. They will most definitely ask you "Do you have any questions?", and it's really awkward if you don't. So come up with some that are relevant to the position and company you are applying for.


5. Follow Up 
I guarantee that you are not the only person being interviewed. Hopefully they will remember you if you did all the things I mentioned, but they might not. Take the time to sit down and write an email the next day to check in, and thank them for their time. This should be a 3-4 sentence email that tells them what a great opportunity it was to interview, and that you are appreciative of their time. Most people don't do this. They just sit around and wait for a phone call. Show them that you are excited and motivated. If you don't hear back consider giving the company a call to follow up again. Don't assume you didn't get it because you haven't heard anything. Companies sometimes put hiring on the back burner if it's not a time sensitive position. Don't give up until they tell you that they've filled the position.


I took all of these steps to land my dream job at 22! I had to work non-stop to graduate early (while married), then work long hours at a stressful school to gain experience, but I quickly made all of that worth it by staying focused. If you're not sure what you want to do, it's because you haven't done it yet. Get out there and start applying. You'll know when you find it.

Transitioning from college clothes to professional clothes is easily one of the hardest parts of adulting. By college clothes I mean nike shorts and big t shirts everyday. My closet was not prepared for me to become a teacher. On top of that, I work at a very strict private school. My dresses and skirts have to be at or below my knees even if I'm wearing leggings, and absolutely no tank tops or cap sleeves. Reading the list of dress code rules gives me a major headache. Due to getting in trouble for a dress that was 2 inches above my knees last year, I gave up on cuteness and wore skinny slacks with blouses or cardigans everyday. There was nothing wrong with it, I was just missing the femininity that skirts and dresses provide. This summer I resolved to find cute, professional, modest clothing that would completely change how I dressed for work.

I love shopping online so my first goal was to find a modest clothing boutique, which I thought would be way easier than it was! There are a lot of "modest" boutiques out there, but lots of them have very different definitions of modest than me. The best one that I found was Neesees Dresses. They have a million different options of print and style. One of my favorite aspects of Neesees is that they constantly have a HUGE clearance section. You can find dresses and skirts on sale for less than $20.
I also find a lot of outfit inspiration through this site. They always pair their dresses and skirt with adorable shoes and tops.


My other favorite option for teacher attire is Nordstrom and Nordstrom Rack. I tend to think that Nordstrom Rack has a better variety that works for me, but both are amazing. The skirt below was at Nordstrom Rack for under twenty dollars! These black heels are from DSW, and are the perfect height for teaching. If I wear too tall of heels I'll end up barefoot or in sandals halfway through the day. Not glamorous at all, but I'm literally on my feet all day!



Becoming an adult means we have to give up our free time in exchange for forty hours a week in drab clothes dreaming of happy hour! I say no to all of that. I'm blessed to LOVE teaching and my school so I'm honestly not "working for the weekend", but I have fallen victim to the frumpy clothes that I thought were my only option to remain modest and professional. I should have known better because I've seen The Devil Wears Prada a million times! I can't wait to wear these adorable outfits throughout the school year because they will all transition into fall and winter so well.

As the school year approaches I'm reminded of my first year teaching, and how utterly lost I was. I want to encourage and help out all the new teachers in any way that I can. Lesson planning is something that new teachers ALWAYS struggle with. It takes up hours of your schedule, when really it should take AT MOST one hour a week depending on how many classes you have. Use this simple step by step guide to get a handle on lesson planning, and stop wasting all of your free time.

1. Curriculum Mapping

Before the school year even starts, it's so important to map out your content for the entire year. If you don't, you will most likely run out of time! Some school districts already do this for you, but if yours doesn't then take a day and do it. It will save you hours during the school year. The best way to create a curriculum map is to sit down with your text book and standards for a few hours and just get it done. It can be as easy as printing out a calendar and writing a one word topic for each day.

Examples: 
"Causes of the Civil War"
"Fractions"
"Theme in Short Stories"

2. Learning Objective

A learning objective tells you and your students what the goal for the day is! What will they be learning today. Start EVERY lesson plan by creating a learning objective before you even get to the specifics of how you will teach it. Your learning objective will be the guide for your lesson. It basically tells you the end goal of the class period. When planning this ask yourself "What should the students know based on the standard we are covering". You are putting the standard into "kid language" for them to understand what they are learning. If your learning objectives start getting too wordy or complicated then students will have no idea what the goal is.

Examples: 
"Students will be able to analyze the causes of the Civil War."
"I can identify fractions."
"We will evaluate themes used in short stories."

3. Engage

Examples: 
Short video clips
Tell a story
Play a game

4. Activity

Examples: 
Discussion
Socratic Seminar
Gallery Walk
Speed Dating
Nearpod Powerpoint
Stations
Video Analysis

5. Formative Assessment

6. Exit Tickets

Examples: 
"Students will analyze the causes of the Civil War by reading a quote from Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address and analyzing what two causes of the Civil War were."  
"Students will identify fractions by choosing them from a lineup of decimals, fractions, and whole numbers."
"Students will evaluate themes in short stories by reading a short story, and evaluating the theme."

So it's your first year teaching? I was there two short years ago, scouring Pinterest for what I would do the first week of school. I look back now, and realize that I had no idea what I was doing. If only my teacher certification could have prepared me for the reality of teaching, but it didn't so here I am trying to help out my fellow newbies who are probably scared to death! I started teaching in Dallas ISD at a middle school in Oak Cliff which was a complete culture shock. I had just graduated from Dallas Baptist University in May, got hired in June, and started in August. Daniel and I also got married in March, so my plate was pretty full figuring out how to be a wife and a teacher at the same time.

Enough about me, you're looking for strategies to make your classroom work.

1. Make it YOUR classroom (decorate)
If you want to feel excited coming to work (which is near impossible your first year teaching), then your classroom has to be an extension of your home. This was a mistake I made my first year because I was on a tight budget, but I really wish I had splurged.
Honestly looking back at this room it's depressing. I added more decorations throughout the year, but it stayed pretty boring. My first year of teaching was so difficult, and coming to this classroom didn't help. If only I had dedicated more time to making it mine! Please don't make the same mistake!
My 1st year classroom was HUGE, but my 2nd one was pretty small. At first this was disappointing, but then I realized how cozy I could make it. Honestly the smallest classroom that can fit you and your students is the best! So be thankful for that tiny room because that's a lot less space to decorate.

The best change I made was adding chairs and couches that were great as rewards or flexible seating! Also, going with a colorful theme, rather than something really specific means that every year you can just keep adding more decorations!

2. Ask For Help
The second year I realized I didn't have to do it alone! I posted on Facebook to ask all my friends and family for help! I highly suggest doing this. My uncle's company ended up donating $100 and some school supplies. Other friends offered school supplies and decorations. Little things add up, and make you realize how much your loved ones want you to succeed.

3. Rules and Rewards
When I started teaching I had plenty of rules. Five to be exact because I heard that was the magic number, but none of those rules really helped with classroom management because they had no reason to follow them. Of course you need rules, but more importantly you need REWARDS! No kid wants to follow rules "because I said so", or "it's my classroom and you better listen". That kind of attitude will get you nowhere with classroom management, and kids will just resent being in your room.
A few rewards systems that I have used are tickets and blocks, and I implemented them simultaneously. Tickets were my individual reward system. Students could get multiple tickets everyday just by being on task and answering questions. They would keep up with their tickets, and once they got enough for a prize they could turn them in. Blocks are a class wide incentive that they earned when the entire class was on task. At the end of the six weeks the class with the most blocks would win a pizza party!

4. Relationships
Put an emphasis on creating relationships with your students. If you have a relationship with students they will work hard for you! They will want to be in your classroom because they know you care. You have to earn the right to be heard by your students, and that means showing up! I don't just mean showing up to class... I mean showing up to sports, performances, before school, after school, and just getting to know them.

5. Teachers Pay Teachers 
Your first year of teaching will be so time consuming and stressful that Teachers Pay Teachers could be the difference between you having a social life or not! Don't be embarrassed about using Teachers by Teachers, that how some of the best teachers lesson plan. If you can't come up with a lesson, or have no idea how to teach a topic then look no further. I personally love Teachers Pay Teachers, and it gives me so much more time to focus on my students!

By implementing these five things I'm able to focus on my students. That's what teaching is really all about. Giving the students what they need to get where they need to be! Remember it's about the kids, not the tests, not the administration, and definitely not the grades!