To say I LOVE this unit would be an understatement, and here's why...

1. It is the perfect culmination (almost) of the course because it revisits the perspectives and that crucial knowledge students need to have, and
2. Students love this unit; in fact it's probably a huge reason why many students take the entire course.

So I want to provide you with some resources to make this unit as awesome as it should be.  Here we go.

Clinical Psychology Resources

All of the major disorder categories laid out by CollegeBoard are covered in these slides with understandable definitions and visuals to assist in your delivery of the content.  This file also includes the Psychotherapies and Evaluating Psychotherapies slides.

To accompany these slides, I've created guided notes for students so they can spend their time focusing on the content and less focused on what to write and when.  I've heard from many students and teachers that these guides really assist students in being...

My first evaluation (more like my first ten evaluations) as a new teacher was probably the most terrifying day of my life.  I am blessed that although I'm a sweater (I sweat frequently #tmi), I don't normally sweat through - ew!  But, on that day, I definitely did - as if I wasn't feeling self-conscious enough already.

Evaluations.

Man, that's a word that will make your tuchus pucker any day of the week.  

It's loaded with emotion, and teachers generally don't have the fondest of memories tied to that word.

Which is unfortunate, because it could very much be a valuable learning tool for teachers and administrators alike.  If you have valuable experiences around your classroom observations and evaluations I am super happy for you.  I have mostly good experiences, but nothing overly enlightening or inspiring.

Until a couple years ago when I was chatting with a colleague friend after my post-observation meeting.  I told our lunch crew all about...

Hey there and thanks so much for returning to our little world here at Teach On A Mission for our series on Teacher Health.

For a refresher on why we are chatting about this important topic, be sure to check out Part One on finding balance as a teacher and Part Two on overcoming the pressure of "hustle" in education.

This week, we're back for the conversation, this time continuing the necessity of being candid.  There's no need to complain or what some perceive as only focusing on the negative.  No, that's not our goal or purpose in developing this series.  It's about having the candid and necessary conversations about teacher health so that we can empower teachers and keep them in the classroom longer.

This week I'll be starting back with our weekly Live conversations on Facebook - be sure to check those out on our page.  The drive behind the Facebook lives is that we have the conversations that are so necessary to get teachers in the right mindset, allowing...

 Welcome back to the Teacher Health series here at Teach On A Mission.  I'm so glad you decided to carve out some time to join me in this reflection and consideration of ways we can build up teachers and bring them a healthier lifestyle.

In last week's post, Part One of our Teacher Health series, I shared some details around the not-so-secret trend that's occurring in education today... teachers not entering the field in the first place and teachers leaving the field once they get there.

I believe that this exit of teachers en masse is largely due to the unsustainable, super-human pace that's necessary to be effective and a "good" teacher.

This week I'm going to start by sharing a little secret of mine.  One that, now that I think about it, I don't think I've even mentioned this to my husband.

*GASP*

It's not a dirty secret, per say, but it's one that reveals my flawed perception of the teaching field when I first entered it and, therefore, the larger, collective...

Phew.  I've finished up the biggest haul of resources to date because of CollegeBoard's reorganization with the new CED in AP® Psychology.

Seriously - phew!

I can't wait to show it all to you, and to provide you with a fun free resource you can use to get your students up and moving just for sticking around here at Teach On A Mission.

So, what do we have here in Unit 7 - well it's a big one.  Much like Cognitive Psychology, you'll want to be sure and keep this one nice and compartmentalized for students, helping them know where they are in their studies at all times.

I hope you find these resources helpful so you can spend time connecting with your students rather than on the wheel of content creation.

Slides

Let's start with the slides.  There are 12 sets of powerpoint slides in 12 big topics covered throughout the unit.  I like this unit in a flipped classroom, as I do all units, but I have to say the discussion that comes from these topics in class is...

It’s the new year; gym memberships have soared through the roof, everyone under the sun has some kind of personal fitness goal that they are striving toward as a New Year’s resolution, so I thought I might contribute to that conversation.

Well... kinda.

The contribution won’t be about personal, physical health - although I'm totally game for a competition on my Apple watch - but instead about teacher health in general.

Over the next few weeks, five to be exact, I’ll be exploring a few topics that all have something to do with how we can improve teacher health. And what I mean by teacher health is a teacher's overall well-being including and especially their mental health as determined by things like time management skills, daily routines, mindset, and the small, seemingly insignificant choices we make on a regular basis that are contributing to poor teacher health as a whole.

Let me be more specific - what I mean by teacher health is small ways teachers can...

Having a student centered classroom is far from a new idea in the realm of pedagogically sound instructional practices.  I would go so far as to say that if you're reading this blog post, you pride yourself in having a mostly student centered classroom, or at least strive to have one.

But let me ask you this...

At the end of any given school day, even in your student centered classroom, do your students talk more than you do?

What is Student Voice

This week's post is all about student voice, knowing what is student voice, and even considering some student voice examples.

There are so many meanings for student voice, so it's important to consider from the start which type of student voice I'll be focusing on this week and in the near future.

Student voice in the student centered classroom doesn't have to be the super formal kind, the kind where students are developing their unique style or even standing at the front of the room delivering a well-planned speech.  It CAN be...

Disclaimer: This is a blog.  This is a blog run solely by a classroom teacher who is stepping into the coaching and entrepreneurial realm with hopes of making an impact on other teachers and their classrooms.  The opinions shared in this post are completely and exclusively the opinions of the writer with evidence from Ohio's recent changes to the Edchoice laws provided at the EdChoice Scholarship Program website.

Using a single state's decision to shed light on a bigger issue

I live in Ohio - always have. 

I educate in Ohio - always have. 

There have been some recent changes in laws on school choice that will impact public schools in Ohio, big time.

So, I'm taking the opportunity NOT to just spout off about those changes (although, if someone is going to spout off about education, it should be mostly teachers that we listen to... just my humble opinion).  Instead, I'm using this opportunity provided by these recent changes to shed a little light on how...

Holy moly, can you believe we are over half way through the content as we plan for and start unit six of nine.  When you get back from your break at the half-way point you're probably working on starting Developmental Psychology, at least if you follow Collegeboard's new CED you are.  If not though, that is NOT a huge deal.  Really, these units would go well in just about any order.

Development is fun and short unit.  Fun because it applies to all humans, including the ones sitting in seats in your classroom, making retention a bit more likely.  But short because well, there's just not many standards or dedicated class time to it.  But here's the thing... there are LOTS of stages and vocab terms that are unique and a bit foreign in this unit.

The great part is, if you've followed along with the pacing I've provided (and give in great detail in my AP Psych Teachers Membership), then you can see that you've got a decent bit of time to spend on Unit 6 -...

Hey hey Teacher Friends!

I've taken a bit of a break from bringing you weekly content on our blog here at Teach On A Mission, and I've been using that time to do some major reflecting and planning.  Teach On A Mission is approaching its one year anniversary and I'm super excited to see what year two has in store.  In all my reflecting and planning, it got me all in my New Years Resolution vibes and wanting to bring your some good plans and ideas around what reflection and goal setting in your classroom looks like.

In the past few years I have become a huge fan of New Year's.  I have some mixed emotions because I normally cry when the bell drops due to the harsh recognition that time is FLYING by and I'm no spring chicken anymore, but I also love the celebration and, mostly, the reflection that comes with a new year and a fresh start approaching.

Most of us recognize that not just a new year, but a new decade is beginning - it is the ultimate fresh start, and with that...