in one of my last semesters of college, I had this fabulous professor, Lily Taylor. She wore tennis shoes with all of her dresses because she insisted on being comfortable while she taught. She had a wealth of knowledge about effective classroom management strategies and she had a way of speaking that drew you in and made you want to listen. Professor Taylor was wonderful. Of the countless things I learned from her, the most memorable lecture is summed up in this quote: The people in the classroom who are doing most of the talking are the people in the classroom who are doing most of the learning. 

I have reflected on this quote frequently and often remind myself to stop talking and give the students room to discuss what they are learning. I believe that learning is LOUD and I incorporate instructional strategies that align with this belief. Are you wondering how to get your students talking about content in your classroom? Here are some ideas about using conversations to increase learning.

Hey y’all! I’ve been sharing a lot of strategies and advice about creating your Teacher Instagram. If you want to read what I’ve already written on this topic, you can click here.

Today I wanted to clarify the different stages I’ve talked about: starting, building, growing, and maintaining. In my experience, it is essential that you go through these stages in order. If your goal is to create a memorable brand, you need to run the marathon, not a sprint. I’m not here to give you quick tricks to get a thousand followers in a week - I’m here to guide you through the process of intentionally designing a brand that will make a difference.

Each stage is defined by the moves you take, NOT by the number of followers you have. I’m hoping to break the misconception that more followers equals more success - this is not the case. Curious to know what stage you’re in? Keep reading.

There are tens of thousands of resources on Teachers Pay Teachers. I love searching through for the perfect resources over the summer, but sometimes I wish it was a little easier to find exactly what I was looking for. 

I've put together this list of all my favorite resources from TPT that I use in my classroom over and over and over again.

Hey y'all! I'm back again with more thoughts about growing your Teacher Instagram. If you're just starting out and wondering where to begin, you can read my suggestions about How to Start Your Teacher Instagram. You can find all the rest of my posts on this topic here.

Whatever your purpose in creating your account, and whatever your focus or vision is, you most likely have a desire to grow your following on instagram so that you can have more of an influence. Wondering what to do to grow your instagram? Here are some suggestions.

So you want to be a teacher instagrammer. Hooray! If you're just getting started, you might be interested in my blog post about the basics of starting up your account: How to Start Your Teacher Instagram. If you've established your account, and you're ready to build up your content and increase your following, you can check out the other tips and tricks I've been sharing here. 

Today's post is all about connecting with your followers. Wondering what it means to be authentic on the internet? Here are some tips to get you started.
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Hey y'all! Using social media to grow your brand can be a wonderful way to meet new people and improve your own practice. The teacher-instagram community is an amazing place. I am constantly discovering new ideas and But, it can also feel a little overwhelming when you're starting out. Last week, I blogged about four easy steps to help you start your own Teacher Instagram account.

Now that you've started, you might be wondering, what do I do next?  Of course, you'll need to continue to post consistently and intentionally, and engage with other accounts. But what else? Here's what to do next.

Hey y'all! Participating on social media is a great way to make new teacher friends, be exposed to new perspectives, and look for new ideas for your classroom. It can also be really overwhelming, and you can feel like you don't know where to start.

I'm here to show you that it's not as hard as it sounds, and anyone can do it! You don't need a lot of time, experience, or fancy pictures to start posting right away. Want to start your teacher Instagram? Here's how to do it.
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STEP ONE: JUST START.
There are a lot of details to consider on Instagram: photos, captions, filters, profile images, handles (that's your account name), profile information, hashtags, stories, links, etc. It can be really easy to obsess and worry over having all the details just right, but thinking about your ideas won't get you anywhere. All the little details, like your account name and profile details, are easy to change later.The most important thing to do when creating your teacher Instagram is simply to get started. Pick a name. Add a profile image. Make your first post (or three). Just start!

STEP TWO: BE CONSISTENT.
Once you've started posting, don't stop! Try to post at least once a day. There are lots of suggestions out there about the times of day to post, but that isn't as important as simply being consistent. People tend to follow accounts that already have posts, so you need to give them something to see when they stumble across your account. Once your followers know that you're going to show up every day, they will be looking for what you're going to share next. Think of the accounts you like to follow - most likely they post consistently about topics that you're interested in.

STEP THREE: BE INTENTIONAL.
Give people a reason to follow you. What do you have to offer that makes you stand out? What message are you sharing? What impact do you want to have? Once you've determined what your message will be, be intentional in how you post. For example, if you want your message to be about helping struggling readers, then you need to post frequently about struggling readers. I would not recommend making every post about this topic - you don't want to be one-dimensional. But. Don't leave people wondering why they're following you.

STEP FOUR: FIND FRIENDS, NOT FOLLOWERS
This sounds silly, so let me clarify. Obviously, when you create your account, you're looking for followers. But if your goal is to share a specific message and have an impact, you need engaged followers in order to grow your impact. Think of engaged followers like friends. They like and comment on the things you post. They reply to your stories. They click on your links. They tell their friends about you. These are the kinds of people that you want to find, because when your posts receive a lot of engagement, the Instagram algorithm understands that your content is valuable and it makes your posts visible to more people. These are also the kinds of people that you want to find because connecting with others and finding friends is what makes participating in this community so enjoyable. Here are a few strategies for finding friends, not just followers:

• FOLLOW OTHER PEOPLE. One of the best way to find friends on Instagram is simply to follow them! Look for accounts that have the same message as you. Think of this like hunting for your ideal follower. Who is your message for? Find those people and follow them.
• ENGAGE WITH OTHER ACCOUNTS. Once you find people to follow, be an engaged follower. Set aside some time every day (like 15 minutes) to simply like and comment on other people's posts. Build relationships with other accounts. This tells the algorithm and other people that you are a valuable account to discover.
• PARTICIPATE IN LOOPS AND GIVEAWAYS. There are always teacher loops and this is a great way to find other accounts and to put yourself out there for other accounts to follow. Be sure that you do this genuinely - don't join a loop for High School Science Teachers if you teach Pre-K.