When the AC Dies and We All Melt: Surviving Florida's Classroom Heat Wave
Florida teacher tip: Last Tuesday, I walked into my classroom at 7:15 AM and immediately knew something was wrong. The air felt thick enough to swim
Resources & Strategies for Florida Teachers
Florida teacher tip: Last Tuesday, I walked into my classroom at 7:15 AM and immediately knew something was wrong. The air felt thick enough to swim
FAST test prep tip: Last Tuesday, I walked into my classroom to find little Sofia already at her desk at 7:30 AM, a full hour before school starts. She
Classroom management tip: Last Tuesday, I watched Miguel transform from a hurricane of frustration into a focused student in less than five minutes. He'd
Teacher advice: It was a Tuesday in March, and I was sitting in my empty classroom at 6:47 PM with a cardboard box on my desk. Not just any box. This was
Classroom management tip: Last Tuesday, little Marcus (not my son, my student Marcus) raised his hand during our morning meeting and asked, "Mrs. Santos,
Classroom management tip: Last Tuesday, I walked into my classroom at 7:15 AM feeling like I'd already run a marathon. My coffee maker had broken, Marcus
FAST test prep tip: Last Tuesday, I watched Sofia's mom pace outside my classroom door for ten minutes before finally knocking. When she came in, the
Classroom tech tip: Last week, my daughter Daniela called me from college laughing. "Mom, I saw this TikTok about a teacher who organized her classroom
Budget-friendly teaching tip: Last week, my principal walked into my classroom and stopped dead in her tracks. "Maria Elena, this looks like something out
Classroom management tip: Let me tell you about Miguel (not his real name). Every morning at 8:15, he'd walk into my classroom like he was auditioning for
Budget-friendly teaching tip: Last week, a parent walked into my classroom and asked if our school had gotten a "makeover budget." I almost choked on my
Teacher advice: Yesterday, little Sophia asked me if I was okay because my eye was twitching. Ay, mija, if only you knew. It's December 15th, and I'm
FAST test prep tip: Last week, little Sofia walked into my classroom looking like she'd been through a hurricane. Her hair was a mess, she had dark
FAST test prep tip: Last Tuesday, I walked into my classroom with my coffee mug still sitting on my kitchen counter, my lesson plans scattered somewhere
Budget-friendly teaching tip: Last week, my principal walked into my classroom and asked where I got my "beautiful organizational system." I almost choked
Budget-friendly teaching tip: Last week, a parent walked into my classroom for conferences and asked if our school had gotten new funding for decorating.
Budget-friendly teaching tip: Last Tuesday, I watched my student Jamal stare at 47 + 29 like it was written in ancient hieroglyphics. I could practically
Budget-friendly teaching tip: Last Tuesday, little Sofia looked at me with those big brown eyes and said, "Mrs. Santos, I still don't get fractions." We'd
Florida teacher tip: Last Tuesday, I was in the middle of explaining long division when my principal's voice crackled over the intercom: "Teachers, please
FAST test prep tip: Last Tuesday, little Sofia came to my classroom with tears streaming down her face. Her mom had spent the entire car ride to school
Classroom management tip: Last Tuesday, I watched Miguel test every single boundary I'd set in my classroom. And I mean every one. First, he "forgot" to
Florida teacher tip: Picture this: It's August 1998, and I'm standing in my first classroom in Miami wearing a blazer in 95-degree heat because I thought
Florida teacher tip: Last September, I was standing in my empty classroom at 6 PM on a Sunday, frantically laminating math centers while the news droned
Classroom management tip: Last Tuesday, I watched Miguel (not his real name) test every single boundary I had set in my classroom. He arrived five minutes
Parent communication tip: Last Tuesday, I was frantically printing out progress reports at 7:30 PM when my husband Carlos walked into my classroom. "Mija,
Florida teacher tip: Picture this: It's August 2002, and I'm standing in my first classroom at 7 AM, sweating through my carefully chosen "professional"
Classroom management tip: Let me tell you about Miguel. Not his real name, pero this kid nearly broke me in my fifteenth year of teaching. I thought I had
Teacher advice: Last Tuesday, I found myself standing in my empty classroom at 6:30 PM, staring at a bulletin board I'd put up in September. It was
Classroom tech tip: Last Tuesday, I walked into my classroom to find half my students in tears and the other half furiously whispering about something
FAST test prep tip: Last Tuesday, I watched little Sofia's mom pace outside my classroom door like she was waiting for medical test results. When I
Classroom management tip: Last Tuesday, I watched a first-year teacher practically sprint past my classroom during lunch. Her hair was disheveled, her
Parent communication tip: Last Tuesday, I watched a parent literally sprint past my classroom window during conference week. I'm talking full-on track
Budget-friendly teaching tip: Last week, my principal walked into my classroom during my planning period. I was hot-gluing fabric to a cardboard box,
Budget-friendly teaching tip: Last week, my principal walked into my classroom during my planning period. I was sitting on the floor, hot glue gun in
Budget-friendly teaching tip: Picture this: It's my third year teaching, and I'm standing in the school supply catalog section of our faculty meeting,
Math teaching strategy: Last Tuesday, I watched little Sofia's face go completely white when I announced we were starting word problems. This sweet kid
Math teaching strategy: Last Tuesday, I walked into my classroom and wrote "47 x 23" on the board. Then I proceeded to solve it completely wrong. I
Florida teacher tip: Last Tuesday, I walked into my classroom at 7:15 AM and immediately knew it was going to be one of those days. The air felt thick
Florida teacher tip: I still remember my first August in a Florida classroom. Fresh out of college, armed with bulletin board borders and way too much
Budget-friendly teaching tip: Last week, my principal walked into my classroom and asked where I got my "beautiful storage system." I almost choked on my
FAST test prep tip: Last Tuesday, I walked into my classroom with my coffee mug still sitting on my kitchen counter, my lesson plans scattered across
FAST test prep tip: Last Tuesday, I walked into my classroom with my coffee mug (the one that says "I Survived Another Year"), took one look at my FAST
Classroom tech tip: Last week, my colleague Jessica asked me why I'm not on TikTok sharing my classroom tips. "Maria, you've got twenty-two years of
Florida teacher tip: Picture this: It's August 2002, and I'm standing in my first classroom in Tampa, sweating through my brand new teacher outfit (yes, I
Classroom management tip: Picture this: It's my third year teaching, and I spent the entire first week of school making adorable name tags, teaching my
Florida teacher tip: I still remember my first August in a Florida classroom twenty-two years ago. The air conditioning was broken, I had thirty-two third
Florida teacher tip: I still remember my first August in a Florida classroom. Fresh out of college, armed with laminated bulletin board borders and enough
Classroom management tip: Last Monday, I stood outside my classroom door at 7:15 AM, coffee in one hand and a stack of name tags in the other, watching 23
Classroom management tip: Last week, I watched a brand-new teacher down the hall trying to jump straight into her math curriculum on day two. Bless her
Classroom management tip: Last Monday, I walked into my classroom at 6:30 AM with my usual first-day-of-school stomach knots. You'd think after 22 years
Florida teacher tip: I still remember my first day teaching in Florida like it was yesterday. August 2002, standing in front of 28 third-graders in a
FAST test prep tip: Yesterday, little Sofia walked into my classroom dragging her backpack behind her like it weighed fifty pounds. "Mrs. Santos," she
Classroom management tip: Picture this: It's my second year teaching, and I spent my entire August creating the most gorgeous classroom you've ever seen.