Hello Teachers, Stephen King once described the exhaustion of teaching as feeling like he had “jumper cables clamped to [his] brain” by the end of the week. I feel that—except my “jumper cable” moment hits around Wednesday. By Friday, I need full roadside assistance. Even the best teachers get overstimulated. This isn’t a classroom management issue. It isn’t a failure of the teacher. It’s the environment. This time of year, the noise, the pace, and the constant demands start to pile up....
4 days ago • 1 min read
The Creative Teacher Newsletter “I have come to believe that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit.” — John Steinbeck My Story After four years of teaching, I felt stuck. Professional development bored me. Student behavior drained me. I showed up, did what I was told, and survived each day. I didn’t hate teaching, but I didn’t love it...
11 days ago • 1 min read
Hello Teachers, Here are this week’s new and updated resources! If you'd like to showcase your work on my website and social media, email me at tolentinoteaching@gmail.com. I've included two resources from teachers in this week's newsletter. Editing Worksheets (Google Drive Access) Here are all of my editing worksheets straight from my Google Drive. Editing Worksheets Race Writing Strategy Cheat Sheet (by Jaime Nicol) Race Writing Strategy Cheat Sheet (by Jaime Nicol) 10-Minute Vocabulary...
15 days ago • 1 min read
Hello Teachers, April Fools! I couldn’t wait until tomorrow—some of you might want these resources ahead of time. Here are a few April Fools’ Day activities, along with some new resources from this week. Wish you the best! April Fools' Day Activities April Fools' Day Activities (Click Here) 20-Minute Expert In this activity, you will become an “expert” on a topic in just 20 minutes. Your goal is to learn as much as you can, then write and share what you’ve learned—without using your notes....
23 days ago • 1 min read
Hello Teachers, Anyone else feeling it right now? I’m exhausted, bruh. But spring break is close—and the finish line is starting to come into view. We got this. As the school year slowly winds down, I hope you’re taking care of yourself and finding small wins each day. Here are a few resources I created this week. I hope they make your life just a little bit easier. Mid-Year Directions Challenge: Reset & Reflect Many students struggle with reading longer, more detailed passages. That’s...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Hello Teachers, Here are three new resources from this week—hope they help! You’re the Principal for a Day… What Would You Do? Principal for a Day! (Click Here) Similar Writing Prompts (Click Here) How to Write an Essay Conclusion (For Beginners) Conclusions for Beginners (Click Here) The Last Word (Creative Writing) The Last Word (Click Here) Thank You For the Support! If any of my resources have helped, feel free to Buy Me a Coffee by clicking the link below. Thanks again! Donate Here...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Hello Teachers, Flash fiction is a great tool for engaging young writers. Because the stories are short, students must take a unique and focused approach to storytelling. It also gives students an opportunity to share their work with classmates and allows teachers to provide quick, targeted feedback. Sometimes that feedback is simple and direct: “You need a period here, Tim.” Flash fiction also works well as a warm-up, sub plan, or class finishing activity. I've included a Google Doc of...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Hello Teachers, This time of year can be exhausting—at least it is for me. I hope some of these resources help make things a little easier as the school year moves closer to the finish line. Also, if you find this newsletter helpful, please consider sharing it with other teachers. It really helps my work reach more educators. Thank you so much for your support! Here is the link to subscribe to my newsletter: https://tolentinoteaching.kit.com Build Your Identity as a Reader and Writer Build...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
Hello Teachers, I’ve received many messages asking for creative writing prompts, so I decided to put together this post featuring 20 of my favorite prompts. I hope you enjoy them and find them useful in your classroom. If you do, please consider sharing the post with other teachers. Thank you so much for the support. Side note: When I send out emails like this, a lot of teachers click the link at the same time, which can temporarily slow down the website. If the page doesn’t load right away,...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read