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Hi! Welcome to The Real-Life Teacher.

I'm a been-there-done-that teacher. I've been a public educator for over 13 years fighting for scraps to pay my bills. I've stayed up late nights and early mornings working on a side hustle to make ends meet. I'm a transitioned teacher who found happiness, wealth and success outside of the classroom. If any of these resonate with you, we should connect. I share all of my been-there-done-that tips, tricks, tools and resources to help educators in and out of the classroom spark passion and joy, no matter where you are headed. Welcome.

Featured Post

Last email with Prime Day deals for teachers

It's Prime Day! Hey Reader! This special edition of the Teacher's Lounge brings you all the top deals for you and your classroom! Updates in pricing from yesterday, as well as new deals and discounts! This is the last installment of the Prime Day Teachers emails since Prime Day ends today. Check out the blog post for updated and new discounts! The updates from yesterday: 24ct Flair Pens increased discount to 36% off Sharpie Flip Chart markers increased discount to 52% off Ticonderoga My First...

It's Prime Day! Hey Reader! This special edition of the Teacher's Lounge brings you all the top deals for you and your classroom! I'll be emailing today and tomorrow with updated Prime Day deals so you have all the goodies right in your inbox. If you'd rather not receive Prime Day emails this week, click here and you'll stay in the Teacher's Lounge but skip the sales :) I want to skip the sales this year, but keep me in the Teacher's Lounge! 2024 Prime Day for Teachers This post has been...

It's almost Prime Day! Hey Reader! This week's email focuses on the amazing deals that I've found for you, so you can scroll less and stock up more. There are already some amazing deals (like 76% off Flair pens!) that I've been digging up just for you. Check out the blog post below for the whole list! I'll be emailing again on Tuesday and Wednesday with all of the Prime Day goodies to save you time. Just click and buy, and go enjoy your summer! If you'd rather not receive Prime Day emails...

Adding depth and engagement to your lessons and activities in the classroom by incorporating multiple senses!

Get them reading words Hey Reader! This week's email focuses on word reading strategies, and has some great freebies with easy activities you can use to enhance your word work. Happy January 147th! This month is seriously the LONGEST month every year, and it's definitely hitting me hard. Hopefully where you are you're surviving the cold, snow, and extreme weather so much of the country has been seeing. This week, let’s talk about ways to incorporate multisensory learning into your classroom,...

Happy new year! Hey Reader! This week's email is brief and fun to start the new year off right in the classroom. Walking back into your classroom, preparing for a new theme or unit, and needing some resources to go with it? Click below ⬇️ to enter my TPT Giftcard Giveaway! I'll be drawing three names and giving out $10 TPT giftcards. Enter the TPT giftcard giveaway Click here to win Next week we'll get back to all the good email stuff. This week, let's just work on retraining our bladders and...

Teacher planners and monthly planners now available!

Hey Reader! I've been putting off sending this email until I had everything just right...but now I realize that'll never happen! 😅 I'm super excited to introduce to you a new line of planners for teachers and personal use that I've created myself. I'm so excited because after years of teaching and never being able to find just the right teacher planner, I decided to dive in and make one! So that's what I've been doing for the past few weeks, and I've started shipping them this week. In this...

Prime Day teacher deals for 2023

Hey Reader! Prime Day is upon us, and it's time to snag the unbelievable deals for our classrooms. Grab them your self, add them to your Amazon Wishlist to send to your network, or add some of these to your supply list - now is the perfect time! I've saved you hours of searching and digging for these deals. Just like last year, I've compiled all of the best deals on supplies that every teacher needs in one place - click here for the blog post with all of the Prime Day deal links! That's all...

Prime Day teacher deals for 2023

Hey Reader! Prime Day is upon us, and it's time to snag the unbelievable deals for our classrooms. Grab them your self, add them to your Amazon Wishlist to send to your network, or add some of these to your supply list - now is the perfect time! I've saved you hours of searching and digging for these deals. Just like last year, I've compiled all of the best deals on supplies that every teacher needs in one place - click here for the blog post with all of the Prime Day deal links! That's all...

Issue #1 Teacher's Lounge December Newsletter Hey Reader! I can't believe that this is the FINAL newsletter of 2022! I'm not going to say "This year flew by!" because we know that at school, it most definitely did not. However, I am so looking forward to a fresh start at winter break! Student Gifts for Parents If you're cutting it close and worrying about what your students are going to take home as gifts, I have some solutions for you! In this blog post, I have five ideas for quick,...

Hey Reader! I hope you're having a fantastic summer if you're not yet back at school. Me? I've been back for three weeks already! This school year is super exciting to me for several reasons, but the biggest one is that I've stepped into a school-wide Reading Strategist role this year! I am loving every single day so far! The hottest topic in the reading world recently is the Science of Reading. When I started diving into the research about nine months ago, my biggest concern was that this...