Happy New Year!

​We can all agree and say that 2020 was a crappy year because of the COVID19 pandemic. Despite the upsets, I tried to make the most out of it while being stuck at home the past 9+ months. Some of these takeaways will definitely have its uses in my classroom and beyond.

We're (almost) there! Congratulations, my fellow educators for making it this far! Can't believe the first semester is (almost) over! Hopefully all of you are able to get a well-deserved break during the coming holidays! And most importantly, stay safe out there!

After distance teaching for a semester, there's quite a bit to reflect, especially lessons learned. I'm here to share with you what I learned. Perhaps you relate to some of these. 

I've been distance teaching for nearly a month now. Many of us started at around the same time. Others are barely starting. I'd like to take a moment to share with you the lessons I learned so far. It can be summed up in 7 lessons.

2019 is ending in a few days. I'm going to take a moment and reflect on my finances this past year. I've always cared about finances, but 2019 is when I REALLY cared and started to rethink my financial goals. In the second half of 2019, I made quite a few major financial moves. I'll share with you what lessons I learned this past year, especially in the area of investing. Hopefully it will help you as well. 

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas! Hope you are surrounding yourself with loved ones and eating plenty! Most importantly, catching up on rest! It's a good time to catch a breather and recharge before we jump into the second half of the school year. What do you do during your winter break? Here's what I'm doing with my break and what you might consider doing as well...

Happy Friday! For many of us, it's the start of the holiday break! Thank you so much for your hard work! You deserve it! 

As the year wraps up and tax season looming around the corner, it's probably a good time to start reevaluating your finances. Today's topic is Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) that some of us should qualify for. I'm on it myself and it's a frustrating process. Let's talk about what it is, the pros and cons of PSLF, and its considerations. 
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For many of us, this is our last week before the holiday break. Congratulations! You've made it through the first semester! What are your plans for the break? What are your plans for your students over break?? I recall being assigned homework by my teachers every single break. That's ironic right there. Being assigned "work" during "break." I had no break. 

Perhaps we should reconsider assigning homework over breaks for students? After all, don't we need a break? Shouldn't they also get a break? 

After a fall hiatus, I'm back and I have some updates for you! I finally finished my "Creating Your Own Thematic History Curriculum" deck - presentation version, titled as "Not Your Typical History Class: A Thematic Approach to Teaching History." The in-depth deck will arrive in 2020. This will be a busy winter break. I will be sharing the presentation version with you in the coming week! Stay tuned! 

Also, I'll be presenting on thematic teaching for the first time this weekend at CTA (California Teachers Association) New Educator Weekend South in San Diego. My session will  also be recorded. I'll provide the link once I'm hear it's live. Looking forward to the presenting what I've learned to others and get feedback!