The Present Teacher Blog
Learn the systems to confidently leave at contract time so you can thrive in and out of the classroom.
I remember the first time I was openly judged for setting a boundary as a teacher, and the moment is still crystal clear in my mind because of how uncomfortable it felt.
Administration was looking fo...
I still remember the first month I started consistently leaving at contract time.
It felt almost rebellious.
Every day, I packed up at the bell.
Closed my laptop.
Turned off my classroom lights.
Wal...
I worked day and night.
I stayed late.
I brought work home.
I planned for hours.
I sacrificed weekends.
And my student test scores still suffered.
That was the wake-up call.
Hard work and long hou...
I will never forget the year I had all the systems in place to let teaching be easy…
And I still self-sabotaged.
I had streamlined lesson planning.
I knew exactly which procedures to teach.
I could ...
I still remember the first “That Teacher” I ever ran into.
I share this story in Chapter 1 of my book.
She left at contract time.
Never brought work home.
Had amazing classroom management.
Stayed ah...
I still remember the day I was standing in my kitchen while my husband made dinner.
We were talking about our days.
And then I completely zoned out.
Not because I didn’t care.
Not because I wasn’t ...
Leaving at contract time isn’t magic—it’s systems.
If you’ve ever stayed late grading, prepping, or planning…
If you’ve ever watched the minutes tick past contract time while you were still drowning ...
If you’re counting down the days until break more intensely than your students are, you’re probably standing at the edge of burnout. Before it gets too far, there are a few things you need to stop doi...
My first winter break as a teacher, I didn’t get out of bed for three days.
The last day before break felt like I got hit by a car—emotionally, mentally, physically. And when I finally woke up three ...
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There’s an unspoken rule in teaching that you have to earn your rest.
That you have to work yourself to the point of exhaustion before you’re allowed to pause.
That mindset is exactly what leads t...
When I started teaching, I was told the same thing over and over again: “Burnout is normal your first year.”
But here’s the truth—they were wrong.
Burnout doesn’t have to be the default. It doesn’t ...
Unpopular opinion: I love centers.
Centers allow me to differentiate instruction so students can work on the skills they need most—while I’m working independently or in a small group setting at the k...
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