When it comes to getting ahead financially, you can spend less or earn more. You can also do both. Early on in our careers, we spent time scaling back. I got really good at saving–maybe a little too good. Over time, we’ve both climbed across our salary schedules and started other income streams. When we … [Read more…]
Last week, I wrote about why it is so critical for teachers to take off their capes and put on parachutes. Unfortunately, I wrote from firsthand experience on the plane. More specifically, it’s been the most turbulent ride of my career. The debate about how to start the school year amid the pandemic is raging … [Read more…]
“My teacher is a superhero.” “I teach. What’s your superpower?” “Teachers are just superheroes in disguise.” If you’ve spent any amount of time in the classroom, there’s a good chance you’ve heard one of these sayings. You might have even been gifted one on a coffee mug. Teaching is a noble profession. Maybe the noblest. … [Read more…]
I have a lot of credit cards. That’s actually not a surprise. After all, I opened them. Truthfully, I have far fewer credit cards than I used to. I pretty much opened a credit card at any store that asked back in my 200-plus-pair-of-shoes heyday. I never got into any consumer debt with them, but … [Read more…]
What a year these first six months have been. I already admitted that the goals I set in January feel like an April Fool’s joke, and then I spent some time thinking about how smaller goals might serve me better. It’s hard to focus on the future when it feels like all you’re doing is … [Read more…]
What’s the first thing you picture when you hear people talking about savings accounts? What about when you read about emergency funds? If I’m being totally honest, I often see little snippets of Lord of the Rings in my head. You know that little balding goblin-y fellow (hobbit?) that clutches the precious ring? via GIPHY … [Read more…]
Last month, I closed the lesson plan book on a decade of teaching at my current school. Calling it a decrescendo would be generous. It wasn’t really a whimper or a whisper. It was actually just a click. I moused over the “Leave Meeting” button, let Zoom know I was sure, and that was that. … [Read more…]
Somewhere in the swirl of a pandemic, long overdue protests, and a slew of personal ups and downs, we paid our taxes. We also made a really exciting discovery during the deepest financial dive we do all year. A money milestone that I’ve been pursuing relentlessly unfolded: we could pay off our mortgage. But we … [Read more…]
If you have a stack of books or textbooks that you’re absolutely desperate to part with, you are not alone. Sometimes, donating books or giving books to another home is the right call. But sometimes, you just want to be done with them! In cases like that, Half.com used to be my jam. I have … [Read more…]
When I first started teaching, I had one class where I was the only white face in the room. Our curriculum spanned everything from Edgar Allen Poe and Jack London to Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. There were times when I was the expert and other times when I couldn’t muster a single … [Read more…]