• Welcome
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Blog
Lessons4Now
MENU
  • Time Saving Tips
  • Classroom Strategies
  • Teaching Resources
  • Free

Welcome to Lessons4Now!

Whether you’ve been a teacher for a few months or a few decades,
you know what a challenge teaching is!

►   You’re working harder than ever, but you never have enough time.  You lug home unfinished work, only to haul it back to school the next day, untouched.
►   You find the fast-paced changes overwhelming as the pendulum of educational reform swings faster and faster.  Constant changes in curriculum, reporting formats, and evaluation protocols make it difficult to keep up.
►  You try hard to stay current on your students’ individual learning needs, but there are always more students with even more complex needs.  No sooner do you become an expert on differentiation or dysgraphia, then you encounter something completely new.
►  You’re proud of your profession, but you’re tired of defending it.  Public criticism is eroding your enthusiasm and confidence.
►  You’re busy juggling the needs and expectations of others and put yourself last.  Too tired to take a walk and too stressed to get a good night’s sleep, you wonder if teaching is the right job for you.

I believe that wherever you are in your career, you can make your job more manageable and reclaim time for what matters most.

You can…
►  Stop taking work home, and stop feeling guilty about it.
►  Ride out educational reform without burning out.
►  Meet the needs of a diverse student population without becoming an expert in every area.
►  Take pride in what you do and be recognized for your hard work.
►  Make time to take care of yourself and all that is important to you.

Imagine being more organized and feeling more competent at work.

Imagine finally having more time for all
the important activities and people in your life.

When you become a member of the Lessons4Now community you’ll be a calmer, more confident teacher, and you’ll have more time for what matters most to you.
You’ll also receive a free download, 10 Time-Saving Tips for Teachers That You Can Use Immediately!
Enter your email below to join the community.

Ten Time-Saving Tips for Teachers That You Can Use Immediately!




Early in my career there was nothing more rewarding than those ah-ha moments when students learned something new.  Over time, as the paperwork, duties, and meetings increased, my energy, time, and enthusiasm decreased.  I felt the joy of teaching slipping away.  I was so stressed and exhausted, it started to take a toll on my health.  If I wanted to keep teaching, I knew I had to balance the needs of my family with my demanding career.   Something had to change.

Eventually I found easier, more efficient ways to perform daily tasks.  I developed compassion for myself and tolerance for the limitations of my profession.  I became more fearless, weaving new ideas into routine lessons.  Best of all, I stopped taking my school work home.  Slowly, everything started to fall into place.  I rekindled my love of teaching.  I was happier and more confident.  And, I finally had enough time for the important people in my life– and for myself.

Looking for easy, no-prep tips for whole-group instruction of challenging reading content?  Check out Easy Tips for Teaching Challenging Reading Content Across the Curriculum.

Need a fun way to teach paragraph writing to students with wide range of skills?  This top-rated resource will quick-start student learning,  Paragraph Writing Introduction: PowerPoint.

Want quick, no-prep tips to save you time and make writing more fun for students? Check out  3 Easy Tips to Make Writing Instruction More Fun.




This blog and all the resources you’ll find in the Lessons4Now store at TeachersPayTeachers, are designed for busy teachers– like you!  If you’d like to share your ideas, suggestions, or comments I’d love to hear from you.  We’re all in this together!

You can leave comments for me here,
or email me at Lessons4Now@gmail.com.

Thank you!

Teaching with Cootie Catchers

Everyone loves cootie catchers! There are a ton of fun ways to use them in your classroom. Check out these free downloads for some create lessons for your students. Super Teacher Worksheets offers this FREE Cootie Catcher for practicing 2X multiplication facts.  Download includes folding directions and activity suggestions. Check out the Learning Bug for 16 FREE, Sample Cootie Catchers that cover math, science, and language arts for grades 2-5. Here's one example from the Learning …

Read More …

A Few of My Favorite (Free or Low-Cost) Things

Here are a passel (fun word of the day!) of FREE or low-cost ideas! Hopefully, you'll find something new and interesting in the potpourri collection I've assembled below! First up, six art projects that caught my eye.  For example, who ever thought of doing "stained glass" Halloween decorations?  These ideas all have a unique twist that makes them stand out. Next up, a bunch of cool science resources.  These experiments and activities could be used for class …

Read More …

3 Fun Summer Projects

Kids restless?  Need a great idea-- RIGHT NOW?  Here are three fun and easy activities that everyone will enjoy!   The idea below came from crafty blogger, Lisa Storms.  Want more bookmark ideas?  Check out this bookmark-themed Pinterest board.   Use all the treasures the kids collect at the beach, hiking, or in their own back yard to make a sensory bottle like the one below!  This smart idea came from My Little 3... and Me.  Too rainy to get outdoors?  Grab some …

Read More …

No-Prep Activity Ideas

Whether it's the end of the year or just another Tuesday, all teachers have days when they need a little time to record grades from the last lesson, gather materials, or talk privately to a student.  Here are are some quick, engaging activities!     First, set the stage.  Alleviate students’ fears about “getting things right” by explaining the requirements- participate, work cooperatively, and complete the task without teacher support or intervention. Even though …

Read More …

Banish Bullying

We implement a well-known bullying prevention program at our school.  There's also a plan in place for dealing with all kinds of inappropriate behavior.  Citizenship awards are given out each month.  And, there are even special lunch programs to encourage children to be inclusive. We work hard to prevent bullying.  Even so, reports of bullying are on the rise. More and more students are being verbally "teased" or physically picked on.  Others complain about "drama," a word children often …

Read More …

The Power of Prepositions!

Prepositions are underrated.     Even adverbs, one of the most enigmatic parts of speech, gets more attention than prepositions. What difference does it make? Consider this.  Emerging writers often fail to use complete sentences.  Students who can identify prepositions and prepositional phrases are much better able to identify the subject and verb of a sentence.  Once this skill is mastered, students' writing is clearer and more complete. To understand how to find …

Read More …

Zero Budget Resources for Building Your Classroom Library

No budget?  Need resources? You're not alone. Few teachers can afford to purchase books for their classroom libraries.  Over the years I've found several ways to overcome this issue. 1.  At the beginning of the year, create a birthday book club to encourage parents to donate a copy of their child's favorite book.  Allow the child to inscribe the year and their name on the inside cover.  Before placing the book on the shelf, encourage the student to share what they most like about the …

Read More …

Embrace Your Inner Warren Buffet

Teaching students about fiscal literacy is important, but it can also be a lot of fun! Once students understand the basic language of economics, it's easy to demonstrate how these concepts apply to their everyday lives. There are four friends, but only three cookies.  Scarcity. Janie wears the blue shirt instead of the red one.  Opportunity cost.  Athan completes all his chores and gets an allowance.  Income in exchange for labor. Students may be surprised to learn that their …

Read More …

FREE Social Studies and Language Arts Printables

I'm always amazed at how much free stuff there is on-line... if you just have time to look. Ah-h, there's the rub.  Who has time?  Here are a few resources that are ready for immediate use. FREE Word Box Worksheet Generator available at SchoolExpresss.  You can also make spelling, word search, and alphabetizing worksheets for your kids!  Click here to make a page like the one below. Click here to check out this FREE list of transition words.  This is a great writing tool to share this …

Read More …

FREE Earth Day (April 22) Resources

(Please note that this article has been updated.  Broken links have been replaced with links to similar activities.) If you're like me, you want to integrate special events like Earth Day into your curriculum.  But, who has time to search for easy-to-use resources that can be quickly adapted for immediate use? Below are some great Earth Day projects and resources.  Whether you only have time for a coloring page or you're looking for a full-blown community project, any effort to create an …

Read More …

« Previous Page
Next Page »

Grab your free download.

Teachers Pay Teachers

  • Time Saving Tips
  • Classroom Strategies
  • Teaching Resources
  • Free

Search Lessons4Now:

Recent Posts

  • Frustrated with lost pencils, messy desks, and missing assignments?
  • Easy Tips for Teaching Challenging Reading Content Across the Curriculum: PART THREE
  • Easy Tips for Teaching Challenging Reading Content Across the Curriculum: PART TWO
  • Easy Tips for Teaching Challenging Reading Content Across the Curriculum: PART ONE
  • Back-to-School Pencil Topper: Free Printable

Lessons4Now

Subscribe | Contact | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Advertising Disclosure 

Copyright © 2017 - Lessons4Now All Rights Reserved

Copyright © 2019 · Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in