🍎 Architects of Awesome: Brizard, Honest AI + the Easiest Cheating Fix You'll Use This Year
28 days ago • 10 min readFriday, May 22, 2026 Connect with Vicki: 🎙️ 10MT Podcast · 📺 CCT Talk · YouTube · Instagram · Pinterest · Facebook · LinkedIn · X The AP test is done. And as my students walked out of the exam, one of them turned to me and said, "We felt so prepared. Do you know that you started preparing us for the test on the first day?" I smiled. It didn't happen by accident. We teachers — we are architects of awesome. We are planners of performance. We know that when we have goals, we are intentional, and...
READ POST🌷 Beautiful Moments, Plaid Mode & Why Khanmigo Just Died
about 1 month ago • 20 min readSaturday, May 9, 2026 I don't usually email on Saturdays and sorry to those who don't read school stuff on the weekends. Just save this for Monday. I'm barely hanging on, y'all, but there's lots of important stuff I need to send out. Hello Reader, It is nearing the end of school here. Teacher Appreciation Week. Lots of tests. Quite a few situations where students are in a last-minute panic because of forgetting to do this or that. But there are ways to find beautiful moments your last weeks...
READ POSTNutella in Space, Vibe Coding, and Why Data-Driven Doesn't Mean Data-Only
2 months ago • 5 min readHello Reader, April is here and it is exciting! Artemis II launched on April 1st - the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since Apoolo 17 in 1972! Four astronauts are circling the moon RIGHT NOW as I write this. It is so exciting! During the routine livestream, a jar of Nutella floated right through the cabin on camera. NASA and Nutella said it was just a happy accident but for me -- a true Nutella fan -- it was hilarious and magnificent At Spring Break my family went to NASA's...
READ POST🍕 Pizza with a Happy Mom, Financial Literacy Games, and 5 Ways to Survive Spring
3 months ago • 7 min readHello Reader, My husband says "May comes earlier and earlier every year" and he's right. Sports here in North America (as well as some illnesses) have taken so many kids out of the classroom. (And we have test prep!) So, today I'll give some ideas for solid resources, events for April, and a personal note on something Mom taught me that helped me better handled this busy season! And 5 ideas for teachers of all ages! This newsletter is sponsored by Van Andel Institute for Education. Want to...
READ POST🎉 5 Idea Friday: The STEAM Supershow, Brain-Friendly Reading, and My Joy Project
3 months ago • 8 min readHello, remarkable educator, Happy Friday! This week I decided to be intentional about joy — in my classroom, in my home, and in the way I think about teaching. Research says fun isn't frivolous. It's neurochemistry. And when I dug into what the science actually says about playfulness, humor, and learning, it changed how I planned my entire week. This week I decided to bring back something I have often done over the years -- 5 Idea Friday! This 5 Idea Friday is packed — a massive new STEAM...
READ POST 🤖 The 5-Day AI Cheatbot, a Phone Hack That Actually Works, and Your Top 9 Math Episode
4 months ago • 8 min readHello, remarkable educator, I hope you're staying well, warm, and rested. In reality, I know what February is like in many schools in the northern hemisphere. Spring sports have started where I am. That means kids are in class less, the pressure is more, and a bit of a desire to go outside has hit! It's madness and it isn't even March! But we can do this! Today I want to share some encouragement, a new smart productivity "secret" that may surprise you and some notes on how I'm using Claude...
READ POST🌷 AI That Makes You More Human + 15 March Planning Ideas for Every Grade
4 months ago • 5 min readHello Reader, Happy February! This month I'm making kindness the focus in my classroom, and I've got some great episodes and resources to share with you — plus a brand new section at the bottom with planning-ahead ideas for February and March. Let's dig in! Class Composer is sponsoring this newsletter. Listen to award winning principal Carrie Hetzel talk about how she creates effective, balanced classes in her elementary school using Class Composer. Sign up now for your free trial of Class...
READ POST❄️ Real-World Learning, AI Insights & Warm Hearts This Week 💛
7 months ago • 4 min readHello everyone, I hope you're ready for a great week. This week is turning super cold in south Georgia but we have lots of things happening: state football, state One Act Play, and Thanksgiving festivities. In today's newsletter I'll share about the new AI browser that is my favorite, an awesome STEAM toy, some great ideas for elementary writing teachers an episode of Cool Cat Teacher Talk that is a must listen for helping make learning real world for teachers and students as well as some...
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