Molly Dockweiler | The Grit and Grace Project

Teaching Is Harder than Ever, But I’m Going Back to School Anyway

As a public school teacher for the past five years, and with many friends of faith in education as well, I have some thoughts about a school system that we all know has changed so much. I wonder what comes to your mind, teacher, when you think about going back to school this year. The news keeps saying it’s going to be another hard year for teachers, but they’re not the ones who are about to experience it. The Hard Parts of Going Back to School, Teacher Edition – Maybe you think of teacher shortages, which will cause you to have to cover other classes during your planning period or take on half of the class next door into your already maxed-out […]

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Follow These Teachers Now for Classroom Inspiration

Instagram Teachers to Follow for Back to School Inspiration

By Molly Dockweiler / Life & Culture

As a teacher, I spend a lot of time on Pinterest looking for lesson ideas, bulletin board inspiration, and so on. What I’ve found on Pinterest looks great, but many of the ideas have never been tested in the chaos of a real classroom. While great in theory, these ideas often flop. My time has been better spent looking through different Instagram accounts of teachers who are in the classroom full time—tried and true—dealing with whatever is thrown at them on any given day. Here are several of my favorite Instagram accounts of elementary classroom teachers who will spark your inspiration for this new school year, as well as additional teacher-oriented accounts for all grade levels. Teachers of Primary Grades (K-2) @aroundthekampfire

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An Open Letter to the Coronavirus Bride

By Molly Dockweiler / Life & Culture

An open letter to the bride who is postponing her wedding due to the CDC’s recommendation: First, I really hate that this is a thing. Second, I feel you. I am you. While today my wedding is on the outskirts of the 8-week window of seclusion, the news is constantly changing and I feel as though I might not be in the clear for much longer. I’m not sure what to do, and no amount of worrying has seemed to help. I’m just sad—sad for you, sad for me. And I think that’s okay. While deciding whether to cancel, postpone, or stick it out and hope for the best, please give yourself the space to be sad about a dream that won’t

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A 30 Day Challenge That Will Boost Your Mood

By Molly Dockweiler / Life & Culture

A lot is going on in our world right now. It’s hard not to get caught up in the anxiety that comes from all the news, all the issues we face that can steal our joy, all the uncertainty of the future. If you are struggling to enjoy the beauty that today holds, a 30 Day Challenge might help you appreciate all the good that is still happening around us, while simultaneously forming a new habit that just might improve your life as a whole. I first heard about the 30 Day Challenge from Matt Cutts’ TED Talk. In the video, Cutts discusses that doing something for 30 days is just the right amount of time to add or subtract a habit

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Need More Rest? Try These Tips for Better Work-Life Balance

By Molly Dockweiler / Life & Culture

Every weekday around 11 a.m., I take my class out for a few minutes of recess. Most days, as a class, they play tag. The other day I watched as a girl (let’s call her Sally) chased a boy (let’s call him Johnny) to “tag” him. While she was closing the gap between them, Johnny called out, “timeout!” and Sally backed off. He needed a break. She respected the rules of timeout enough to let him have it. It got me thinking about times in my life when I wish I could just call, “timeout!” and watch as everything that is pursuing me backs off… gives me a break… and lets me catch my breath. In Johnny’s case, all he needed was

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5 TED Talks That Will Leave You Feeling Inspired

By Molly Dockweiler / Life & Culture

I appreciate TED talks as a short, daily way to hear other people’s opinions, thoughts, and both new and old ideas in a world that is ever-changing. I listen mostly on the TED Talks Daily podcast, but there are podcasts for specific TED talks on Business, Health, Society & Culture, Education, Science & Medicine, Technology, Kids & Family, News & Politics, Art, Music, and many of these categories are in Spanish too. Some of the talks are light and funny, some are heavy and sad, and there is everything in between. The following are five of the most inspiring that I’ve listened to… Love Letters to Strangers – Hannah Brencher I read both of Hannah Brencher’s books before ever watching her TED

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3 Simple Secrets to a Great Night’s Sleep

By Molly Dockweiler / Health & Beauty, Life & Culture

I’m a teacher, which means my mind is on my students, the problems they share with me, the grading I need to do, and the next day’s lesson more than I would like to admit (but if you’re a teacher too, you get it). That being said, I have a lot of trouble falling asleep at night because my mind is always racing. Over the last few months, I’ve come across some things that have really helped me fall asleep quickly when I lay down at the end of the day… Scent There are a couple of different things I use to make my room smell like I’m ready to go to sleep, but the shared factor is always lavender. Diffuse Essential

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How to Use The 5 Love Languages for Strong Friendships

By Molly Dockweiler / Relationships

A few years ago, I read Gary Chapman’s book, The 5 Love Languages, and have viewed the ways that I give and receive love in all of my relationships very differently ever since. In his book, Chapman lays out five ways that most people both feel loved by others and show their love to others: gifts, physical touch, words of affirmation, quality time, and acts of service. When I took the quiz initially to find out what my love languages were, I found that my top love language for both giving and receiving love was quality time. When I wanted to show someone that I loved them and cared about them, I didn’t buy them something (gifts), or hug them (touch), or write

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