The Blissful Blogger: Beth B.

  I asked a simple question on Facebook. What makes a good educator? I shared a quick response of my own, but I knew it barely scratched the surface. That was intentional. I did not want to jump straight into the heart and soul of it yet. I wanted to listen first. I wanted to hear what others valued, what they noticed, what they believed actually matters in this work. And if I am being honest, I was also wondering if anyone would name a way to truly measure great teaching. Not just describe it, but measure it. Because that is where this gets complicated. My world tends to center around special education, and that will always be my heart. But this conversation is not just about special education. It is about all educators. Because the truth is, those two worlds are not separate. Every student is a Tier I student. I say that often, and I mean it every time. Every student deserves access to strong core instruction, high expectations, and meaningful support. Special education is a serv...

We Broke Up (This Is Not an April Fool’s Joke) It’s funny how fast people show up when they think there’s drama. There isn’t. I know some of y’all came for the tea. This is all I’ve got. The truth is simple. I’m the problem. Not in a messy, tear-everything-down kind of way. In a self-aware, I finally sat still long enough to hear myself kind of way. And let me tell you. That will humble you real quick. If you are reading this- I am not sorry, this is going to hurt, however.... WE BROKE UP, You and I, We broke up! And I’m not saying we won’t rekindle either. The only person safe in this break up is the Barista, we will talk about that next time.  But the truth is still the truth. Sometimes relationships are seasonal. So what. I rekindle things all the time, just reconnected with my long time sister/friend of 20 years. Life doesn’t always end. Sometimes it just shifts. Now listen Linda. Life didn’t gently tap me lately. It came in like a wrecking ball. I have a sibling deployed. A ne...

It’s been a while since I have taken the time to actually publish my blog… is that even the right term? Publish? Either way, we made it here today. Since the last time I posted, I took a big step back. I started worrying about me more because others were not going to worry about me. No one shows up for you like yourself. There is no one for you like you. And listen, as my friend would say, it’s okay. People have lives. I don’t like to be vulnerable, but damn it would be nice to have someone else initiate the conversation for once. All of this has made me realize people don’t notice when I am quiet unless I say I am going quiet… and this is a me problem. I should never expect someone to show up the way I feel I do. Perception. Let’s get back to why we are here today. It’s not pleasant. There is no way to say it or change it. Student loss. No, not they moved to another school. They are gone. While I have experienced loss of students that I have directly worked with, tragic loss, murder, ...

  J anuary 1 75 Hard – Yeah, I Said It We started January 1. Cliché, right? Cool. Stay with me. Here’s the deal. I was supposed to do this with a friend. I pulled back. Not because I couldn’t do it. Because it started to feel like I was being told what to do. And right now? That’s a hard no for me. But here’s what I do know… Finishing is non-negotiable. I never finished this part of the story. So here we are. Back at it on 3/10. Day 69. And somewhere along the way, this got bigger than me. I decided I’m finishing this for Kurt. He didn’t get to. He was on his 75 Hard journey… and he passed before he could finish. So now every early morning, every step, every hard moment… it means more. This isn’t just discipline anymore. It’s respect. It’s purpose. Ice. Snow. Post-op from skin removal. Still healing. And I’m still out here at 4 a.m. getting it in. No excuses. No audience. Just me. And I feel good. Like… clear. My head isn’t loud the same way anymore. And when I’m not heard now? I ...

KNOW THIS. I know this from experience, and I am sorry that I know this.  You cannot put a price on mindset. You cannot sell it. You cannot coach it. Mindset is lived. It is built in the choices you make when nobody is watching. And until someone is ready to do that work, nothing works. Let’s clear something up, because people love to blur these lines. Coaching and mentoring are not the same. Coaching is instruction. It is skill-based. It is structured. It is tied to outcomes, performance, and expertise. That is where education, experience, and yes, even payment can make sense, yet it is probably not need. Mentoring is different. Mentoring is human. It is relational. It is consistent. It is lived out in real time. It is showing up, leading by example, and holding a standard without performing it for attention. Good human practices falls under mentoring. And no, I am not going to charge someone for that. That is my opinion. Being a decent human is not a business model. I am not talk...

Before the Coffee! The little challenges set me up for bigger success. Do your wall sits, push ups, squats before coffee and suddenly the day looks different. That same mindset carried me back into the classroom. Short on teachers. Heavy caseloads. Carrying a team. Was it too much. Yes. Did I put my whole heart in. Absolutely. To a fault. Year two of someone telling me to apply for a consulting teacher position knowing it was my goal. Year two of being put off. Meanwhile I was drowning in re-evaluations, extended school year paperwork, IEPs. Missing the fun times with my students. I had a group of 4th graders reading on a 1st or 2nd grade level. No growth. The common thread was language impairment. Day after day I threw myself into strategies, repetition, gross motor movement with vocabulary, research based instruction. Nothing. Then one started to grow. What changed. Not the curriculum. Not the delivery. Me. I stopped clinging to only what was “approved” and leaned into intuition. I w...