Queen Of Curiosity - Teacher

 Let’s be honest— lesson planning can be stressful . Between creating slides, finding resources, writing lesson plans, and making sure everything aligns with standards, it can feel overwhelming. That’s why I’ve been experimenting with different tools to make planning easier, and I recently discovered EdCafe AI —and wow, it’s a game-changer. Here’s how I use it to speed up lesson planning (and keep everything neat and organized). 1. Finding Inspiration With Teacher Resources Sometimes I need a spark of inspiration for a topic. With EdCafe AI’s Teacher Resources tool, I just type in a keyword like “photosynthesis” and instantly get: Articles PowerPoints YouTube videos Worksheets and quizzes It’s like having a curated library ready to go. I can save resources into my private folder for later, or even make them public if I want to share. 2. Turning Articles Into Ready-to-Use Slides One of my favorite features is creating slides straight from a webpage. For examp...

Thinking about teaching online while still holding a “real” job? Before you dive in, here’s what I’ve learned the hard way—and what I wish someone had told me: 1. Money doesn’t start flowing instantly. When I started, I thought I’d make good money from day one. Nope. At my first company, you have to build loyalty and show you’re reliable before getting enough classes. At another company, it’s the parents who book you—they need to trust you first. Patience is key. 2. Hours matter more than you think. I could only teach outside peak times and couldn’t do Saturdays or Sundays—the highest earning days. Being the default parent to young kids means some hours just aren’t possible. I’ve seen moms teaching with their babies in the crib or on their lap—props to them—but I couldn’t manage it. 3. Income can fluctuate. Just as things were picking up, the two countries most of my students came from went on holiday. My earnings dipped for a whole month. Lesson learned: plan for slower months a...

 If you’re looking for a low-stakes, fun way to help students remember cell organelles, I just created a dice-based drawing activity that’s perfect for learners who enjoy being creative! Here’s how it works: Each roll of the dice tells you what part of the cell to draw and how to draw it. For example: Nucleus → Draw as a funny face! Cell Membrane → Make it wavy! Cytoplasm → Fill with fun patterns! Ribosomes → Draw as tiny stars! Chloroplast → Draw as green ovals! ✨ Vacuole → Draw as a big bubble! ✨ This activity makes learning about cells hands-on and creative, while keeping it low-pressure—perfect for students who like to draw and experiment with ideas. I created it in Claude AI, and it’s ready for anyone to try. If you want to check it out, https://claude.ai/public/artifacts/a134e562-fff4-408d-bbcb-612a9275827f

The Return to Routine So, it’s week two of my children being back at school. We had a two-week break, and during that time, I kept up an online class each day. I had to cancel my Chinese classes because my parents live on a farm, and I wasn’t sure who would look after the kids—or how strong the internet connection would be. I didn’t want extra stress, so I cancelled what I could and kept the classes I could manage. Honestly? It was stressful! The Reality of Working From Home People talk about working from home like it’s this dream, but it’s not always that simple. I saw a post from Steffi V, who’s been working remotely for 10 years, and she nailed it: the constant worry about wifi, battery power, and interruptions really takes a toll. Sure, there are perks—but it’s still a job, with its own set of challenges. Feeling the Funk Even though I managed everything, I’ve been in a bit of a funk since returning home. I have a YouTube channel where I post things I find interesting and help...