Simply Teach Episode #4: Tiffany Shim ·

This week on the podcast is my friend Tiffany Shim. Tiffany and I started teaching the very same year at the very same school. She was in fifth grade and I was in third. Shim quickly became the “math chant guru”…at least in my book! We talk about why she uses chants in her lessons and how she incorporates them into teaching vocabulary.

Tiffany shares about being diagnosed with an illness that caused her to take a break from teaching. We talked about how that was a really hard decision for her, but ultimately it was what was best for her and her health. She talks about how her identity was so tied up in teaching that once she left teaching, she had a really difficult time talking about what she does. It was a good reminder for me to make sure that my identity doesn’t get wrapped up in teaching, because it can easily be taken away.

Tiffany goes on to talk about what she did on her time off. She started an instagram to feature coffee shops around the Austin, Texas area. She and her friend Courtney (next episodes guest!) also started a teaching blog called Mustard Seed Teaching. (They have guest posted on the blog twice now! The first time was fun ways to review for standardized testing and the second time I interviewed them about ways to motivate and engage older students.)

Now Tiffany is working as a Math Intervention Aide at our campus and it is so fun to see her smiling face back on our campus. I hope you will be encouraged by our conversation- I was! Even the second and THIRD time I listened to it. (Also….I didn’t realize, but the birds were singing when I recorded the podcast outro, so you might hear some birds- don’t be startled!)

Of course, we wrap up talking about Tiffany’s biggest pet peeve in teaching (“oh..you’re a teacher, it must be nice to have summers off” *eye roll*) what is keeping her sane right now (mindset shift), and her favorite kid moment (sitting in a kids s***).

I’d love for you to have a listen HERE! And I would especially love it if you shared it with your other teacher friends!!!