Top Notch Teaching

Melinda Crean - Top Notch Teaching Welcome and thanks so much for being here!

My name is Mel and I’m a primary school teacher and literacy specialist teacher. I am passionate about K-7 education and how we can better ourselves as teachers to provide more quality opportunities for our students.

If you’re after some new ideas and support, then you’re in the right place.

Here at Top Notch Teaching, you will find many practical, time-saving tips and resources to help make your life as a teacher (or tutor) that little bit easier.

Mel

Join The Teacher Burnout Challenge

Take care of yourself with the 5 day Teacher Burnout Challenge. Each day you'll get strategies and action steps for managing teacher stress and burnout. Sign up now!

The Complete Phonics Kit

Do you feel overwhelmed with knowing the best way to help your students with their phonics, so that they can become successful readers and spellers? Are you struggling with the…

Back to School Activities – Bundle

***You save 46% when you buy this bundle*** Are you a teacher getting ready for the beginning of the school year? It's time to add a bit of fun to…

Ultimate Digraph Teaching Kit

Do you want to make your life as a teacher easier? How the Ultimate Digraph Teaching Kit will benefit you Save you time in finding and creating your own lessons,…

Long Vowels

***You save 30% when you buy this bundle*** There are 5 individual packs in this bundle that includes 330 pages of fun, hands on activities and games for teaching all…

Math Games & Activities

At times it can be challenging to engage children during math lessons as well as provide the content needed in order to meet the demands of the curriculum. That is…

Long O Activities, Games & Worksheets

This pack includes fun, hands on activities and games for teaching ‘Long O’. These activities are great for individual or small group work. There are also posters that can be…

How To Bring Self-Care Into The Classroom

We’ve been talking about the importance of teacher self-care for a while now. We know that it’s important to take time for ourselves and to do simple acts like drinking enough water, getting enough sleep, and taking deep breaths when stressed. I try to practice these things regularly, though I admit to needing reminders from time…

How To Survive Your First Year Of Teaching

I cried every day for 3 months during my first year of teaching. I was incredibly unprepared for how difficult and demoralizing being a teacher could be. But I survived—even thrived eventually—and want to help other new teachers get through. I was so excited for my first classroom—setting up my room and planning lessons. I…

What Do You Do With Your Teacher Time Off?

When summer rolls around or term break, I am always ready for a break. How about you? The question is how you will spend your break. Hopefully, you’ll do something that you enjoy, something that helps you come back energized and refreshed. What are you going to do with your teacher time off? Do you…

Can Top Notch Teachers Have Work-Life Balance?

Who else out there has soooo many things that they want to do, but just can’t seem to fit them all in? I’ve read quite a bit about time management and ‘making’ more time to fit in everything I want. I’ve also read articles that ditch the concept of creating more time; after all, there…

How Top Notch Teachers Thrive At The End Of The Year

For my U.S.-based teacher friends, the end of the school year is at hand. Here in Australia, we’re coming up to the end of the second term. In both cases, it is beyond busy. We’re trying to cram in last bits of teaching and learning, wrapping up assessments and grading. Every day seems to bring…

5 Things You Can Do To Avoid Teacher Stress And Burnout

Do you aim for the ‘perfect classroom’ and the perfect ‘learning experience’? Do you think you have to be perfect—always ready with the perfect lesson and a backup, always in solid control of the class, never making a mistake? Aiming for perfection is a surefire route to teacher burnout. I found the desire to be…