We would love for you to join Tara Martin and me in celebrating the special moments and finding gratitude in the everyday, whether in our personal lives, classrooms, or communities. New to #GratitudeSnaps? Here's how it works:

What?
The #GratitudeSnaps Challenge is as easy as 1-2-3. Focus each day on one thing for which you are grateful.  It could be a thing, a person, a feeling; it’s personal to you.
Who?
Educators, students, community members...anyone who would like to participate is more than welcome. The more positivity we can flood the world with, the better. ​
How?

1. Create a GratitudeSnap by connecting it to something positive in your life.  Add pics, text, anything you choose.
2. Take a picture with your phone and share why this image makes you grateful. You can use any picture app or design platform to create your #GratitudeSnaps. Tara will be using Instagram Stories and Tisha will be using Canva. Click this link for many apps used to make #BookSnaps, which can easily convert to #GratitudeSnaps. ​We have some Canva templates for you to create your #GratitudeSnaps, if you wish! These templates make it easy for you and your students to create and share what you’re thankful for. You’ll find all the resources you need to get started below, however use whatever allows you to express your gratitude best!​

Where?
Post it to a Instagram or X including #GratitudeSnaps & tag us:
X:  @TaraMartin EDU and @tishrich
Instagram: @tarammartin.real & @tishrichmond.
When?
Let’s begin our 30 days of #GratitudeSnaps on Friday, Nov 1st, 2024. It will last until November 30th. You're welcome to keep it going; there is certainly no "time frame" on being grateful. The world has plenty of negativity, let’s spread a grateful attitude! We have so much of which to be thankful.

When I first wrote "A Million Magical Dreams" during the pandemic, this song from The Greatest Showman became my anthem. Every morning, I would run to the beat of that song, letting the lyrics fuel me with hope and courage. As a new district tech integration specialist, it gave me strength when everything felt heavy and uncertain, and it reconnected me with my passion for creating magical learning experiences for all students.

Now, years later, I find myself teaching culinary arts again, and that same song still echoes in my heart. The passion and purpose that surfaced during those runs has resurfaced again, propelling me forward into the world of teaching. It was a bold decision to return to to the classroom after six years—one I didn’t take lightly. I was happy in my former role as an educational consultant, with the freedom, and flexibility that came with it. I felt like I was making a difference as I worked with educators around the globe and I was enjoying it! But even so, there was a magnetic force pulling me back to the classroom. There is a special magic we tap into when we are with students, and I needed to reconnect with that magic again.

​One early morning, on my way to the gym, I flipped on my XM radio just as the morning show host said something that I have been thinking about ever since, “Sometimes you need to shake the snow globe.” I couldn’t help but reflect on how much this simple statement resonated with my unexpected return to teaching high school culinary arts after six years away. After working in a variety of roles throughout these years including: tech integration specialist, Student Engagement & PD Specialist, Global Community Manager and Learning Consultant for Canva, stepping back into the classroom has felt exactly like shaking up my own snow globe. The flakes of excitement, uncertainty, and challenge are swirling all around me, reminding me that shaking things up is not easy, but exactly what I needed.

Returning to the classroom is challenging me in new ways. Teaching, especially in a hands-on environment like culinary arts, demands problem-solving at a rapid pace. I’m constantly faced with the task of meeting the diverse needs of my learners in an environment with a lot of variables. The range of learning accommodations and social emotional needs in each of my classes requires me to approach every day with flexibility, tailoring my lessons and finding new ways to engage students where they are. It’s both exhilarating and exhausting. But through this process, I’ve realized that shaking up my routine has pushed me to think in ways I haven’t in a long time.

Another realization that hit me upon returning is how much I am using a creative part of my brain that had gone dormant. As an educational consultant and tech specialist, creativity was important, but it wasn’t the same as the classroom. Now, the need for creativity is immediate. Every day, I’m creating opportunities for my students to learn, experience, and grow. They’re depending on me to bring energy, innovative lessons, and ways to make learning relevant and engaging, especially in the kitchen. Whether it’s gamifying the lesson to introduce a concept or designing a culinary challenge that stretches their skills, I’m flexing muscles I haven’t used in a while. And it feels good.

What’s most validating, though, is the reassurance that I still remember how to teach. After six years away, there was that little voice of doubt that whispered: “Do you still have it in you?” Returning to the classroom has allowed me to shake off that doubt. Yes, I can still manage a kitchen full of students. Yes, I can still build connections, foster creativity, and facilitate learning. I’m navigating a new generation of students, new expectations, and new challenges, but the core of who I am as a teacher remains the same.

This transition back to teaching has been a reminder that, sometimes, shaking the snow globe brings about clarity. It has re-energized me, pushed me to innovate, and reminded me of the joy that comes with teaching. It’s not just about stirring things up for the sake of it—it’s about realizing that in the chaos of the shake, there’s beauty and purpose. I’m grateful for this shake-up and excited for the journey ahead.

I am happy to report that I’ve become more comfortable with flying over the past ten years and I no longer am anxiety ridden to the extent I was before. However, if I encounter any turbulence during a flight, I definitely have to practice my deep breathing exercises to calm down. On a recent flight to a speaking engagement, I had a feeling the ride would be bumpy due to weather, and my anxiety was rising quickly. Within minutes of taking my seat the pilot came on the loudspeaker and with a friendly and calming tone said, “This is your captain speaking; welcome aboard flight “xxxx“. He proceeded to explain the weather we were encountering and described what we could expect during the flight. Immediately my blood pressure reduced as I felt the confidence from the pilot that he was in control. This wasn't the last time we heard from the pilot. When the turbulence increased during our route, he came back on the intercom and explained why we were experiencing rough air and what he was doing to find a smoother route. Once again, my heartbeat slowed and I felt safe and confident the pilot had things under control. 

Communication is powerful. As I move back into a new role as a classroom culinary teacher, I am facing my own set of fears as I make a sharp career pivot. I haven’t been a classroom teacher for six years. Is it like riding a bicycle? Will I remember how to teach high school kids? Will I be able to quickly learn all the new school systems and digital platforms? Will I be able to connect with my students and provide meaningful, magical learning? The list goes on. If I, as a grown adult, have fears and anxieties walking into a new school year, I know my students do too. When we are thoughtful to consider the fears and anxiety they may be facing and respond with calmness, clarity, and confidence, we are helping those we serve feel safe, seen, and reassured. 

These are practices I hold myself accountable to as I reenter the classroom. Just as the pilot’s calm, clear communication eased my anxiety mid-flight, I want to be that reassuring presence for my students. Whether they’re struggling with a cooking lab, unsure about an assignment, or just feeling overwhelmed by life, they need to know I’ve got things under control, and I’m here to guide them through it. Like the pilot who constantly checked in during turbulence, I will continuously check in with my students, ensuring they understand the path we’re on and feel secure enough to ask for support when they need it.
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In education, we’re more than just teachers—we’re navigators, guiding students through both the smooth skies and the stormy weather of their academic journeys. Every day, we have the opportunity to be that calm voice over the intercom, providing reassurance and clarity when things get tough. The power of clear communication, just like on that flight, can’t be underestimated. It’s what allows us to build trust, reduce fear, and ensure that each student knows they are in safe, capable hands, even when the journey gets bumpy. In my classroom, I hope to be the steady guide, reminding my students that no matter the challenges, we’re all in this together, and I’m here to see them safely to their destination.

Over the past two years, I have become a Swiftie for various reasons. Not only is Taylor Swift an incredibly talented singer, songwriter, and performer, but she also pours creativity and care into engaging with her fanbase. Taylor invests an incredible amount of time and energy finding innovative ways to connect with them. I am especially intrigued by the creative way she embeds Easter eggs throughout her work to pique the curiosity of her fans. In an interview with Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight Show (shown below), Taylor Swift shared that she began doing this when she was creating her first album because she wanted to find a way to incentivize fans to read her lyrics because it is what she is most proud of. Genius! As teachers, we pour our heart into creating lessons, and don’t we similarly hope that students will pay closer attention to the content we create for them? Inspired by Taylor Swift’s creative engagement strategies for capturing her fan's attention and connecting with them, let’s explore ways to bring similar excitement into learning to add your own classroom magic! ​

Within the recipe instructions, certain letters (that wouldn't be normally) are capitalized. When you piece them together, they spell out "MAGICAL." This technique can be used in any subject to reveal important keywords or clues. Create codes in directions, activities, and other written or digital documents. You can start with more obvious codes and then make them more cryptic as students learn to look for them. The fun thing about this idea, is you don’t have to build in time for it. In fact, you don’t even need to tell students there is something to look for. Let them discover it for themselves. Most likely, those who are paying closer attention will find it first. This may encourage other students to pay closer attention as well. You can decide what happens when the secret code is discovered. In the example above, you could incentivize with a glass of milk to drink with the Snickerdoodles when they come out of the oven, or maybe they can earn a cup of chocolate chips to mix in the batter. Discovering the code could unlock a choice of activity or assignment in a core subject area. Or, you could create chance cards that include things that students always ask for, such as sitting in the teacher’s chair, leaving class a minute early, or sitting by a friend. Students who discover the secret code, could select a card out of a treasure box and redeem them at a time of choice. What possibilities could you come up with to bring Secret Codes into your classroom learning?​

Scavenger Hunts
Taylor’s Easter eggs don’t stop with lyrics. She also loves to embed hidden messages and clues throughout her music videos, social media accounts, and concerts to create a scavenger hunt for her fans. Here is another video clip of Taylor explaining how she does it.
This video is even more evidence of how much fun she has creating these experiences for her fans. So much so that she not only creates a scavenger hunt, she also creates tiers for the types of hidden messages and clues she embeds into her content. Let’s think about what this could look like in classroom learning. Consider having a locked “treasure” box set up for every unit of study. If you have access to BreakoutEDU boxes, you could use those, or you could buy a toolbox at your local hardware store and a number and letter locks to secure it with. Lock something related to the unit’s content inside with an award. Throughout the unit, hide clues and hidden messages in various physical and digital locations.

• Hide secret letter codes in digital or paper activities, worksheets, directions, recipes, etc.
• Hide secret links in graphics, photos, or words within your digital PDFs.
• Embed visual or word clues in the slides you project on the screen, on your whiteboard, or bulletin board
• Hide QR codes in physical locations throughout your classroom and school.
• Wear subtle clues on your outfits. For instance, where all one color one day and see if students notice that the color is the clue!
• Embed hidden messages in video tutorials or books within your classroom that relate to the content.

To Swift-ify this idea further, you can create tiers for your scavenger hunt:
Tier 1: Codes hidden in recipes, directions, or activities reveal a secret word
Tier 2: Secret links hidden in digital content lead to a photo or video clue
Tier 3: QR codes hidden in physical locations must be scanned to retrieve the clue

Hide one or two clues from each tier per unit. Each clue found is a puzzle piece to solving the lock code securing the treasure box. The more clues found, the better the chance of unlocking the treasure! In a recent Facebook Sunday Night Live episode where I shared this idea, the author of Teach Like a Pirate, Dave Burgess, suggested setting up an experience where no one kid could solve the puzzle completely on their own. Students would have to rely on each other to piece the clues together, emphasizing the need for collaboration. Brilliant! If your students work in teams or groups, maybe you give different clues to different groups. They will need to combine them to solve the lock! Infusing creativity, collaboration, and curiosity together creates magical learning experiences for students!

Code Word
If you are intrigued by these ideas, but would rather ease into embedding Easter eggs in classroom learning, think about creating a Code Word each unit. Use the word creatively in written material and weave into your demonstrations and verbal instructions. You could have a treasure box set-up with a word lock each unit with the code word being THE code that unlocks the secret treasure. In this scenario, you wouldn't need to create multiple clues, it could all revolve around this code word. Another possibility would be to create a Google Form with response validation, so when students figure out the code word, they type it into the Google form, and it unlocks to reveal a special message or link to treasure.