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< Back Ganaia Praema ** The Music Mentor ** PPT® Verified Educator Ganaia mentors aspiring musicians of all stripes. 🎸🎤 We might start with a guitar riff, piano chord, or vocal warm-up—but we don’t stop there. Her Pathfinders are also writers ✍️, visual artists 🎨, mixed-media makers 🎥, and Scrabble players 🧩 crafting their own creative process. Her specialty? Unmasking your blocks—the conditioned rules, rigid expectations, and “supposed to’s” that hold you back. 🚫 She’ll hand you a stack of index cards and the most flexible, fun permission to play—until you mash up mediums, break formats, and build a creative process that fits you like a favorite song 🎶—firing you up to create, even when you don’t know exactly what. 🔥✨ Go To Website

< Back Barb McCluskey ** The Reading Cube ** PPT® Verified Educator The Reading Cube Barb is a retired elementary school teacher with 20 years teaching experience. During that time she noticed that it has become an ever increasing challenge for teachers to address the individual needs of learners. Barb created The Reading Cube to do just that! For Pre-K parents looking to get their child a jumpstart in reading. For homeschooling parents who want a reading teacher. For K-2 parents looking to get their child additional reading instruction after school. For parents of children ages 8-12 that need reading remediation. For parents looking for a reading tutor to help with homework and studying for tests. Go To Website

< Back More Teachers Can't find what you need? Already tried the Search Bar and still can't find a teacher for yourself or your student? → Click HERE. I'll check my networks to see if I can find someone for you.

Rachel Cicioni discusses the ins and outs of her entrepreneurial journey from leaving the classroom, starting her private teaching business, and what's she's learned along the way. The Private Practice Teacher® Blog Leaving the Classroom, Mindset, Community Teacher Traits That Last Long After Leaving the Classroom The quirks and habits of teaching follow us long after leaving the classroom. Some are funny, some heavy, and all worth talking about. Read More Published: October 2, 2025 3 minutes Reading time: Teacher entrepreneur; Teacher burn out; Leaving the classroom Finding Myself Again Through Teaching Freedom When I resigned, I blamed COVID. But the truth was that my job was turning me into someone I didn't recognize. Someone I didn't want to be. Read More Published: September 4, 2025 5 minutes Reading time: Private Teaching, Private Tutoring Teaching vs. Tutoring: Why It’s Time to Name—and Own—the Difference It started with a comment on one of my YouTube videos.They felt I was diminishing tutors by uplifting teachers. The exchange made me think. Read More Published: June 17, 2025 5 minutes Reading time: Education Reform Teaching, Like Medicine, Is a Science-Informed Art Both rely on science, practice, and intuition. Both are being suffocated by systems that sideline the professionals actually doing the work. Read More Published: May 22, 2025 5 minutes Reading time: Teacher entrepreneur Being a Self-Employed Teacher Costs Less Than You Think Are you yearning to break free from the confines of the traditional classroom but worry about the daunting start-up costs of launching your Read More Published: February 19, 2025 5 minutes Reading time: Mental health Beyond Tired? It Might Be Time to Rethink Your Career. October has arrived, and if you're still in the classroom, you're probably starting to feel it: that first wave of exhaustion creeping in. Read More Published: October 1, 2024 5 minutes Reading time: Teacher life The Subconscious Patterns of Teacher Life Since leaving the classroom I’m becoming increasingly aware of the subconscious patterns and coping mechanisms we develop due to the Read More Published: July 8, 2024 5 minutes Reading time: Teacher entrepreneur Life as a self-employed teacher 6 things I do, 6 things I don't, & 2 things I miss. As a self-employed teacher, I still get to do most of my favorite teacher things. .. Read More Published: May 13, 2024 3 minutes Reading time: Leaving the classroom Making the Decision to Leave the Classroom In the years leading up to my resignation from my beloved teaching position, I found myself making monthly and finally weekly pros and cons Read More Published: March 1, 2024 5 minutes Reading time: Mental health Why You Need to Connect with Your Summer Self Year Round In the hustle and bustle of teaching, whether in a traditional classroom or as a self-employed private practice teacher, it's easy to find Read More Published: January 18, 2024 7 minutes Reading time: Business coaching I spent over 11K on a coaching program, and it almost killed my business. Offers for paid coaching are literally everywhere right now, & I want to have a very frank conversation about it. Personally, I have spent Read More Published: December 20, 2023 10 minutes Reading time: Self care Let's get real about wellness routines and self-care. Believe me, I get it. Balancing the classroom and home-life, the never-ending to-do lists, and the hustle and bustle of the school year..... Read More Published: October 16, 2023 7 minutes Reading time: Teacher life The Unexpected Impact Leaving the Classroom Had on my Family Maybe you can relate? I used to think that my students got the best of me and my family got the rest of me. While I hoped this wasn't ... Read More Published: August 16, 2023 7 minutes Reading time: Business coaching Personal Solution to a Teacher-Centered Movement When I started The Private Practice Teacher® in June of 2022, it was with the goals of helping other burned-out teachers enjoy the .... Read More Published: June 23, 2023 3 minutes Reading time: Teacher entrepreneur Can you be Risk-Averse AND an Entrepreneur? YES! Something you may not know about me is that I’m actually pretty conservative and kind of risk-averse. And I’m not sure that that’s from a Read More Published: May 12, 2023 3 minutes Reading time: Business coaching The Pros & Cons of Paid Business Coaching Let's talk about the elephant in the room - paid coaching. Offers for paid coaching are literally everywhere right now, & I want to have a Read More Published: April 7, 2023 3 minutes Reading time: Leaving the classroom From the classroom to my own teaching business Leaving the classroom was one of the hardest things I've ever done. I began teaching in 2011, and I loved being a high school French teacher Read More Published: February 25, 2023 3 minutes Reading time: Education Reform, Teacher Satisfaction, Teacher Burnout What Does It Mean for a School to Fail? Schools often fail teachers long before test scores dip. What if success was measured by teacher support and satisfaction? Read More Published: September 16, 2025 3 minutes Reading time: Teacher Entrepreneurship 7 Things I Wish I’d Known Before Starting My Teaching Business Practical lessons from a teacher-turned-entrepreneur: 7 things I wish I’d known before starting my private teaching business. Read More Published: August 14, 2025 6 minutes Reading time: teacher entrepreneur, teacher business Stop Undervaluing Your Teaching Expertise: You're More Than a Tutor Teachers — if you’ve ever looked at your hourly rate and wondered, “Why am I still exhausted and barely breaking even?” This is for you. Read More Published: June 12, 2025 4 minutes Reading time: Leaving the Classroom, Mindset, Business Coaching You're Not a Bad Teacher for Wanting More I want to say something you may not have heard—at least not loud enough or often enough: You're NOT a bad teacher for wanting more. Read More Published: April 4, 2025 4 minutes Reading time: self-care, mindset, entrepreneur Self-Care is Essential for Teacher-Entrepreneurs Teachers are notoriously bad at self-care. Here's why it's non-negotiable for entrepreneurs & how you CAN make it a part of your daily life. Read More Published: January 10, 2025 3 minutes Reading time: Retention Why Are Teachers Leaving, and Who’s Paying Attention? Teacher retention is at an all-time low, and it feels as though no one is paying attention—or worse, no one cares. Our schools resemble ... Read More Published: August 13, 2024 5 minutes Reading time: Teacher life Would you rather? Summer Edition In my neighborhood, summer break is almost here, and it has me reflecting on the summer break after my last year in the classroom. Read More Published: June 3, 2024 5 minutes Reading time: Leaving the classroom Nothing Beats Community Teachers need each other. It's one of those careers that can also be an identity. People say, “I work in retail" but say "I'm a teacher." Read More Published: March 25, 2024 7 minutes Reading time: Self-employed teacher What are your task avoidance behaviors trying to tell you? Are you finding yourself constantly sidetracked by tasks that seem urgent but are ultimately unproductive? As a self-employed teacher, I ... Read More Published: February 9, 2024 3 minutes Reading time: Goal setting Crafting the Magic of Your Year Ahead As we stand on the threshold of a new year, there's an undeniable sense of magic in the air. But here's the secret: that enchantment..... Read More Published: January 2, 2024 3 minutes Reading time: Mental health Lessons from Fall ~ Rest, Recovery, & Productivity I am very fortunate to live near a park and every morning that the weather permits, Yeti and I take a nice long walk. Some mornings I .... Read More Published: November 9, 2023 5 minutes Reading time: Self-employed teacher How My Morning Routine Transformed My Life as a Teacher and a Parent I want to take you on a journey through my life, comparing my morning routines as a teacher and parent. It's a story of evolution... Read More Published: September 22, 2023 12 minutes Reading time: Leaving the classroom Recovering from the Classroom It’s been just over three years since I left the classroom and here are a few things I’ve encountered that I wasn't expecting. Grief Read More Published: August 2, 2023 5 min Reading time: Teacher life “Old keys won’t open new doors.” “Old keys won’t open new doors.” I’ve been meditating on variations of this idea for a couple of weeks now, both as it applies to my life... Read More Published: June 8, 2023 3 minutes Reading time: Mental health The Heartbreak of Leaving the Classroom I wish people understood how heartbreaking the decision to leave the classroom really is. All I ever really wanted to be was a teacher. Read More Published: May 2, 2023 2 minutes Reading time: Private tutor What is Private Practice Teaching®? When I tell people that I own my own teaching business as a private practice teacher, the conversation that follows usually goes something Read More Published: March 5, 2023 5 minutes Reading time: Filter by category: Business coaching Education Reform Education Reform, Teacher Satisfaction, Teacher Burnout Goal setting Leaving the Classroom, Mindset, Business Coaching Leaving the Classroom, Mindset, Community Leaving the classroom Mental health Private Teaching, Private Tutoring Private tutor Retention Self care Self-employed teacher Teacher Entrepreneurship Teacher entrepreneur Teacher entrepreneur; Teacher burn out; Leaving the classroom Teacher life self-care, mindset, entrepreneur teacher entrepreneur, teacher business

< Back The Subconscious Patterns of Teacher Life Reading time 5 minutes Published July 8, 2024 Category: Teacher life Since leaving the classroom I’m becoming increasingly aware of the subconscious patterns and coping mechanisms we develop due to the unique stresses of teaching in a traditional school setting. Even now, four years into my life as a self-employed teacher, these patterns strongly influence how I live and work. The first pattern I noticed I call the “Due Date List”. This pattern influences my daily life and decision-making regarding how I prioritize tasks. A mentor of mine once told me that teachers need due dates. Oh, how I’ve found this to be true. A task without a due date rarely gets accomplished. We live with never-ending To-Do Lists and are in a near-constant state of overwhelm 9-10 months out of the year, therefore tasks get accomplished in order of urgency - no matter how much we want to do it or how beneficial completing the task may be. The next pattern I call the “Teacher Hamster Wheel” . This pattern is how I function during a 24-hour period for 9-10 months of the year. Here’s a snapshot of a typical day. Alarm goes off Snooze button 2-8 times depending on the level of sleep deprivation Coffee Get myself ready Get kids ready Out the door Pre-work work Work work Post-work work Pick up kids Make dinner (or at least a plan for dinner) After school activities Veg out and try to visit with my spouse until I’ve worked up enough energy to put the kids to bed Put kids to bed Pass out (or at least try to) In a nutshell, wake ➡️ triage needs/responsibilities ➡️sleep ➡️repeat. A perfect recipe for burnout, exhaustion, and mental health struggles. This is the life of a human-doing, not a human-being.The final pattern I noticed, I call the “Yearly Teacher Cycle” . This is how it goes: Back-To-School, Starting the year off excited, nervous, and hopeful. I’m excited about some of the cool new ideas you want to try. I’m excited and nervous to meet my new students. I’m hopeful and optimistic that the new self-care habits I established over the summer coupled with the new workflow procedures I created will help me to spend less time on the “Teacher Hamster Wheel” this school year. Of course, the district has some new ideas and initiatives of their own, but thankfully I have new systems in place now, so I’m confident I can handle the additional workload. Late Fall , October-November, the first wave of exhaustion hits. My self-care habits are nearly gone by now, many of your new workflow systems and procedures aren’t functioning as well as I hoped (if at all). I’m firmly on the “Teacher Hamster Wheel” and just holding on until Fall Break and then Winter Break when I can work on recovery, get caught up on work, and maybe enjoy some socializing. January . It’s only been 10-14 days, but everyone needs to relearn how to be in school, and some form of high-stakes, standardized, benchmark assessment has to be administered in two weeks. The Long Dark Slog aka mid-January through March. Things usually go fairly smoothly here except for illnesses. Everyone seems to be in some sort routine which is nice, but everyone also takes turns being sick. Sub plans are exhausting and you need to save your PTO for when my own children are sick, so I go to school anyway as long as I can drag myself out of the house. Spring Break is a breath of fresh air (and allergies), but I finally get to catch up on some sleep and some grading. The Last Push , April through the Last Day of School. The older students get, it seems the less they fully return from spring break. For this reason and because of those lovely, high-stakes, standardized spring, assessments, most of us try to get 90% of our curriculum taught by early April at the latest. That last month of school feels like straight chaos and survival as both a teacher and a parent. We’ve also started packing up our classrooms because we might get 2-3 hours of contract time to do 10-12 hours worth of work. Summer Break Part 1 is all about recovery. I’m a shell of a person at this point. I’m in full zombie mode, doom-scrolling, and binge-watching TV (usually TV shows my non-teacher friends recommended during the school year but never had time to watch). I’m only barely able to make the simplest decisions. Depending on the year, this could take 5-15 days. Summer Break Part 2 welcomes “Summer Rachel” I’m a person again, “Want to go out to lunch?” Want to meet at the pool?” In late June and July, I’m ready to be social again. I can’t wait to see all the friends and family I missed during the school year. I do fun things with my children and spouse. I develop healthy routines and healthy eating habits. I also start casually working on plans for the next school year (about 5-10 hours a week). This is my favorite version of me. The only sad part is that I really don’t love this time of year where we live. Summer Break Part 3 I start getting excited about Back To School. Late July into August, I begin moving back into my classroom. Just a few hours here and there. A couple of new projects, bulletin boards, seating styles, new organization, and maybe some new furniture. I also start getting new or updated systems in place to manage routine tasks and workflow that I’m certain will make this next year run much more smoothly. Back-To-School , ... It’s been three years since I left the classroom completely, and it’s taken that amount of time to see how much these patterns became deeply and subconsciously ingrained those patterns had become. Even being my own boss as a self-employed teacher, I accidentally recreated these patterns in my life and businesses. Now that I am aware of these patterns, I can consciously create new ones that support my vision for a more balanced and harmonious life for me and my family. I hope this post will help you do the same. Best wishes always! 💕 Previous Next

< Back 7 Things I Wish I’d Known Before Starting My Teaching Business Reading time 6 minutes Published August 14, 2025 Category: Teacher Entrepreneurship When I first left the classroom, I wasn’t worried about what to teach, how to teach, or even where to find students. I knew my skills as an educator would carry over. What I was worried about? The business side of things — bookkeeping, taxes, time management — plus all the things I assumed would be complicated or out of reach. As it turns out, much of what I feared was simpler than I thought, and much of what I thought would be simple took more un learning than I'd expected. Here are seven things I wish I’d known sooner: 1. I Could Have Charged More From the Beginning When I started, I charged $50 for an hour of direct instruction plus an additional hour of asynchronous practice. That’s two full hours of value. Now, I charge $80/hr for that exact same service — and my clients happily pay it. Lesson learned: price based on the value you provide, not your own fears. 2. My Monthly Business Costs Could Be Almost Nothing I thought I’d need to spend hundreds a month on tools and programs. The truth? My monthly operating budget stays between $40–$50. There are incredible free and open-source resources out there. You don’t need fancy software to get started — or even to scale. 3. Bookkeeping and Taxes Aren’t as Scary as They Seem I assumed I’d need to learn advanced accounting skills to keep my business afloat. Instead, I started with a simple spreadsheet and a habit of setting aside a percentage of every payment for taxes. Then I started using Wave(free version) and synced it to my bank account. At tax time, I print out reports from Wave and send them to a hired tax professional. It has been worth every penny. 4. Managing My Own Schedule Is Liberating I worried I’d waste time without a strict schedule to adhere to. In reality, setting my own teaching hours, blocking admin time, and protecting days off gave me more focus and energy than I’d ever had in the classroom — so much that I now have time for my family and even hobbies. 5. Parents Trust Me More Than My Credentials Parents don’t care about my degrees, certifications, or methodology jargon. They care that I can help their child and do what I say I’ll do. Overloading them with credentials or lesson plan details can actually backfire — keep your communication simple and focused on results. 6. “Niching Down” Means Something Different for Teachers In most industries, niching down means narrowing your service to one hyper-specific thing. For teachers, it’s more about who you work best with — the type of student, their learning needs, and the situations where you shine. Services can evolve, but your ideal student profile is your anchor . 7. Start Before You Think You're Ready Your business will always be a work-in-progress — and that’s a good thing. Done is better than perfect. You’ll be tweaking things indefinitely. It’s better to involve your audience in your journey than to spend months building behind the scenes only to launch to crickets. Start making connections, share what you’re working on, and invite people in before you’re “officially” open. If you take nothing else from this list, take this: You don’t need to wait for perfect conditions. Your business, like your teaching, will grow with you. When you start sooner, you start learning sooner — and that’s how you find your stride. And if you want someone to walk beside you, I'm here. Best wishes always 💕 ~ Rachel Previous Next

Privacy and Cookie policy. Your privacy is important to us. Your data will never be sold to or shared with a third party in order to be sold. Privacy Policy Last Updated On 11-Aug-2025 Effective Date 11-Aug-2025 This Privacy Policy describes the policies of MyFrenchU + The Private Practice Teacher®, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, United States of America (the), email: rachel@myfrenchu.org, on the collection, use and disclosure of your information that we collect when you use our website ( https://www.myfrenchu.org ). (the “Service”). By accessing or using the Service, you are consenting to the collection, use and disclosure of your information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. If you do not consent to the same, please do not access or use the Service. We may modify this Privacy Policy at any time without any prior notice to you and will post the revised Privacy Policy on the Service. 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The Private Practice Teacher ®, I’ve turned my teacher entrepreneur journey into a step-by-step mentorship program for innovative, passionate, student-centered teachers who want to do what I do and start enjoying life like never before. Hi, I'm Rachel Founder of MyFrenchU & The Private Practice Teacher® For me, a teacher is much more than a content delivery specialist. A teacher is a mentor, a resource for their students to help them thrive, see their own potential, & help them achieve their goals. Sadly, current education systems make that kind of teaching harder and harder to accomplish - especially if your life has demands outside of the classroom. Self-Authored Success I don’t believe there is a single right way to build a teaching business or a single definition of success that applies to everyone. I don’t coach teachers towards my version of success. I mentor them as they clarify and build their own. That means we start with your life, not a predetermined framework. Your values. Your energy. Your responsibilities. Your goals. I share my systems, strategies, and real-world experience, then help you adapt, remix, or discard whatever doesn’t fit. The goal isn't to make copies of my business; it's to achieve autonomy, sustainability, and a business that actually supports the life you want to live. My Core Philosophy If other educated professionals can go into private practice, so can teachers. Rachel Cicioni M.Ed. This is my Story I moved around a lot as a child, living in 3 different states, and attending 8 different schools in 7 different districts. I attended schools in areas that were low-income, high-income, rural, urban, and everything in between. One of the few things that was consistent in my life was a great teacher. No matter where I found myself, I always had at least one great teacher who helped me feel wanted and safe. That's why I've wanted to be a teacher ever since I can remember. Finally, COVID made it impossible for me to manage the demands of both school life & home life. I made the heartbreaking decision to leave teaching, BUT I missed it so much! That's when I decided to try to create my own private teaching business & MyFrenchU was born. Now, with The Private Practice Teacher® , I took what I learned building my own private teaching practice and turned it into a structured mentorship, not so others could copy my path, but so teachers could design businesses aligned with their own lives, values, and goals. Schedule Free Consultation Teachers deserve to have the autonomy to practice their profession in a manner that is consistent with why they chose teaching in the first place. Rachel Cicioni M.Ed. Why My Mentorship is Different Many coaching programs are built around a single system or path to success. Mine isn’t. While I’m happy to share exactly what works for me, my role isn’t to have teachers create copies of my business. My goal is to support them in building something that fits their lives, values, and goals. Mentorship with me blends education, guidance, and real-world support. It's grounded in the belief that teachers are capable professionals who deserve autonomy over their work. Some of my teachers follow a path similar to mine. Others create something entirely different. Both are valid. What matters is that the business you build aligns with your values, your goals, and your definition of success, not anyone else’s. What This Means for You If you’re looking for a rigid formula, this probably isn’t the right place. But if you want: Support without pressure Guidance that honors individuality Structure with flexibility My goal isn’t to be indispensable. It’s to help you build clarity, confidence, and systems so you can move forward independently and eventually no longer need me in the same way. That’s not an ending. That’s the point. ** But just like with my students, I would love for you to keep in touch. If This Resonates If what you’ve read here feels grounding, relieving, or familiar, the next step isn’t choosing a package; it’s having a conversation. The T2E Empowerment Intensive is where I work most closely with teachers who want to build sustainable, self-directed teaching businesses aligned with their real lives. It isn’t a formula or a fast track. This is mentorship designed to help you clarify what success means to you and build toward it with support. 👉 Explore the T2E Empowerment Intensive Looking for a different type of support? 👉 Explore all current offerings Nikki Mitchell Owner/founder of Brain Boost Academy ''Rachel always says that we could figure this all out on our own, but I really don't think that I could have. The information in the course, the sequencing of it, and the support was exactly what I needed to create my business.'' Press & Interviews Click Image Below to Read or Listen Collabs.io Mag Online Magazine Online magazine featuring solopreneurs and their stories for the purpose of collaboration, learning, and storytelling. The Teacher Story Podcast Podcast centering teachers journey and ideas about education reform. Ep.12-Rachel's Story-"Edupreneur-The Private Practice Teacher" WLCH Radio Centro Podcast How does a French teacher end up on a Spanish-speaking podcast? Because a former student asked me to, of course! Get in touch Email me rachel@theprivatepracticeteacher.org Connect with me

Discover your Teacher-to-Entrepreneur Archetype in just 3 minutes! Take this free quiz to find out your stage, get personalized tips, and learn your next best step to building a sustainable, joyful teaching business. Barb McCluskey Owner/founder of The Reading Cube ''Rachel, thank you for your guidance, coaching and patience with me. I love my business and my life now!'' ! Widget Didn’t Load Check your internet and refresh this page. If that doesn’t work, contact us.

< Back Recovering from the Classroom Reading time 5 min Published August 2, 2023 Category: Leaving the classroom It’s been just over three years since I left the classroom and here are a few things I’ve encountered that I wasn't expecting. Grief ~ Grief and relief are normal and can exist at the same time. So many tears. So much anger and resentment. I was furious with the system that drove me out and away from the students, families, and coworkers I loved so much - the admin and policies that made me choose between my community and my family. I missed my classroom, my students, co-workers, my career that I'd invested so much of myself into only to have it proven to me how little my bosses cared about me, my family, and my contribution to the school. I was heart-broken but also relieved that I never had to go back there again. So much relief and room to breathe. My dread was lifted. I enjoyed the more manageable pace of life and took all the time I needed to recover. Almost instantly I noticed that I had more energy and patience, and within weeks my family noticed that I seemed much lighter and relaxed than they’d seen me in years. We enjoyed the last days of summer at the pool instead of setting up my classroom. Then I got to take my kids to the bus stop and participate in all the First Day of School festivities for the first time ever. I still love that every year. Our whole family dynamic shifted and continues to shift in really positive ways. However, the time freedom and decreased external structure that once caused relief and deep relaxation also started to cause isolation and depression. t was a very strange and somewhat disorienting mix of emotions. With the lack of externally imposed structure, I needed a new way of approaching my day-to-day life. It felt like my identity was eroding. It took me almost a year to find myself and my footing again. Discovery ~ Discovering myself. I’m not the same person that went into the classroom in 2011. She was just married, didn’t have children yet, and was in her early 30’s. The hobbies and leisure activities I enjoyed back then don’t hold much interest to me anymore. The me who left the classroom in 2020 had 2 young daughters (6 & 8 yrs old), lost her mother, survived postpartum depression, and spent most of her weekends at sports and dance. I felt old and tired from living in survival mode for so long. I didn’t even know who I wanted to be anymore outside of all the responsibilities piled up around me. I hadn’t had time to think about it. And so, when I had some downtime, I started exploring my inner and outer worlds. I started reading and listening to podcasts. I finished my masters degree and accidentally started a teaching business. I started volunteering with the PTO and in my daughters’ classrooms. I’m still discovering myself, but for the first time in a long time, I’m happy, proud of myself, and excited about the future. The best part is that my daughters and spouse are proud of me too. Unlearning ~ The most recent part of my recovery has been unlearning the unhealthy coping strategies I developed during my years in the classroom. Without even noticing it, I recreated the unhealthy work/life balance I left. I love the work I do now, but I didn’t know how to turn it off. I found myself driven by both passion and fear. I worked myself right back into survival mode and burned myself out. I became irritable and impatient. I started abandoning my self-care routines in favor of one more client, one more lesson, one more post, one more training, one more thing. And so I circled back to my grief and discovery but with more understanding and compassion than before. I took time to recover and recenter. I re-discovered myself, my joy, and my why. I’m learning what I need to unlearn in order to create the life I want for myself, the life I want to enjoy with my spouse and our family, and the life I want to role-model for our children. Best wishes always, Rachel Previous Next

< Back Personal Solution to a Teacher-Centered Movement Reading time 3 minutes Published June 23, 2023 Category: Business coaching While I enjoy the opportunity I stumbled into of teaching privately and raising awareness of self-employed teaching as an option for other teachers, leaving the classroom, left me completely heartbroken. But my heart was mended by the wonderful, affirming, and human experiences I now enjoy with my private students, families, and the teacher-entrepreneurs in my community. I found my spark and my joy again as a private practice educator. My mission was to let teachers know that this was possible and help them create their own private teaching businesses. Since then it has been and continues to be my honor to do this work. The teachers I work with are brilliant and caring professionals. I am constantly amazed and humbled by the innovative and beneficial services and learning opportunities they create for their students and communities. If you have time, please check out the business on the Teacher Directory. They truly are inspiring. This last year has been so inspiring in fact, that we have evolved both in mission and number. The Private Practice Teacher® has grown from one teacher (me) to eight pioneer teacher entrepreneurs (we have space for just 2 more pioneer teachers) and from our two original goals to a movement. Yes, we still work to spread awareness of the possibility of being a successful, self-employed teacher. Yes, we still help teachers create their private practice teaching businesses. However, we’ve been so galvanized by what we’ve been able to accomplish this year that we now see it as an opportunity to elevate our profession as a whole. We believe that meaning and lasting positive change in education can’t happen until teachers are recognized and respected as experts in education. We see private practice teaching as a means by which teachers can finally be recognized as the highly educated, trained, and experienced professionals we work so hard to become. Private practice teaching provides the opportunity for teachers to demonstrate to society what we can create and what our students can accomplish when teachers have the autonomy to practice our craft the way we know it should and can be done. As such we have the opportunity to be recognized as authorities in education, and hopefully gain a seat at the tables discussing education reform. If not, we have already started building the foundations for our own tables. Previous Next

< Back Teacher Traits That Last Long After Leaving the Classroom Reading time 3 minutes Published October 2, 2025 Category: Leaving the Classroom, Mindset, Community You can take the teacher out of the classroom, but you can’t take the classroom out of the teacher. Every teacher who has left the traditional school system knows exactly what I mean. The habits and quirks we carried for years don’t magically disappear when we hand in our keys—they follow us into our next chapters. Some are funny, some are frustrating, and some are reminders of how deeply the profession shaped us, for better and worse. The Quirks That Follow Us School dreams: recurring nightmares about forgotten lesson plans or endless stacks of grading. Speedy eating and bathroom runs: we learned to survive on lightning-fast breaks, and those patterns are hard to unlearn. The "teacher look/voice" in public: yes, it still slips out at the grocery store or the park. And, no, I don't mind that at all. These little quirks are funny, but they’re also proof of how much teaching becomes part of our way of being. Some Habits That Are Harder to Shake Some habits aren’t as lighthearted. They speak to the unhealthy coping mechanisms we pick up to make it through the day: Hiding comfort food or working while eating, watching TV, or even spending time with family 🫤 Forgetting to drink water because there’s no time for bathroom breaks Living in the burnout/recovery cycle, both daily and yearly A good work ethic is important, but teachers often take it to an unhealthy extreme. Without a calendar dictating breaks, many of us don’t know when (or even how) to rest. Years of ignoring our body’s cues train us to push past exhaustion until we no longer recognize what balance feels like. Why These Traits Stick With Us Teaching trains us to put others first, multitask constantly, and normalize exhaustion. Those patterns don’t vanish when we leave the classroom. They linger, reminding us just how much the profession asked of us—and how much we gave. Until or unless we notice them, we don't have any way to change them. Where Healing Happens But here’s the hopeful part: healing happens when we notice. When we've been out of "Survival Mode" long enough to recognize the patterns and unhealthy ways we've learned to accomplish tasks on our ever-growing to-do lists. Without awareness, we take all those exact ways of being into entrepreneurship. We accidentally re-create the very situations we're trying to leave. I’ve been sharing clips from last year’s retreat, and what struck me most wasn’t the workshops or the content—it was the power of being surrounded by people who get it. People who don’t need an explanation for why you eat fast, dream about grading, or struggle NOT to speak to a child in public. For years, I've dreamt about creating a year-round version of that community, where we can continue to lift each other up and redefine what it means to thrive as teachers-turned-entrepreneurs. A place for camaraderie, support, accountability, collaboration, and even co-working/body-doubling. A place where we can network and refer students and clients to each other’s businesses. Because when teachers support teachers, everyone wins. Your Turn What about you? Which “teacher traits” have stuck with you long after leaving the classroom? And if a community like this existed, what would you want it to look like? Best wishes always 💕 Previous Next