Maria N Bridwell, M.Ed

05/07/2024

“Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.” – Henry Ford

As teachers, especially during the first days of school, many of us feel that we can’t be effective. We believe that frustration is inevitable. But let’s change that mindset.

Believe that you can have an effective start to the school year with less stress and frustration. The answer is in the preparation. By preparing a good classroom management plan, you set the stage for an amazing school year.

Need help crafting your plan? DM me for tips and support!🫶

03/07/2024

Effective classroom management is like the glue that holds everything together in a school day.

It’s not just about keeping things quiet; it’s about creating a space where students feel comfortable, respected, and eager to learn.

When the classroom runs smoothly, teachers can spend less time dealing with disruptions and more time engaging with their students in meaningful ways.

It sets the tone for a positive learning experience, where everyone can thrive and feel valued.

Good management also helps build trust between teachers and students, making it easier to tackle challenges together and celebrate successes as a team.

As you prepare for next school year, what is one thing that you want to change to ensure that you are less frustrated as a teacher and more engaged with your students? Comment below.👇🫶

29/06/2024

Summer is the perfect time to rest and reflect.☀️ Taking the time to rest is productive. How are you recharging for the new school year? Share your favorite relaxation tips with us.

17/02/2023

Love is kind!❤️❤️❤️

15/01/2023

Connecting with students, building relationships, and building trust is important before we can teach them to master content. Trust is the foundation for any relationship and it takes work and effort on our part to build that trust.

These simple connecting strategies if done consistently can bridge the gap so that students are more willing to learn. There is a saying that says, “people will not care how much you know until they know how much you care”. This is definitely true for our students. For many of them, you may be the only version of love, care, and respect that they will experience.

Love them. Care for them. Respect them. Connect with them. Serve them. That is our calling.❤️

08/01/2023

Mondays can be rough sometimes. But it doesn’t have to be. Your mindset going into a Monday doesn’t have to be negative.

Here are ways to help frame your thinking and motivate you as you go into the week:

1. Set specific and achievable goals. Having a clear idea of what you want to accomplish can help motivate you to get started and stay on track. Make sure to set goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound.

2. Find a reason to be excited. Think about something you are looking forward to on Monday, whether it’s seeing your students again, or a project or lesson that you are working on, or even just catching up with your co-workers. Having something to look forward to can help you get motivated.

3. Reward yourself. When you accomplish a task and reach a goal, give yourself a small reward as a way of reinforcing your efforts. This can help motivate you to keep going and stay on track. Just make sure to choose rewards that are meaningful and will help you stay focused, rather than distractions that will derail your progress.

Hope you’ll have a wonderful week this week! ❤️❤️❤️

02/01/2023

2023 doesn’t have to start with a big bang. You can start by committing to little steps each and everyday and to remind yourself simple little things to help you flourish one day at a time. Walk in 2023 with small steps…one day at a time, one step at a time.❤️

25/08/2022

Another school year is upon us. Year 19 in education, 9th year in administration has definitely taught me a lot of things about myself and how to deal with situations and people.

My why is impacting the next generation. My goal this year is to love people and deal kindly with people regardless of how challenging a situation may be.

I am thankful for my school and the opportunities there that have helped me to grow and to shape me into the person that I am today. I am looking forward to another year serving and growing. God is good, God will always provide, and He always has a plan!❤️❤️❤️

03/05/2022

Excited to share this with the women at Calvary tomorrow!🙏❤️

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙨 𝙂𝙤𝙙 𝙜𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙤 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙮 𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙝?
𝘿𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙝𝙞𝙥 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙇𝙤𝙧𝙙?

“𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺. 𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰-𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘥. 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘎𝘰𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥. 𝘞𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘸𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 (𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘷. 23:7).”
― 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗳, "𝗦𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗢𝗻 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻"

𝗠𝗔𝗬 𝟰 You are invited to hear a very special presentation about mental health, the brain, thought life, and what the Bible has to say about it all! You definitely will not want to miss this thought provoking talk by 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗱𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 as she will discuss with us about how the Bible has addressed our mental health in more ways that we can imagine! Join us for this Authentic Living Series event at Women's Church! RSVP Today!

Women's Church
Wednesday Nights 6:30-8pm
Calvary Baptist Church
Parlor

See you there!

30/11/2021

Today, I turned 40….it’s a milestone bday!!🎉🎉🎉

If I could sum up what I’ve learned so far in my life…it is living with a heart gratitude and living with purpose.

I try to live my life with gratitude for both the joys and the struggles. The times of celebration have taught me the love of God while the times of challenges have taught me the grace of God.

Living with gratitude means that I am cherishing each present moment. Realizing that life is a v***r and to live that life with intention and purpose.

I am confident that God is not finished with me yet. I am pressing forward to the next decade with even more intention knowing that each day I live fulfills a purpose in God’s greater plan.

Here’s to another year of life. I am truly grateful.❤️