Kristen

TORONTO RECOMMENDATIONS - May/June ☕️ 🥘 🤩 ✅Thermea (@thermeawhitby ) - Not technically in Toronto but ended up spending 6 hours here, pure relaxation 🧖🏼‍♀️ ✅Twig Fertility (@twigfertility ) - I’ve only begun the egg freezing process (which needs to be talked about more openly and early rather than when it’s too late) and they have been so lovely and supportive! ☺️ ✅Serene Beauty (@serenebeautystudio ) - Rathai is so kind and knowledgeable, for skin and makeup she’s a go to! 💄 ✅By Simran Jewelry (@_bysimran ) - I know I’m not the only brown girl who saw these and thought, “Ooo” ✨ ✅Milky Lane Cafe (@milkylanecafe ) - Scarborough recommendation, comfort food and cool vibes 😎 ✅Minami (@minamitoronto ) - Fancy Japanese with a beautiful interior and yummy options (carrot cake was 🤌🏼 and their happy hour looks good) 🇯🇵 ✅Toronto Symphony Orchestra (@torontosymphony ) - Got to see Joe Hisaishi but they have an interesting option for those under 35 which would make me wanna go more often! 🎶 ✅Kost (@kosttoronto ) - Despite the weather we had, the food, vibes and service were great for my friend’s bachelorette brunch (and with amazing weather, the rooftop views would be awesome!) ✅Civil Liberties (@civlibto ) - A bar with no menu but the bartenders choose for you based on what you like (loved what they made for me!) + Sailor Moon in the background was perfect 🤩 If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, let me know in the comments or DMs 💕 #personal #personallife #toronto #torontolife #torontofood #torontoeats #torontofoodie #torontorestaurants #torontocafe #thelisttoronto #torontorecommendations #wheretoeattoronto #torontodrinks #thermea #spaday #eggfreezing #facials #desijewelry #comfortfood #orchestra #brunch #torontobars

📚 BOOK RECOMMENDATION: Dune by Frank Herbert One of the first times I’ve watched the movie THEN read the book and it was worth it! The movie lives up to the books and actually brings certain scenes or characters to life in a that the book didn’t. There are many words of wisdom sprinkled throughout the novel - I understand why it impacted so many people when it was released and even now (“Fear is the mindkiller…Where the fear has gone, there will be nothing. Only I will remain”, “The test of a man isn’t what you think he’ll do but what he actually does”, etc) It was interesting getting more information and time with certain characters as well as getting to see the real relationships as Herbert intended. The audiobook helped things go faster but some voices weren’t as good as the movie (ex: Chani) Teachers: It’s a great sci-fi option that is rooted in humanity, power and many universal themes. I would personally worry about the length especially now that the movie is out but it could be a nice pairing or even reading certain sections of the novel. For those who liked the book/movie, it’s book 1 of many in the series so that could also be a motivating factor! What did you think of the book/movie? Let me know in the comments or DMs 💕 #books #bookstagram #book #booklover #reading #bookworm #bookstagrammer #read #bookish #booknerd #bookaddict #booksofinstagram #bibliophile #readersofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #reader #booklove #author #literature #frankherbert #fiction #bookrecommendations #bookreview #teacher #teacherswhoread #englishteacher #booktok #dune #dunemovie #audiobook

Life as a teacher weeks 33-40 😎 I’m officially DONE! ✅ This has been a crazy and quite literally exhausting because of exams, report cards and graduation planning. I managed to have some fun times here and there but this summer will very much be a chance to fill up my cup and reset. I felt very close to burnout (if not there, it’s hard for me to know for sure) and that was quite scary since the idea of leaving teaching is rising to the surface. But at the end of the day, I still love what I do and the kids I work with. I’m learning how to set better boundaries and keep my priorities in check so hopefully next year will be better. But until then… HAPPY SUMMER YALL ☀️ I know I wasn’t very consistent lately 😂 and I don’t want to say things and just not follow through this summer. Part of me wants to just post random stuff every day for me and part of me wants to not touch socials 😂 What do you think? Let me know in the comments or DMs 💕 #teacher #teacherlife #teachersfollowteachers #teachergram #teacherstyle #worklifebalance #worklife #teachersofinstagram #teacherssupportingteachers #teachersforteachers #teacherstuff #teachervlog #vlog #dayinthelife #lifeasateacher #teacherssupportteachers #teacherstruggles #toronto #torontolife

TORONTO RECOMMENDATIONS - April ☕️ 🥘 🤩 Late again 😅 but still relevant! ✅Cops (@eatcops ) - Famous for a reason, fresh donuts, can’t go wrong (always order more than you think) 😉 ✅The Haam (@thehaamto ) - Awesome food, Mexican/Japanese fusion, leave there feeling full every time! 😍 ✅Lulu Bar (@lulubartoronto ) - Hawaiian, happy hour and great options for food (chips n dip) and drinks (King Kona) 🌺 ✅Just Nails Tings (@justnailtings ) - Beautiful press-on nails, cute themes, friendly and thoughtful people ☺️ If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, let me know in the comments or DMs 💕 #personal #personallife #toronto #torontolife #torontofood #torontoeats #torontofoodie #torontorestaurants #torontocafe #thelisttoronto #torontorecommendations #wheretoeattoronto #torontodrinks #thehaam #copsdoughnuts #lulubar #justnailtings

📚 BOOK RECOMMENDATION: Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey This was such an interesting and relatable read, even as someone who isn’t going through a divorce! Don’t let that plot point stop you from seeing this through. What stood out to me was the writing styles: she switches from regular narrative to Google searches, emails to texts, etc. It’s been a long time since I read something like this and it kept things fresh as I was reading. The humour + Toronto references were great! If you like Schitt’s Creek and Working Moms, Monica Heisey was a writer on both and it shows! The story was all over the place and raw but it worked as a way to immerse us in her state of mind and see all the facets and phases of her journey: the good, the bad and the crazy! You’re on the journey with her and we all come out of it alive. Teachers: The subject matter may go over the heads of teenagers and there’s definitely a lot of inappropriate topics, so probably best to avoid this as a class novel 😂 BUT as I mentioned, the writing style is so interesting and fresh, it would work nicely as part of a Mentor Text lesson, Writer’s Workshop, etc. What do you think? 🤔 Let me know your questions and thoughts below! 💕 #books #bookstagram #book #booklover #reading #bookworm #bookstagrammer #read #bookish #booknerd #bookaddict #booksofinstagram #bibliophile #readersofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #reader #booklove #monicaheisey #literature #fiction #bookrecommendations #bookreview #teacher #teacherswhoread #englishteacher #booktok #reallygoodactually #torontobooks

Life as a teacher vlog weeks 28-32 😜 Note to self: switch to monthly vlogs or bi-weekly starting September 😂 These are hard to keep up with especially during a busy phase. It was everything from summatives, report cards, parent-teacher, IB exams and everything in between! But luckily I’m now speaking to you from a calmer place 😌 School wise, here’s what we’ve been doing: - Grade 12 English: We finished up the 2 mini units on journalism and poetry which were a lot of fun, particularly poetry since we explored different types of modern poetry and this was realistically the last time they got to write their own poems. - Grade 11 IB English: Finished up the Woman King/A Doll’s House unit with our DH Sesame Street Quiz + Anatomy of a Scene for WK. Although I said it went well, they did struggle a bit when it came to analysis + equally addressing what belongs together AND what doesn’t. - Grade 12 IB English: We’re all done! They finished their exams with me and are now working on their IB exams = they’re done for the year! Personal life: Just seeing friends, trying out new places, going to markets and having more me time. My goal rn is to focus on joy since I feel like I’ve been just moving through life rather than enjoying it. I’m excited to share what’s next, hopefully will be more consistent since things will be a bit calmer. If you have any questions or would like to see some of the resources I’m using, let me know in the comments or DM me 💕 #teacher #teacherlife #teachersfollowteachers #teachergram #teacherstyle #worklifebalance #worklife #teachersofinstagram #teacherssupportingteachers #teachersforteachers #teacherstuff #teachervlog #vlog #dayinthelife #lifeasateacher #teacherssupportteachers #teacherstruggles #toronto #torontolife #englishteacher #IB #torontoeats #torontofood #torontorestaurants #torontomarkets #poetry #examprep

TORONTO RECOMMENDATIONS - March ☕️ 🥘 🤩 A bit late 😅 but all still good! ✅Thai on Yonge (@thaionyonge ) - Good food, central location, khao soi was good! ✅Shangri-la Tibetan (@shangrilatibetancuisine ) - Great food, good portions, loved the Butter Chicken Momos! ✅5s Cafe (@5s.cafe ) - Cozy vintage vibes, Persian treats, highly recommend the scones and saffron cake! ✅Immersive Van Gogh Experience (@immersivevangogh ) - If you love Van Gogh, you’ll enjoy this, not sure if it’s still in Toronto but they have other exhibits as well! ✅Boho Chachkies (@bohochachkies ) - New vintage store in Kensington, love the treasure you can find everywhere and for a reasonable price! If you have any questions, comments or suggestions for the rest of April, let me know in the comments or DMs 💕 #personal #personallife #toronto #torontolife #torontofood #torontoeats #torontofoodie #torontorestaurants #torontocafe #thelisttoronto #torontorecommendations #wheretoeattoronto #immersivevangogh #kensingtonmarket

📚BOOK RECOMMENDATION: The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff This was a pretty fun but also eye-opening read! The issues these women face are not new nor fiction. I love the authenticity of their conversation, it felt similar to how my friends and I are there for each other and how they are also the ones who bring you back to reality. The audiobook was helpful! In retrospect, I really like the character development of the protagonist, Geeta! She’s strong and independent but also not. She’s still learning and that’s something we don’t always see (it’s either they’re strong or they aren’t) This story introduced me to real life Bandit Queen: Phoolan Devi. Brown and Badass! Reading books like this makes me feel closer to the Indian culture and regain a sense of belonging that I hope will push out my imposter syndrome/childhood shame Teachers: This would be a great suggestion for Independent Reading and considering its references to a real person, I could see it being paired in a fiction + non-fiction styled unit (I’ll definitely try to develop this idea, I can see the potential already with other similar works). A unit focus on female protagonists or even using passages to get a sense of local culture that isn’t always talked about in the textbooks. What do you think? 🤔 Let me know your questions and thoughts below! 💕 #books #bookstagram #book #booklover #reading #bookworm #bookstagrammer #read #bookish #booknerd #bookaddict #booksofinstagram #bibliophile #readersofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #reader #booklove #parinishroff #literature #fiction #bookrecommendations #bookreview #teacher #teacherswhoread #englishteacher #booktok #banditqueen #banditqueens #desibooks #desi

Life as a teacher vlog weeks 24-27 🙃 Life has been BUSY! Good and bad! 😜 Good being March break, going out and trying to have fun when I can. Bad being everything else that’s on my ever growing plate 😭 I can feel the mental toll it’s all taking on me so those moments of Stardew Valley by myself no talking are very much therapeutic 😌 School wise, it’s been anything and everything lately! I’m currently wrapping up and moving into new units: - Grade 12 English: I’m finishing up Hamlet with a Character Anthology assessment (it’s their Summative). I’ll share this idea and the final products in the next vlog ➡️ 2 mini units: 1 on journalism and the other on poetry! Still need to iron out the details for those units - Grade 11 IB English: We finished our Inferno + Van Gogh unit with their Write a Canto and Create a Van Gogh assessments which were really interesting as first IB summatives from this class ➡️ Moving into A Doll’s House paired with The Woman King! - Grade 12 IB English: Finished preparing for Paper 1 and they completed a mock version which I finally corrected yesterday (didn’t leave school until 6ish 🥲) ➡️ Final stretch with preparing for Paper 2 then come the exams! We’re also going to finish reading Babel and I can’t wait to see how they’ll react Sorry if this vlog doesn’t show as much! I was really struggling to document this month of crazy 🤪 But if you have any questions or would like to see some of the resources I’m using, let me know in the comments or DM me 💕 #teacher #teacherlife #teachersfollowteachers #teachergram #teacherstyle #worklifebalance #worklife #teachersofinstagram #teacherssupportingteachers #teachersforteachers #teacherstuff #teachervlog #vlog #dayinthelife #lifeasateacher #teacherssupportteachers #teacherstruggles #toronto #torontolife #englishteacher #IB #inferno #vangogh #torontoeats #stardewvalley #cozygamer

WHAT TO DO IN MIAMI FOR 4 days 😎 🌴 Beach (Mid Beach is less busy and just as nice as South Beach, but if you want the party then South Beach is for you!) 🌴 Walk or bike along the Miami Beach board walk - it’s paved and numbered so you can keep track of what street you’re on 🍳 Brunch at Crema Gourmet Espresso Bar (@crema_gourmet ) - I recommend the iced latte and the breakfast sandwich 🥗 Dinner at Café Americano (@cafeamericanomb ) - Nice view, great placement on Ocean Drive and we enjoyed the mango mojito, pasta alla vodka and poké bowl! 🥪 Lunch at Sanguich de Miami (@sanguichdemiami ) - The line is there for a reason! I wish we had tried the croquettas instead of chicharron but we enjoyed the sandwiches! 🌴 Little Havana - I think getting a meal here and walking around for a bit is more than enough, especially if you’re short on time. Maybe going on a tour would have given us more context? 👀 Superblue (@superblue.art ) - It’s a great way to escape the heat for a bit and we liked most of the exhibits (especially the 💡 and 🪞) 👀 Wynwood Walls (@wynwoodwallsofficial ) - You’ll see a lot as it is by walking around Wynwood but the walls are a nice spot that includes free tours as well 🍹 Miami Mojito Company (@miamimojitowynwood ) - Awesome $8 mojitos during Happy Hour (we went at 4pm on a Monday) 🛒 Trader Joes (@traderjoes ) - For fellow Canadians/ non-US tourists, there are lots of products they are well known for and it helps give a break to the budget and eating out 🐊 Half-day trip to the Everglades - We did the tour that included an air-conditioned van, small group, airboat tour and the alligator show for a good price (@wideangletours ) 🛒 CVS (@cvspharmacy ) - For fellow Canadians/non-US tourists, you’ll find certain brands here that you can’t find at home (@milanicosmetics ) Considering my boyfriend got sick towards the end, we felt this was just the right amount of time to spend in Miami! 😎 If you have any questions or comments, let me know below ⬇️ #miami #miamibeach #travel #travelgram #miamitodo #miamitrip #miamitravelguide #miamidade #miamifood #miamiart #whattodoinmiami #shorttrip #canadiantraveller #everglades #wynwood #littlehavanna

📚BOOK RECOMMENDATION: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus The title was deceiving in that it prevented me from starting this novel, fearing it was one of those rom-com types or it might be too sciencey. But just like the viewers of Supper at Six, you get into this really quickly and actually appreciate the technical jargon! I love the setting not only because it’s interesting to think about what life was like back then but also how far we’ve come (and still need to go!) I’m loving the streak I’ve had recently with inspirational female protagonists - Elizabeth Zott is definitely up there now! I haven’t been viscerally upset about a character death in a while… For women in STEM but really, for everyone! (This is coming from someone who doesn’t like Science but can definitely appreciate it when it’s presented like this!) Teachers: I have already started recommending this book for Independent Reading (though be warned, certain moments in this novel are triggering and might be better for older students like Grade 11-12). It could be a nice addition to a literature circle unit/book club focused on women, especially for your STEM students who may not enjoy reading. Have you read this book? Is it on your TBR? Let me know in the comments or DM 💕 #books #bookstagram #book #booklover #reading #bookworm #bookstagrammer #read #bookish #booknerd #bookaddict #booksofinstagram #bibliophile #readersofinstagram #booksbooksbooks #reader #booklove #author #literature #susanabulhawa #fiction #bookrecommendations #bookreview #teacher #teacherswhoread #englishteacher #booktok #lessonsinchemistry #stem #stemeducation

Life as a teacher vlog weeks 21-23 😅 Second semester is well underway now! The transition wasn’t fun considering I also had IB training to manage but overall, I’m happy with my small classes (and recognize how lucky I am to have that) and look forward to everything we’re going to do this semester. Quick recap of what I’m doing with each of my classes and what we’re working towards for Summative assessments: - Grade 12 English: Introduction + Dystopia (1984 graphic novel) ➡️ Socratic Seminar - Grade 11 IB English: Introduction to IB, Literary Theories, MAPS (meaning, audience, purpose, style), authorial choices ➡️ Quiz (just to get a quick sense of what they can do); Dante’s Inferno + Van Gogh’s works of art (10-12 paintings) ➡️ Write a Canto + Create a Van Gogh (a work of art in his style + written art analysis) - Grade 12 IB English: Preparing for Paper 1 by reviewing non-literary text types, practicing with different prompts, etc. ➡️ Mock Paper 1; Semester Assessments (not seen): Science of Well-Being for Teens course + Independent Reading (1 lit + non-lit) + Reading Babel ➡️ Socratic Seminar If you have any questions or would like to see some of the resources I’m using, let me know in the comments or DM me 💕 #teacher #teacherlife #teachersfollowteachers #teachergram #teacherstyle #worklifebalance #worklife #teachersofinstagram #teacherssupportingteachers #teachersforteachers #teacherstuff #teachervlog #vlog #dayinthelife #lifeasateacher #teacherssupportteachers #teacherstruggles #toronto #torontolife #AI #englishteacher #IB #dystopianbooks #1984 #inferno #vangogh #literature #notes #googleedu