The Awkward Octopus Productions

08/24/2026

Classification can make perfect sense on paper until you put an actual organism in front of students and ask, "Okay...where does THIS go?" 😂

That's where the learning gets interesting.

The Coral Life Classification Project gets students applying taxonomy and classification concepts to marine organisms while creating a coral reef model.

Instead of only memorizing the levels of classification, they're using what they know to make decisions.

And because projects should not create twice as much work for the teacher, it includes a student guide, teacher guide, and rubric. 🐙

Teaching classification this year? Check out the full project in my TPT store at the link in my bio.

08/23/2026

Well. I said I wasn’t talking about the school year until September.

Then the new cell phone policy arrived. 😂

New Jersey is going bell-to-bell this year, which means phones are off and away for the entire school day. And while I absolutely understand why schools are tackling phone use, there’s a big difference between a policy making sense on paper and making it work in a building full of actual teenagers.

Because eventually someone has to enforce it. Consistently. Every period. Even when a student definitely, absolutely, unquestionably left their phone at home. 👀

That’s what I keep coming back to: a policy is only as effective as the systems supporting the people expected to carry it out.

I unpack the new policy, my concerns heading into the year, some truly delightful internet commentary, and the one thing I am choosing to focus on in my latest Substack, Operation: Phones Away.

🐙 Teachers, I want to hear from you: What’s your school’s phone policy this year, and do you think it will actually work?

Then come read the full story:
https://theawkwardocto.substack.com/p/operation-phones-away

08/22/2026

Summer has a way of reminding us who we are when our days aren't completely shaped by bells, lesson plans, meetings, and everyone else's needs.

Maybe you read more. Spent more time outside. Saw people you love. Made something. Rested. Or simply had more moments where you felt like yourself again.

As the calendar starts filling back up, don't leave all of that behind.

Keep making room for what brings you back to yourself.

💚 What brought you back to you this summer? Tell me in the comments. You might give another teacher an idea worth carrying into the school year.

08/19/2026

There’s a strange kind of pressure that comes with being an educator for a while. At some point, it can start to feel like you’re supposed to have figured it all out.

Your classroom. Your systems. Your career. Your next step.

Except teaching doesn’t work that way, and neither does life.

Sometimes you grow into a better version of what you’re already doing. Sometimes you realize something needs to change.

Sometimes you look around and wonder why everyone else seems to know exactly where they’re going while you’re still figuring it out.

None of that means you’re behind.

There isn’t one timeline for becoming the teacher, professional, or person you want to be. You’re allowed to change your mind, want something different, and get curious about what comes next.

Tell me below: what’s something you thought you’d have figured out by now? 🐙

08/14/2026

I am excited to share that I will be attending the NSTA National Conference on Science and STEM Education in Indianapolis, November 4-7, 2026!

Whether you are looking for practical classroom ideas, high-impact strategies, or a chance to reconnect with STEM educators nationwide, this is the event to attend.

I would love to see you there! Register using my link below:

https://i.snoball.it/p/49atZQTA/f/1

Connect with science and STEM educators at NSTA Indianapolis 2026 to exchange ideas, discover new innovations, and grow your professional network.

08/06/2026

One of the most unexpected gifts of summer has been waking up and realizing...

I feel good today.

Not because something extraordinary happened.

Not because I checked everything off my list. Just...good.

What surprised me wasn't the feeling itself. It was the realization that I was surprised by it.

That made me wonder: When did feeling good stop becoming my baseline and start feeling like the exception?

That question stayed with me, and it became the heart of my latest Substack, Maybe Today I Can. It's a reflection on burnout, recovery, and what summer has revealed about the ways we quietly adapt to chronic stress.

I'd love to hear from you.

Has summer surprised you in any way? What's something you've noticed about yourself now that you've had a little space to breathe?

🔗 Read the full reflection here:
https://theawkwardocto.substack.com/p/maybe-today-i-can?r=2w4vg

07/27/2026

Summer has a funny way of making us feel like we should be doing more.

Catching up on planning, reorganizing our classrooms, reading professional development books, or getting ahead for next year.

There's nothing wrong with those things if they bring you joy. But I also think it's worth remembering that sometimes the most important thing you're growing is your capacity to return with curiosity and energy.

That might look like spending time with family, getting outside, rediscovering a hobby, reading a book that has nothing to do with teaching, or simply giving yourself permission to have a slower day.

I'm curious: what has been helping you recharge this summer? I'd love to hear what this season has looked like for you, and maybe we can give each other a few ideas along the way. 💙

07/23/2026

Sometimes reflection gives us answers immediately, and sometimes it takes seven years and an unexpected conversation in Dallas. 😂

I've been thinking a lot about the moments that don't make sense while we're living them. The conversations we replay. The decisions we question. The experiences we mentally file under "well... that was weird."

Then, years later, something shifts. We learn something new, meet someone, or see the experience from a completely different angle.

I wrote about one of those moments in my latest Substack. Has something in your life ever made sense years later? Tell me I'm not alone in this. 👀

🐙 Read Seven Years Later, Dallas Makes Sense Below:
https://theawkwardocto.substack.com/

07/22/2026

One of my favorite moments in science class is when a student stops memorizing and starts noticing.

That's really what classification is about.

Not remembering a list of kingdoms.
Not trying to survive a quiz.

It's learning to ask:
"What characteristics am I seeing?"
"What evidence do I have?"
"Where does this organism actually belong?"

That's the thinking I wanted to encourage when I created my Coral Life Classification Project.

Students classify marine organisms while building a coral reef model, and I've included the teacher guide and rubric to make implementation a little easier on you, too.

Science is always more fun when we're exploring together. How do you make classification click for your students? Share your favorite activity below. 🌊🐙

If this sounds like something your classroom could use, the project is linked in my bio.

07/14/2026

Teachers are really good at noticing.

You notice the student who is quieter than usual. The colleague who needs a little extra patience. The shift in classroom energy before anyone says a word.

But after spending an entire year paying attention to everyone else, it can be surprisingly difficult to turn that same attention toward yourself.

This summer, notice yourself too. Not so you can fix everything, but because you deserve the same curiosity and care you so freely give to others.

Send this to a teacher who spent the year noticing everyone else. 💚