The Inspired Teacher's Journal: A Weekly Guide to Becoming Your Best Self

This guided journal is designed to help you live with intention in both your teaching life AND your personal life. 

Teaching is both rewarding and demanding. You want to make a difference, but you also want a fulfilling life outside of school. The result of trying to be and do it all is stress and overwhelm. 

This book will help you navigate your life with more ease and less stress by teaching you how to create systems and habits that will support you. As you write, draw, reflect, and plan, you’ll be joined by over 40 teachers who share their best wisdom and advice. Together, we will inspire you to create your best life. 

Imagine what it would be like to spend most of your days feeling contentment. You have created a life and a job that you love. You live with intention and your life feels balanced. You are using your unique gifts and talents in ways that make you feel happy and fulfilled. You’ve experienced challenges and met them head on. You have let go of unrealistic expectations and ineffective habits. And best of all, you are surrounded with a star system of caring, supportive people who will encourage you, challenge you to rise higher, and lift you up when you need it. 

This guided journal will help you to:
•    Stay close to your dreams, plans and the visions you have for your life.

•    Focus on what is most important and remind yourself to get the most important work done first. 

•    Uncover your unique gifts and talents and to look for opportunities to bring them into the world. 

•    Develop your growth mindset as you look for and learn from your success as you also look for opportunities to incorporate new ideas and strategies into your teaching. 

•    Expect challenges, face them head on and deal with your obstacles in a proactive manner. 

•    Create and engage with your Star System as you identify support you might need and look for ways to support others. 

•    Use the weekly habit tracker to identify and focus on habits you want to incorporate into your life.  

Paula Schmidt and Michele Vosberg are award winning educators who have worked with thousands of teachers and schools from around the world. They are key people in each other's Star System!


Paula Schmidt is an energetic and passionate educator. Paula's gift is seeing the strengths and potential in people and situations, a skill she uses daily in all aspects of her life. She is energized by thinking out-of-the box and enthusiastically challenges others to do the same.


Paula holds a bachelor's degree in Elementary and Special Education from Winona State University, a master's degree with an emphasis on Students-At-Risk from Marian College, and an Ed.D. in Special Education/Inclusive Leadership from The University of Northern Iowa.


Paula lives in Dubuque, Iowa with her husband and three children. She loves traveling, reading, and meeting new people. When she is not working, you can find her attending her children's many activities or sitting on the deck relaxing with her family or friends.


Michele Vosberg is a life-long educator, author, and international speaker. She has taught students at every age from pre-school through graduate school and has trained and mentored award -winning educators and school leaders. Michele's gifts include synthesizing ideas and seeing potential. She has used her gifts to help others discover and bring about their own best gifts.


Michele holds a B.S. in Elementary Education from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, an M.S. from UW Madison in Curriculum and Instruction, and a Ph.D. in Education from Capella University.


Michele lives in Madison, Wisconsin with her husband and two cats. She also has two grown daughters. When she is not working, you can find her sitting in an Adirondack chair with a book. She also loves to travel, swim, sail, and paddle a canoe around a quiet lake.