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The Private Practice Teacher® | Educate • Innovate • Empower

Summer rhythms, business parallels, and a new podcast guest 😊

Published about 2 months ago • 3 min read

Hi Reader,

Since starting my podcast in January, I've been struggling to maintain a weekly newsletter and bi-weekly blog. Instead, in the interest of sustainability and my sanity, I've decided to switch to a monthly newsletter and an email here and there if something special is going on.

This month's newsletter is full of things I hope remind you that you don't have to figure it all out alone. There's a lot in here. Please let me know what you think.

Teach on Your Terms · June 2026

TEACH ON YOUR TERMS

The Private Practice Teacher®

Monthly insights for teachers building businesses that actually fit their lives  ·  June 2026

From Rachel's desk

Even though I've been out of the classroom for over 5 years, summer break is still a significant event in our household. Without the structure of early mornings and a full school day Monday through Friday, it takes a few weeks for all of us to find our footing. This year we're doing that while still unpacking from our recent move, so "interesting" is a bit of an understatement.

While we may not have a consistent schedule over the summer, one thing I hold onto is intention. I can't always control the chaos, but I can choose what I'm pointing us toward. This summer, I'm working on time management with my girls. They're 11 and 13 now, which means they're old enough to start owning their days a little more. The structure is simple: before bedtime, each of them completes three things. A chore we assign, 30 minutes of physical activity they choose, and at least 20 minutes of reading, also their pick. I do it too. We're two weeks in, and it's been... a process. But I'm in it with them, and I think that matters. My hope is that by August, they won't need me to remind them multiple times each day. I'll keep you posted. 🤞🏻

What I've been sitting with lately is this sometimes mirrors what I see with teachers starting their own businesses. It's not that they don't have the skills or the ideas. It's that without a little structure and someone saying, "I'm doing this with you," it can stay "on the list" forever.

On the podcast

What we've been talking about

Just released

Interview with PPT Alumni Eric Triggs, M.Ed: From Kindergarten Classroom to Literacy and Dyslexia Interventionist

Eric spent years in a New York City kindergarten classroom before making the leap to private practice. In this conversation, she shares what it actually looked and felt like to go through the T2E program, what her business looks like now as a literacy and dyslexia interventionist, and where she's taking it next. If you've ever wondered what the other side really looks like, this one is worth a listen.

Recent episode

The 5 Most Common Mistakes Teachers Make When Starting Their Own Teaching Business (And What to Do Instead)

This one came from real conversations, the patterns I see over and over again with teachers who are trying to get started and getting stuck in the same places. Not to call anyone out, but to help you recognize what might be quietly holding you back and give you a clearer path forward. Practical, honest, and probably more relatable than you'd expect.

Coming soon

The Importance of Boredom and Listening to Your Gut in Entrepreneurship

We don't talk enough about stillness in business. This one might make you want to close a few tabs.

Coming soon

Interview with PPT Alumni Amy: Former High School Science Teacher, Florida

Another PPT graduate, another completely different path, and another reminder that there is no one right way to do this. Amy's story is one I think a lot of you will see yourselves in.

Coming soon

New mini-course

How to Start, Market, and Run Your Own Private Teaching Business

If you've been circling the idea of starting a private teaching business but don't know where to begin, or you've started and feel like you're winging it, this is for you. More details coming soon. Stay close.

Teacher spotlight

Eric T.

Literacy and Dyslexia Interventionist  |  Former Kindergarten Teacher, New York

Eric came into the PPT program as a veteran early childhood educator who still cared deeply about her students but knew the classroom wasn't sustainable anymore. What she's building now as a literacy and dyslexia interventionist is specific, meaningful, and unmistakably hers. She didn't swap one exhausting role for another. She built something around the part of teaching that actually lit her up. That's the work. And she's just getting started.

The Private Practice Teacher®  ·  Educate • Innovate • Empower

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You don't have to have it all figured out before you begin. You just have to be willing to take the next honest step, even if it's a small one, and even if things feel a little chaotic right now. Remember, the clarity comes from the doing, not the planning.

Best wishes always 💕,

Rachel

Rachel Cicioni, M.Ed

Founder, The Private Practice Teacher®

At The Private Practice Teacher®, I help educators reclaim their autonomy, build thriving teaching businesses, and reshape education one teacher-owned business at a time.

The Private Practice Teacher® | Educate • Innovate • Empower

by Rachel Cicioni MEd.

Classroom teacher turned teacher entrepreneur. I help classroom teachers learn how to create, market, and run their own, unique private practice teaching & tutoring businesses. Learn how to Teach YOUR way! ~ WHO, WHAT, HOW, WHEN, & WHERE you want!

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