The Simple Classroom Podcast: Recent Episodes

Stephanie Sutherland

A podcast devoted to discussing simple solutions to all of our teacher problems! Each week, Stephanie Sutherland, an educator and teacher-author for a combined 12 years, discusses prompts centered around her own classroom experiences, or the difficult experiences of others, and shares her thoughts and feelings. The door is open for you to join the discussion on social media to share your own thoughts and feelings alongside other educators!

It's a new season of The Simple Classroom Podcast!

And we're kicking things off with a good one. 😉

I have some personal stories to share with you (because there is nothing I know about routines/systems/rhythms without my husband), and the true path I took to giving myself the freedom and time to enjoy my job, and not survive it.

There are all kinds of things you can be doing right now to set yourself up for a great school year. But if you miss this ONE thing, you will still feel like you're running on a hampster wheel.

Listen along!

Follow me on TPT and get 50% off ALL new products! (New products posted every week ❤️)

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Welcome back to another episode of The Simple Classroom Podcast!

I'm talking all about the 'Let Them Theory' and teaching this week. I have four different areas I want to touch on where using this mindset shift can give you a sense of freedom, as long as you're applying it appropriately!

I'm digging into:

-Team Dynamics

-Parent Interactions

-Student Behaviors

-Mandates from Superiors

How does the Let Them Theory work in each of these instances? When should we speak up, and when should we be quiet? When should we let go of control and when is it important to lean in?

Listen in to hear my thoughts!

Be sure to leave a review if you enjoy the show, and share with your teacher friends!

Lesson planning is far from a cut-and-dry task. Even if your whole group lessons are paced out and scripted through a curriculum, we all often still have small groups, RTI, things to plan for our fast finishers, homework, morning work, centers, etc. to plan for.

So, with this long (and ever-growing) list of assignments and lessons that we must plan and prepare for each week, let's make the process as fast as possible!

I'm sharing 3 tools that I use to cut back on lesson planning time, but still pump out quality lessons that my students learn and thrive with!

Listen along to learn more about these 3 tools!

Show Links:

AI Prompts for Lesson Planning

The Team Planning Dashboard

Lesson Plan Templates with Formulas

Planning centers is ALWAYS one more thing to do after planning all of your instruction and small groups.

So, how can we make it faster?

In this episode, I am taking you through the exact mental checklist that I go through to plan my centers.

And when I say plan centers, I do not mean one week at a time.

I'm talking 4, 6, 8 weeks of centers AT ONCE.

It's so simple, you'll wonder why you ever did it differently.

Links Mentioned in This Episode:

The Spring Center Bundle (complete with a FREE plan)

Team planning can often feel like a balancing act, but it doesn’t have to be chaotic! In this episode, Stephanie shares her top strategies for making team planning as smooth and efficient as possible. Whether you’re planning with your grade-level team or across subjects, these practical tips will help you reduce stress, improve collaboration, and keep everything on track.

Tune in to learn:

How to set clear expectations and roles from the start to maximize productivity
The benefits of using a shared planning template for organized, collaborative meetings
Why being flexible and focused can help your team stay aligned while adapting to changes
How prioritizing communication and regular check-ins keeps everyone on the same page
The importance of celebrating wins and reflecting together to foster a positive team culture

If you’re ready to take your team planning to the next level, this episode is packed with actionable tips that will save you time and energy while improving your planning process.

Links Mentioned in This Episode:

Team Planning Blog Post
Team Planning Dashboard on TPT

Feeling overwhelmed by the clutter and chaos in your classroom? It’s time to take control and streamline your teaching routine! In this episode, I’m sharing the ultimate list of organization ideas that will help you reduce stress, stay on top of your to-do list, and create a more efficient classroom.

From organizing your materials to developing systems for lesson planning, these actionable tips will help you save time and energy, so you can focus on what really matters—teaching your students. Whether you're a new teacher or a seasoned educator looking for fresh ideas, this episode is packed with practical solutions for creating a more organized and less stressful teaching environment.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

How to organize your lesson plans, student work, and classroom materials
Simple systems to keep your to-do list under control
Tips for organizing your digital files and classroom tech
Easy ways to reduce clutter and create an environment that supports productivity and focus

Tune in now and start getting your classroom organized today!

Links Mentioned in This Episode:

Read the full blog post here
Teacher Burnout Challenge

Have you ever tried the Decide Once method? If one of the things that burns you out in teaching is having to make one million decisions a day, this episode will help.

You’ll learn:

What is Decide Once?
How to use this method to make teaching not just easier, but a thing you actually enjoy doing
Where to go to learn more!

These strategies are simple, actionable, and can be adapted for any grade level. Whether you're a new teacher or a seasoned educator looking for fresh ideas, this episode will help you maximize your work time, and put decision fatigue on the back burner.

Links Mentioned in This Episode:

Read the full blog post here
Join my Free Teacher Burnout Reset Challenge

Do you find yourself struggling with a chatty classroom? If constant talking and distractions are preventing your students from staying on task, this episode is for you! In today’s episode, I’m sharing three effective classroom management strategies to help you regain control of your classroom and create a focused, productive learning environment.

You’ll learn:

The importance of setting clear expectations from day one
How using structured routines can help minimize distractions
3 hacks to try for reinforcing positive behavior that encourages student engagement and reduces chatter

These strategies are simple, actionable, and can be adapted for any grade level. Whether you're a new teacher or a seasoned educator looking for fresh ideas, this episode will help you take your classroom management to the next level.

Links Mentioned in This Episode:

Read the full blog post here
Join my Free Teacher Burnout Reset Challenge
Classroom Management Plan and Strategies E-book

Are you feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, or disconnected from the joy of teaching? In this episode, we’re diving into practical strategies to help you overcome teacher burnout and reclaim balance in your life. I’ll share actionable tips to set boundaries, simplify your workload, and reignite your passion for the classroom.

Ready to dig deeper?
📖 Read the blog post here: Overcoming Teacher Burnout: Simple Strategies for Reclaiming Balance

🌟 Join the free Burnout Reset Challenge here: Burnout Reset Challenge

You deserve to thrive as a teacher—let’s make it happen! 🎙️ #TeacherWellness #BurnoutReset

We’re still over here talking about thing we spend too much time on as teachers, and I’m back with a new episode this week!

So far, we’ve talked about grading and parent communication.

If you missed either of those emails, just reply to me here and I’ll send you the link to either podcast episode!

This week, I want to talk to you about small group time. This is a doozy of a subject, because there are so many moving parts. You need to form the groups using data, move the groups around as your students need to change their focus, have things for your students to do around the room, keep them calm and quiet while basically ignoring them for an hour…it’s a LOT.

And all of this planning and prep has to be done in the midst of your regular teaching. There’s still curriculum to teach and whole group lessons to plan for multiple subjects.

It’s so much.

In the episode today, I have my most tried and true tips for simplifying this time! If your small group block makes you crazy, or always feels like one more thing to figure out that you don’t have time for, I have some tips this week that will really take a lot off of your plate. ❤️

Show Notes:
Small Group Planner
Small Group Formulas Blog
Reading Passages - Fall Differentiated Set

This week's episode is all about parent communication!

Parent communication is critical. You can’t skip it. But you can certainly simplify it, streamline it, and systematize it.

If you find yourself fretting over responding to parent emails that feel a little combative, or realizing after you’ve gone home for the weekend that you forgot to send out your newsletter (again), this week’s podcast episode will take a lot of stress off of your plate…for the rest of your teaching career!

Show Notes:

Parent Communication Bundle (includes the email templates, newsletters, etc.) *You can purchase pieces individually or in a bundle to save 20%
Parent Communication Blog Post

It’s time for a new series! In the month of September, we’re going to talk all about things that are important as a teacher, but that you’re probably spending too much time on. These are indispensable things. You can’t skip them. They must be done. But, they can absolutely be streamlined and simplified so you are spending significantly less time on them, and only working on the parts of each task that are really important.

We’re kicking it off this week with grading. I have two questions you can ask yourself to streamline your grading workload, along with 3 tips you can use to make the process faster and less time consuming!

Show Notes:
Grading Blog Post
Get Your Weekends Back FREE Course

Welcome back to another episode of The Simple Classroom Podcast, and to a new installation of the 'There's a Hack for That' series.

Today we're talking about behavior management.

Listen in to get some fresh, new strategies to use in class this year that you can grab and go immediately!

Show Notes:
Behavior Management Playbook

We’re back for another week of there’s a hack for that! This week, I have a teaching hack that is centered around teaching routines and procedures in a way that ensures that you students actually remember them.

I'm a member of several Facebook groups for teachers. I love the collaboration and brainstorming that happens in the teaching groups, so I have joined several over the year. Recently, in one of the groups, someone was asking, “how do you teach all of the routines and procedures that you need to teach? How do you work it all in?”

My answer? You don’t.

Don’t try to force them

Don’t try to cram them in.

INSTEAD, I want you to try this week's teaching hack during your back to school season!

Show Notes:
First Week Plan Blog Post
Back to School Math Games (New!)
First Week Back Activity Pack
Playdoh Mats

It's another week of the 'There's a Hack for That' series!

Today's hack? Student birthdays.

Student birthdays are one of those things that I think we teachers have over-complicated in the past 10-15 years.

I mean, when I was a kid, I'm pretty sure my teacher just said 'Happy Birthday' to me, and that was great. I don't know when teachers began giving gifts to their students, but it definitely was not always the case.

And I'm not complaining. I love a reason to celebrate and make my students feel special!

But, I'm not the only one responsible for making a birthday kid feel noticed and cared for on their special day. That responsibility belongs to my entire class.

So, how can you make birthdays a class-wide job, as opposed to it being only on your shoulders to source and buy birthday trinkets and treats?

I'm here to tell you!

Tune into today's show to hear all about how I got myself into a cupcake mess during my first year of teaching. how I turned birthday celebrations over to my students, and what I have crowned 'Simple Classroom Principle #1"!

SHOW NOTES:

Birthday Bags TPT Link
Birthday Bags Reel
Birthday Bags Article

Let's Connect!

Follow on Instagram
FREE Email Course: Get Your Weekends Back!

Welcome back to The Simple Classroom Podcast!

The show took an unexpected hiatus at the end of 2023. Surprise 4th babies and maternity leave planning will do that to a girl. But, I'm back and FULL of things to say in this new season of The Simple Classroom Podcast.

We're kicking off a new semester of episodes under the theme "There's a Hack for That".

Remember the old Apple commercials, 'There's an App for that?'. This is kind of like that. Any problem you face in teaching likely has a hack that you can deconstruct and simplify it so that it's no longer a big problem.

And there is no process that will refine you and your teaching life more than having 3 small kids at home, a classroom to run during the day, and a 4th baby on the way.

I thought I was the Queen of efficiency and time management. I thought my classroom was a well-oiled machine. And I found myself looking for ways to boil things down to the basics even more, because I was exhausted.

So, if you're looking for a podcast that will take your teaching problems and give you practical and actionable series of ideas to solve those problems, you've found the one!

We're kicking off this "There's a Hack for That" series with SUB PLANS. As you're gearing up for another school year and putting together your sub binder this year, try these hacks to make every sick day feel like no big deal for the rest of your teaching life.

SHOW NOTES:

Baby Micah was born in February!
Sub Binder TPT Link
Sub Plans Article

Let's Connect!

Follow on Instagram
FREE Email Course: Get Your Weekends Back!

I want you to picture this:
It's Christmas morning. You're watching your family open presents. You are sipping hot coffee and eating snacks. You are fully rested and refreshed because you haven't touched school work since the last day of school.

And you know you won't be touching it until your first day back in the new year.

How? Because you had a game plan for December that kept you on top of your December tasks, while ALSO allowing you to get ready for January.

So, nothing fell through the cracks. Parent gifts got made. Parties were thrown. Staff gifts were passed around. Cookie exchanges and Secret Santa happened. You finished report cards. You brought a dish to the staff luncheon. And you also managed to get your copies and plans for the first week(s) after break DONE.

It's possible...but it takes a plan.

Let's make one together!

Show Notes:

Join the December Teaching Game Plan Waitlist and be the first to get access to the videos of me planning/prepping/and (not) panicking as I tackle December tasks while also getting reading for the new year.
- Videos will be released on Black Friday!
- Joining the waitlist will get you the FREE calendars that are mentioned in the episode!

I'm back this week, as promised, with some words of encouragement for our new teachers!

Not a new teacher? Share this with someone who is.

New teachers have a lot on their plates, and unfortunately the crushing pressure and stress of our system causes many of them to believe that they can't do this job. It's hard to see how things could possibly get better.

I firmly believe that you don't know how you really feel about teaching until you've completed the first year. That first year is such a roller coaster ride, you have to let the ride come to an end to decide if you could ride it again.

So, if you are in need of some words of wisdom on how to thrive through your first year, take a listen to today's episode!

Show Notes:
Last week's show: Simple Tips for Supporting New Teachers (If you're a veteran)
FREE Email Course: Get Your Weekends Back
*If you're drowning in work over the weekends and during the evenings, then you WANT this free course. ❤️

It's no secret that we have a teacher crisis in America. The statistic remains that most teachers do not make it past five years in this career.

So, if we know that people are entering our field feeling overwhelmed...so overwhelmed that they leave, how can we make them feel more supported?

The trick is helping people feel supported when we ourselves already feel stretched too thin and overloaded with work. Should it fall on the teachers' shoulder to make new teachers feel welcomed and supported? Probably not. But, in the day-to-day life of teaching, a new teacher's team is his or her lifeline.

So, in a perfect world there would be mentors, coaches, and admin flooding new teacher's classrooms helping them with every detail of their day. But, we do not live in a perfect world. We often need to support our teammates on our own.

The good news? It doesn't have to be complicated. Today, I have five tips for supporting new teachers without adding more work to your own plate!

Show Notes:

Get Your Weekends Back FREE Ecourse for Teachers

October is a wild time in teacher. Parent Conferences, grades galore, report cards, data meetings, RTI, etc.

Everything seems to hit at the same time in October.

So, let's take one stressful thing and simplify it!

Today, I'm talking about parent conferences. What should you discuss? How should you structure your conferences? What should you do if a parent throws a curve ball question at you?

Hear all of that and more in today's episode!

Show Notes:
Parent Conference Pack on TPT
FREE Email Course: Have Weekends Off as a Teacher

Sunday Scaries are the worst. It can feel like an entire day of your weekend was robbed from you. That creeping sense of dread will start earlier in the day on Sunday, and will only get stronger as the day goes on. By night time, you can feel physically ill over the week ahead and all of the tasks you know you will have to do, plus the unpredictable things you can’t see coming.

It doesn’t always have to be like this.

Today, I'm sharing my top tips for ending Sunday Scaries for good!

Show Notes:

My 2nd Grade Center Set Up
Grading Hacks to Save Time
Teaching Rhythms
FREE Email Course for Teachers! Get Your Weekends Back!

Today is the final episode of season 1 of The Simple Classroom Podcast! I can hardly believe it. When I started this show in January of this year, I had every intention of keeping this show alive for the entire second half of this year. The fact that I actually did it is still a shock, somehow!

If you've been here, tuning in week-after-week, THANK YOU. You mean so much to me, and I am beyond grateful for you and your time!

I will be back with season 2 of The Simple Classroom as we approach the next back to school season in August. I can't wait for season 2 and all that it will hold!

In the meantime, although I'm not going to be releasing weekly episodes, I will still be doing plenty of work to get ready for the fall. One of those thing is doing some PD reading for my own teaching practices!

The book I am reading is The Joyful Teacher by Berit Gordon. I am excited about this book, but also looking at it with a healthy dose of side eye.

I am hosting a summer book club via a private email list this summer! This means you don't have to join a Facebook Group or log onto zoom calls. Simply check your email each week!

I will email out a reading guide on June 1, but weekly emails about the book will kick off on June 22nd. Emails on a new section of the book will come out every Thursday between June 22nd and July 27th.

If you have things to add, please feel free to reply to my emails and share your own commentary about the book! I'll be sharing your responses in my weekly emails to add to the my own thoughts, and I'll be talking about the book on social media!

Join the book club here!Grab the book here!

How close are you to being on summer break?

A great summer doesn't really happen by accident, which feels unintuitive. But, chances are that you have a list as long of your arm of things you want to do this summer.

Some of those things are fun: pool days, vacations, catching up on your favorite shows and books, etc.

Some of those things are not-so-fun, but you'll feel behind if you don't do them before the fall: doctor's appointments, home projects, errands you've been putting off for months, etc.

Do you want to fit everything in this summer, without spreading yourself too thin? I want that for you, too.

Check out today's episode to hear my tips for planning to have a great summer!

Show Links:
Summer Reading Amazon Shop
Summer PD Reading Amazon Shop
Summer Self Care Bingo Freebie

Y'alllll. Have you started cleaning your room up/out yet?

It's such a chore. The end-of-year checklist just hangs over our heads, being its overwhelming self. There is so much to sort through and clean off and pack away.

So, where do we start? And how do we decide what is worth keeping?

Better question: How do we pack up this year in a way that prevents it from being so dang awful next year?

That's what this episode is all about. ;)

Pack up this year, with all future years in mind. Let's make the end-of-year clean out as simple as possible!

Show Notes:End of Year Clean Up CardsEnd of Year Checklist FREEBIE
Ad Links:Reading Adventure Box Presale

The end of the year is SO near. I'm sharing today some things I'm doing in my second grade classroom in real time to make things feel a little more fun. Tons of links coming at you.

PS: I appear to be battling a case of laryngitis (thanks, end of year chaos). Ignore my raspy voice, and enjoy the show!

Show Links:

Fan Mail Writing Project
Paint Chip Writing Project
Movie Script Writing Project
Math Bootcamp
Theme Days
Theme Days FREE Plan
Good Luck Charm Student Gift

Ad Links:

Upper Elementary Teacher Conference Registration Link

This school year is winding down. In 4, short weeks, we will be done.

So, I'm thinking about what I loved about this school year, and the thing I want to make sure I absolutely never do again.

The list is long on both sides. I did plenty of things right, and many, many things wrong.

I think that just comes with the territory when you're re-entering the workforce after being home with babies for a few years. I knew I was going to mess some things up.

And I did.

But mistakes aren't signs of failure. They are opportunities to grow and get better. And that only happens if you pause and reflect.

So, listen along today while I do exactly that!

Show Notes:

End of Day Jobs

You know something I've noticed in my own classroom, lately?

The kids are getting a little antsy.

And a little tired of each other.

And the beautiful community that we worked so hard to establish in the fall is starting to crack.

There's more tattling. More whining. More complaining. More annoyance.

It's not terrible, but the energy in my room has shifted. And I have found myself trying to find ways to bring us back to the sweet, patient, friendly class that we were closer to the beginning of the year.

Will they still act more like siblings than classmates sometimes? Sure. Will I still lose my patience with them for being too comfortable with me and complaining about things we're doing? Most definitely.

But, I am attempting to reel us back in.

Tune in to today's episode to hear all of the ways that I am working to strengthen our classroom community in the midst of Spring fever.

It is officially April, which means that test prep and skill review are heavy on all of our minds.

If you teach a tested grade level, you have to leave space to review before the test arrives. If you teach a primary grade with no testing, you run out of curriculum before the school year actually ends, which leaves you a few weeks for reviewing skills.

No matter what, we all take time to review.

And we all want it to be simple, right?

Today, I have four ZERO PREP review games to share with you. You don't need to prep anything for these games.

You don't even need to create questions! Just grab teacher's manuals from previous units, use review books or packets that you already have, or make up questions on the spot. The games work the same, no matter how you get the questions.

Listen to today's episode to hear how these four games are played!

Show Notes:

Review Games Blog Post (for those who prefer to read)
Other End of Year Ideas

It's officially April!

That means we are in the home stretch.

Which also means we are exhausted.

Exhausted by this year. Exhausted by even the thought of the weeks that lie ahead of us (because the last weeks of the year are anything but slow.)

But we're also excited. Excited for summer. Excited to be done (no shame in that). Excited about all of the growth we've seen in our students.

As we all trudge through the last weeks of this school year (7 more for me...but who's counting??? 😅) I have some mindset shifts to share!

Listen to today's episode to hear them!

Show Notes:

Did you know that I send out a FREE Planning Guide every month? Check out March's planning guide, and automatically get on the list to receive April's on Thursday, March 23rd!
Blog Post: 5 Ways to Practice Self-Care as a Teacher

What is your team dynamic like this year?

I've been on everything from a stellar team that gets along beautifully, to a difficult, tense team situation that makes every team planning feel like a million years.

Even if you're in a tough team situation this year...I have good news.

You can't control your teammates, but you can control your team dynamic.

How?

By making 5 simple shifts in your team meeting time.

You don't have to be best friends, but you can all come together to best serve your students. And you can learn meaningful things from each other along the way.

Listen in to today's show to hear my team planning tips!

Show Notes:

Did you know that I send out a FREE Planning Guide every month? Check out March's planning guide, and automatically get on the list to receive April's on Thursday, March 23rd!
Team Planning Tips Blog Post

When you hear about someone making a Monday morning checklist, you probably assume that they are making a list of things they need to get done for that day or that week, right?

In this case, that's not quite what I'm doing.

I'm here to advocate for working seven days ahead in teaching.

On Monday morning, I look a full week ahead to see what I'm going to need to have done for NEXT week. Then, I put those things on THIS WEEK's to-do list.

Crazy? Yeah.

Difficult to adjust to at first? Most definitely.

But worth it? 100%

Tune into today's episode to see how I do it!

Show Notes:

Did you know that I send out a FREE Planning Guide every month? Check out March's planning guide, and automatically get on the list to receive April's on Thursday, March 23rd!
Team Planning Tips Blog Post
Small Group Planner
End of Day Jobs Podcast
End of Day Jobs on TPT

Spring break is (almost) here!

I have a pre-break to-do list that I have made for the upcoming week to ensure that I can have a true week off later this month!

Want to know what I plan to do to give myself one, full week off? Listen in to today's show to find out!

Show Notes:

March Planning Guide
Center Rotation System (Blog)
March Reading Passages for Small Groups

In a 7.5 hour school day, how much time do you spend NOT with students?

It's not much, right?

For me, I have a 45 minute planning. That quickly turns into a 35 minute planning when you consider the time that it takes to walk the kids to their specials class, get settled, and then head to pick them up.

I also have a 30 minute lunch. When you shave off transition time for going to and coming back from lunch, that's closer to 20 minutes.

20 minutes + 35 minutes = 55 minutes A DAY that I am not with kids.

That means that, in my 40 hour work week, I have less than 5 hours for prep. My guess is you have a similar situation.

What are we expected to do in that short time each week?

Plan small groups
Plan whole group
Run copies
Grade assignments
Enter grades
Cut/laminate things
Feed ourselves
Take bathroom breaks
Hydrate
Respond to emails
Host parent conferences
...and the list goes on!

I am not going to lie to you and say that I have all of the solutions you need for the perfect planning time. I am not going to pretend that I always get everything done before the week is over.

BUT. I get a lot done before the week is over. And most weeks I go home work-free on the weekends. I have some planning time hacks to share with you all today to show how I do it!

Listen in to learn more!

Show Notes:

End of Day Routine Podcast
Work Smarter Not Harder Blog
Daily Rhythms that Reduce Stress
Grading Routines
Use Timers in Planning Blog

Small groups used to feel like one more thing to plan for.

If I’m being honest, they still do sometimes.

You teach 4th grade, for example, but during small group time you have to put on your kindergarten teacher hat to fill some phonemic awareness and phonics gaps for one group, then you're a 2nd grade teacher working on fluency with the next group, then you're a 6th grade teacher running a novel study with the next group...

If this sounds like too much, it's because it kind of IS.

And there's never a curriculum that covers all of our bases. It's always on us to plan these lessons from scratch.

So, I started using a formula to help me plan my small group lessons faster than ever.

What is that formula?

Listen in to find out!

Show Notes:

Lesson Planning Formula Blog Post
Small Group Planner on TPT
FREE Lesson Plan Sample for February Reading Passages
Fluency Passages
February Passage Sets

Valentine's Day is coming soon! And I have a BONUS episode for you all today with some stress-free, low-prep, little-cost ways to celebrate this day with your students.

Check out my 5 favorite ways to celebrate friendship and the love we have for our classroom community in this episode!

Show Notes:

Homework Passes (On Sale RIGHT NOW)
Math Valentine Bag Project by my friend Briana Beverly
FREE Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch Lesson
Fun February Read Aloud Lessons
Other Valentine Goodies (ALL ON SALE)

Times I have needed emergency sub plans in my teaching career:

I went into labor earlier than expected.
I got into a car accident on the way to school.
Kids started puking in the middle of the night.
I started puking in the middle of the night.
Sudden/unexpected death in the family
Childcare cancelled/daycare closed

After a few emergencies, it starts to get old to fill a crate with 'print and go' activities that you are always having to re-print and re-copy. I started to look for a simpler way to do it.

In today's episode, I share some ways that I created sub plan activities that I could generically write about one time. Then, I never had to write my sub plans, again.

Listen in to learn more!

Show Notes:

Emergency Sub Plan Blog Post
Emergency Sub Plan Templates

I got tired of looking at my to-do list after school, but being interrupted by a messy library, pencils on the floor, and other messes made by my students.

I developed a system around 'End of Day Jobs' that got my students involved in the reset of our classroom each day. But the best part? While my students are picking up from all of their learning, I am at my table getting myself ready for the next day of teaching.

It's a win-win. The ultimate end of day routine that keeps your classroom neat, teaches your students to value their learning space, and provides time for you to start that after school to-do list a little sooner!

Listen in to learn more!

Show Notes:

End of Day Jobs Blog Post
End of Day Jobs

Sooner or later, we all receive a difficult email.

A concerned email from a parent does not have to ruin your day! It is possible to read the email, and see the steps you need to take to diffuse the situation, rather than drowning in panic.

I know this, because I used to drown in panic every time a parent emailed me with a concern. Often, at the beginning of my teaching career, these concerns were because of the way I handled something.

Sometimes, I handled things poorly, because I was learning. Other times, I handled things well, but I didn't know how to tell parents that.

After a couple of years, I decided I needed a formula.

Tune in to hear about the four steps for writing a parent email that both protects your integrity, supports the student, and helps build rapport with your families!

Show Notes:

Parent Email Templates
Parent Communication BUNDLE
4 Steps for Writing Emails Blog - Free chart with steps included!
Parent Communication Hacks Blog

We are half-way finished with the school year!

This either fills you with excitement or panic. If you're like me, it's a bit of both.

Half of the hard work is behind us, but there is so much ground to cover in the second half of the year. Sometimes, when I think about my 2nd graders being 3rd graders, I can hardly imagine it.

So, I created a goal-setting routine for my students for this semester. These are data-driven, standards-focused goals! The purpose of setting goals was to get my students in on the process of tracking their growth. I'm doing it all of the time, why shouldn't they help me?

Tune in to hear how we got started with goal-setting and data collection this semester!

Show Notes:

Goal Getters Workbook (on TPT)
Goal Getters Blog
Reading Response Notebook + Grading System

Have you ever heard the phrase “Your work will still be there tomorrow?” Or maybe you’ve seen memes from teachers online about how they walk away from work all weekend because they know the piles of paper will still be sitting there on Monday?

This really bothers me.

It’s good to clock out and walk away from work. It really is. But, this messaging that I’m seeing online is that you should walk away, even if you didn’t really finish your job for the week. To me, all that will do for you is double your workload the next time you have a work day. And what good does that do? You’ll be behind before a new week has even begun!

We want the best of both worlds. We want our weekends off, AND we want to be caught up.

The good news? It’s possible (and totally manageable) to have both! I want to share with you all today the routines I practice to keep me on top of my to-do list each week!

Show Notes:

Team Planning Tips
Daily Rhythms Podcast
Grading Tips that Protect Your Time
Working Smarter Not Harder as a Teacher
End of Day Jobs

Teaching is stressful. That's not news. But is it possible to get rid of some of that stress?
Follow some simple steps to reduce stress in your teaching life, and simplify the things that drain you!

Things I mentioned:
Notebook Grading System Blog Post
End of Day Jobs Blog Post

The end of the school year is the perfect time to clear out that classroom clutter and reset your room for next year. There's nothing better than leaving for the summer knowing that your room is organized, clean, and ready to go.

Today, I have some tips on how to get rid of what you don't need in your classroom, and how to maintain that clutter-free life all year long!

Show Links:
End of Day Jobs
End of Year Jobs
End of Day Jobs Blog

Teachers, summer break is just around the corner...are you ready for it?

It sounds funny to think about being "ready" to take a break. But, there are so many ways to end summer as exhausted as you began it. My goal is to give you some ideas on how to maximize rest this summer, so you start next fall refreshed and better than ever. Let's chat about 4 ways to do exactly that!

Tune in to The Simple Classroom Podcast for new episodes every week tackling some of the classroom challenges you're currently facing.

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