This week we’re pulling back the curtain on one of the simplest—but most powerful—things we do at Teachers Deserve It: designing plug-and-play tools that schools can use instantly to make professional development actually stick. In this episode, Rae shares the backstory of a tool created for one partner school that spread like wildfire when another district grabbed it, screenshot style, and ran with it. You’ll hear how small shifts in clarity can ripple out into smoother transitions, stronger para partnerships, and teachers who actually thank their administrators for PD. Plus, Rae breaks down why giving your staff ready-to-use systems is a sign of respect, not “hand-holding.” If you’ve ever wanted your PD days to spark real results without adding more to your plate, this episode is for you.
In this week’s Teachers Deserve It Podcast, Rae Hughart gets real about the final stretch before back-to-school—and why “waiting” to make a professional development plan isn’t just procrastination, it’s a choice to add stress to your year.
Rae walks through what principals are actually juggling right now—finalizing master schedules, planning institute days, welcoming new staff—and how TDI takes PD off their plates entirely. No late-night slide decks. No scrambling. Just a done-for-you plan that works.
If you’re a school leader, you’ll learn how to get your PD strategy finalized before your coffee gets cold. If you’re a teacher, you’ll see how to advocate for PD that’s worth your time.
Listen now, then subscribe to the Teachers Deserve It Substack for the full breakdown: raehughart.substack.com
Still staring at your PD plan like it might finish itself? This episode is your wake-up call and your shortcut. Rae Hughart kicks off the back-to-school leadership series with real talk about the chaos of August planning—and how to stop it in its tracks. She breaks down the #1 mistake school leaders make when designing professional development, introduces the TDI model that saves time (and sanity), and walks you through how to get a custom PD plan in under 60 seconds.
We’re not here to tweak your slide deck.
We’re here to replace it.
Whether you're craving clarity, need buy-in, or just want to feel confident that PD will actually help your teachers, this episode is your step one.
We’ve made it to Part 6 of our Teacher-Tested Hacks for Smarter Days launch series—and we’re closing strong with educator, author, and coach Kevin J. Butler.
Kevin’s strategy? Use student questions as the blueprint for building better units.
In this final episode, Rae dives into Kevin’s clip and the brilliance behind centering instruction on what students are actually wondering. She reflects on the moments curiosity transformed her classroom—and how agency isn't a buzzword, it’s a blueprint.
If you’ve ever felt boxed in by the pacing guide or stuck teaching content students couldn’t care less about, this one’s for you.
And remember: Kevin is just one of 30+ educators featured in this course. Short clips. Real strategies. Ready when you are.
🎉 The course is live: tdi.thinkific.com/products/courses/Hacks
💸 Use code Hughart2025 for 20% off
📬 Subscribe to the Substack for more: raehughart.substack.com
Part 5 of our Teacher-Tested Hacks for Smarter Days series gets to the heart of it all: your joy.
In this episode, happiness coach and education consultant Kim Strobel shares a mindset shift that can help educators reclaim their identity, energy, and passion. Her message isn’t about toxic positivity—it’s about science-backed strategies for taking back what burnout tried to steal.
Rae reflects on her own journey with mindset, classroom overwhelm, and the power of remembering who you are outside the lesson plan.
This isn’t just about productivity. It’s about remembering you’re a human first—and that joy is part of the job, not a reward for surviving it.
🛒 Grab the course and watch Kim’s clip (plus 30+ others): tdi.thinkific.com/products/courses/Hacks
💸 Use code Hughart2025 for 20% off
📬 Subscribe for more drops like this: raehughart.substack.com
It’s launch day—and Part 4 of our Teacher-Tested Hacks for Smarter Days series is bringing the 🎺 brass and the brilliance.
This episode features award-winning educator, speaker, and musician Mickey Smith Jr., who shares his go-to classroom strategy: the PPQ Method (Passion–Practice–Questions). It’s the kind of strategy that doesn’t just work—it sings.
Mickey shows how inviting students to connect their personal passions to academic practice sparks not only engagement, but identity. Rae dives into how this would’ve changed the game in her own classroom—and how Mickey’s method isn’t just motivational, it’s doable tomorrow.
If you're tired of fluff and ready for practical tools with soul, this one’s for you.
🎧 The full course is now live! 30+ educators. Under 8 minutes each. Classroom-tested. Time-saving. And actually useful.
🛒 Enroll now: tdi.thinkific.com/products/courses/Hacks
💸 Use code Hughart2025 for 20% off
📬 Subscribe to stay in the loop: raehughart.substack.com
Part 3 of our 6-part spotlight series is here—and if you’ve been waiting for the mindset boost that actually hits? This is it.
This episode features Timothy Alexander—better known as TA—an educator, coach, motivational speaker, and inclusion advocate whose story will absolutely stop you in your tracks. His clip, “You Can. You Will. You Must,” isn’t about strategy—it’s about belief. It's the voice in your head that says, “Keep going,” when everything around you says otherwise.
Rae reflects on TA’s emotional message and how his words matter—especially for educators leading others or desperately needing someone to believe in them, too.
🔑 This episode reminds us: You’re not here by accident. And you’re not out of fight.
🎧 Want more? 30+ educators share real tips like this in our new course Teacher-Tested Hacks for Smarter Days—available now in the TDI Learning Hub.
🛒 Enroll: tdi.thinkific.com/products/courses/Hacks
💸 Use code Hughart2025 to save 20%
📬 Subscribe on Substack: raehughart.substack.com
When everything feels loud, fast, and on fire—what if all you needed was one intentional minute?
In Part 2 of our 6-part launch series for Teacher-Tested Hacks for Smarter Days, Rae spotlights contributor Ipek Williamson, a certified mindfulness coach and emotional wellness advocate, whose strategy—The 60-Second Reset—gives educators a calm, powerful way to pause before reacting.
Rae shares her own “react vs. respond” classroom moment (you’ll feel seen), explains why this clip hit so hard, and shows how just one minute can ripple through your entire day.
✨ Preview the full course now: tdi.thinkific.com/products/courses/Hacks
🔑 Use code Hughart2025 to save 20%
📬 Subscribe for more classroom-ready gems: raehughart.substack.com
Need a moment? This episode is your moment.
Join us weekly for Office Hours in the TDI Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/tdimovement
Let’s be honest: most professional development leaves teachers burned out, bored, or straight-up bewildered. In Part 1 of our 6-part series launching Teacher-Tested Hacks for Smarter Days, Rae Hughart gets real about the broken system—and the bold new course built to fix it.
You’ll hear the story behind this educator-powered project, why 30+ teachers, paras, coaches, and leaders contributed practical 5-minute hacks, and how this flipped PD model is changing the game. No theory. No fluff. Just strategies that save time, build confidence, and actually help.
🎓 Pre-order the course now: tdi.thinkific.com/products/courses/Hacks
🔑 Use code Hughart2025 to save 20%
📬 Subscribe to Rae’s weekly Substack: raehughart.substack.com
This episode is for every educator who’s ever walked out of PD and thought, “That’s an hour of my life I’m not getting back.” Let’s do better. And we are.
Too many schools are wasting contract hours on PD that doesn’t actually support teachers. This episode flips that on its head.
Rae walks through the truth behind most professional development frustration—not the contract, but the confusion around how to use the time. Inspired by her viral Substack post, “How to Make Your PD Plan Work with Your Union Contract,” this episode is packed with real solutions.
Inside, you’ll learn:
What real PD should actually include (no fluff)
How to align your school’s goals with the hours you already have
Why the TDI model is designed to work with even the most complex union agreements
If you're a school leader, teacher, or union rep looking to build a system that respects time and builds real growth—this one’s for you.
Read the full post: raehughart.substack.com
Take the Instant PD Plan Quiz: teachersdeserveit.com
Feeling the July pressure to build the perfect PD plan, support paras, and magically align your whole staff before August hits?
This episode walks through the full Back-to-School Checklist Series—four tactical guides that help school leaders stop guessing and start building systems that work. No fluff. No filler. Just the tools you actually need.
Rae breaks down:
8 things that make or break your PD days
What paras actually need before school starts
10 essentials to lock in before August
A schoolwide systems checklist (plus a 60-second PD plan quiz!)
Whether you’re building your plan solo or ready to hand it off, this episode will help you start the year with clarity, confidence, and actual support.
Read all four parts on Substack: raehughart.substack.com
Take the PD Plan Quiz: https://teachersdeserveit.com/vsl-landing-page/
Budgets reset July 1 and suddenly every decision feels high-stakes. In this episode, Rae shares a true story from a principal’s office that perfectly captures the pressure school leaders are facing right now. But here’s the thing: planning PD shouldn’t feel like guessing.
We’ve built a tool to help - an instant quiz that gives you a custom PD plan in under 60 seconds. No fluff. No “fingers crossed.” Just real strategy that respects teacher time and aligns with school goals.
Whether you’re an admin or teacher leader, this episode will help you:
Name the fears behind summer planning
Shift from overwhelm to clarity
Use the quiz to start a smarter PD plan now
Take the quiz here: https://form.jotform.com/251725407374054
And as always… we’re building this movement one educator at a time.
Paraprofessionals are the glue of our schools—but most are expected to lead without real training. In this episode, Rae walks through Part 2 of the Teachers Deserve Para Support series, featuring three brand-new micro-courses designed to give paras confidence that sticks. From note-taking strategies to transition phrases and boundary-setting homework help, this bundle is all about clarity, calm, and real-time impact. Perfect for teachers, paras, and administrators who want support that actually works.
Want access?
This bundle is available inside the All Access Membership or by requesting a school quote at teachersdeserveit.com.
In this episode of TDI: Real Talk, Rae Hughart breaks down what real professional development looks like and why most schools are getting it wrong. From surviving slideshow sessions to finally building systems that work, this episode unpacks what teachers actually need: clarity, relevance, tools they can use Monday, and support that doesn’t end in August.
Plus: Rae shares a major milestone - TDI is now an official NYC DOE vendor and what it means for the future of para and teacher PD nationwide. If you’re ready to ditch professional disappointment and build PD that sticks, this one’s for you.
Tired of PD days that waste time and drain morale? In this episode of TDI: Real Talk, Rae Hughart breaks down why traditional professional development often leads to disappointment—and what real growth actually requires. Learn what every PD system should include, why feedback can’t just be criticism, and how school leaders can shift from one-off sessions to yearlong impact. If you're ready to stop checking boxes and start building teacher-centered PD that actually works, this one’s for you.
In this episode of TDI: Real Talk, Rae Hughart shares the bold vision behind Teachers Deserve It: reaching 1 million educators by the end of 2025 through PD that actually works. No more wasted time, cookie-cutter workshops, or compliance checklists—this is about saving teachers real time, supporting their real lives, and creating lasting student impact.
Plus: a spotlight on the Thinkering Collective’s Teacher Internship opportunity, Shaklee’s Morning Glow, and a powerful call to join the movement.
You’re not just invited—you’re essential.
In this episode of TDI: Real Talk, Rae Hughart shares what it really takes for educators to rest—not just escape—during the summer months. Inspired by her 3-part Substack series, Rae unpacks what strategic rest looks like, how to protect your peace without disconnecting from your purpose, and how the TDI Summer Toolkit can help you prep smarter (not harder) for August.
Plus: this week’s sponsor shoutout to Shaklee’s Morning Glow, a partner spotlight on Thinkering Collective, and a reminder that rest isn’t about doing less—it’s about doing what actually matters.
In this episode of TDI: Real Talk, Rae Hughart unpacks the hesitation many educators feel when using AI tools—and reframes the conversation completely. What if AI didn’t replace your voice, but helped amplify it? What if using the right tools meant you could reclaim your time without compromising your authenticity?
Rae shares real examples from teachers in the field, 15 ways to use AI that actually feel human, and a mindset shift that makes strategic tech use feel empowering instead of impersonal.
Plus: new educator shoutouts, free resources, and a wellness boost from Shaklee you’ll want to hear about.
This week on TDI: Real Talk, Rae Hughart takes you behind the scenes of the latest Teachers Deserve It focus groups—where educators from across the country are sharing the raw, unfiltered truth about what they need most. From burnout to broken systems to moments of unexpected joy, these conversations are shaping the next phase of TDI’s work. Plus: new free tools in the TDI Learning Hub, a Substack you need to subscribe to, and shoutouts to teacher-led brands making waves. Because your voice isn’t just valid—it’s vital.
