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 l...

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 w...

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 t...

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 wi...

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 productivityThe benefits of using a s...

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....

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 doingWhere 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 ...

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 oneHow using structured routines can help minimize distractions3 hacks to try for...

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...

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...

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! S...

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...

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...

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...

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 th...

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 crac...

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 r...

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 supporte...

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 TPTFREE Email Course: ...