Heidi: This is episode 217 of Teacher Approved.
You're listening to Teacher Approved, the podcast helping
educators elevate what matters and simplify the rest. I'm
Heidi.
Emily: And I'm Emily. We're the creators behind Second Story
Window, where we give research based and teacher approved
strategies that make teaching less stressful and more
effective. You can check out the show notes and resources from
each episode at secondstorywindow.net.
Heidi: We're so glad you're tuning in today. Let's get to
the show.
Emily: Hey there. Thanks for joining us today. In today's
episode, we are talking about the back to school sandwich.
That's what happens right before and right after that very first
day with students. And we're sharing a suggestion for how to
wrap up your first day with a little bit of fun.
Heidi: But first, let's start with a try it tomorrow, where we
share a quick win that you can try right away. Emily, what is
our suggestion this week?
Emily: This week, try creating a teacher prep soundtrack for
yourself. Put together a playlist of songs that energize
you and make you feel confident, whether it's upbeat pop or
calming instrumental music or throwback hits that make you
smile. Having a go-to playlist can be a game changer when
you're setting up your classroom.
Heidi: Music really can shift your whole mood and energy
level. Plus, if you are feeling good while you're working, that
positive energy carries over into everything you create for
your students and their families.
Emily: And if you have a new playlist every year, then it
will be like when you hear those songs you can remember the year
that you're setting up that classroom. That could be a fun
idea.
Heidi: That could be fun.
Emily: If you like this idea, or anything else we share here on
the podcast, would you take a second and give us a five star
rating and review on Apple podcasts or Spotify?
Heidi: Over the years, Emily and I have created an extensive
library of back to school products. To help you find the
tools that will make the start of your new year easier, today
we are spotlighting our Guided Discovery resource. Tell us
about this one, Emily.
Emily: This one's one of our favorites, and we talked about
it in detail in Episode 146. So the short version is that Guided
Discovery is a hands on way to introduce students to your
expectations around managing and using school tools. So if you're
tired of smashed glue sticks and chewed pencils, this is the
resource for you.
Heidi: Now, it's got a long name because we need it to come up in
search. So it's called the Guided Discovery of classroom
procedures and rules for school supplies for back to school, but
there is a link in the show notes if you want a shortcut.
Emily: So in this resource, we give you a set of Google slides
and a scripted lesson plan for introducing more than 20 common
school tools. So of course, we cover pencils and crayons and
scissors, but there's also materials for dice and
clipboards and magnet letters and Chromebooks. We tried to
really cover all the bases.
Heidi: Yes, and you definitely don't have to do all of them,
but for any tools that you use, you will be so glad to have
this. Each lesson covers the six parts of a Guided Discovery
activity, so that you are inviting students into the
process of establishing the standards that they are
agreeing, hopefully, to follow all year.
Emily: And what I really love is that for each of the school
tools, there's a quick fun activity so students can
experience using that tool right away. So for example, if you're
introducing markers, there's a small coloring page. For
clipboards, there's a short around the room scavenger hunt
so they can practice using a clipboard. Each activity is
targeted to keep things engaging, but also moving
Emily: Lots of o's in so. Plus, besides the lesson materials,
quickly.
Heidi: This is one of our resources that gets the best
feedback. And here's a little share from Lynn, who said, "This
has been a game changer for how my students use our classroom
materials. It is easy to assume that kids will know how to use
pencils and erasers, but they don't know my expectations. Now
they do, and I am so much happier because
there are a whole bunch of resources to help you address
any hiccups down the road. When someone stabs the glue with
their scissors or colors on the carpet, there are materials just
waiting for you so you can address the problem right away.
Heidi: So head to the show notes and grab the link for the Guided
Discovery of School Tools resource. It will make your
whole year run smoother.
Emily: You know, we've been talking all summer about getting
ready for back to school, and we realize that there's this one
piece we haven't really addressed yet, and that's what
happens right before and right after the very first day with
students.
Heidi: This time of year, it's really easy to lose yourself in
all of the thoughts around classroom setup and getting your
systems ready. You likely have a million checklists for labeling
supplies, planning procedures or organizing desks. And of course,
those things absolutely matter.
Emily: Yeah, but we know you know how important they are. But
often what gets overlooked is you as the teacher. How do you
prepare yourself, both emotionally and practically, for
that huge moment when your classroom goes from organized
and empty to full of real kids? What do you do with all the
nerves and energy and expectations leading up to that
day?
Heidi: And then in just seven short, or not so short, hours
after they arrive, they all leave. The door closes, the room
is quiet again, and I can feel that moment. You're just left
standing in the whirlwind of everything that just happened.
And that moment deserves some attention too.
Emily: Yeah, so today we're talking about what we're calling
the back to school sandwich. So it's not lunch, although, yes,
definitely pack a lunch, especially on the first day
you're going to want it, but the emotional and practical layers
that surround the first day of school. Because just like a good
sandwich, the most important stuff might be in the middle,
sure, but without the bread and the toppings on either side, it
just it all falls apart, and it's not nearly as tasty.
Heidi: So that first day is the filling. Stick with us here.
It's big, it's flavorful, maybe even a little messy, but what
you do before and after is what's going to hold everything
together. And if you take care of those two pieces, the whole
thing is a lot more satisfying and a lot less likely to fall
apart and stain your cute new first day of school outfit.
Emily: To make your back to school sandwich as sturdy and
satisfying as possible, we're breaking it down into three
simple categories of teacher self-care that apply before and
after that all important first day.
Heidi: First is emotional prep. This is all about checking in
with yourself and making sure that you're grounded and headed
in the right direction. Next is the logistical basics. These are
the small, practical choices that make a big difference to
your well being. And finally, comes your recovery plan. This
is where you create space to breathe, reflect and regroup,
because the way you land matters just as much as how you launch.
Emily: So let's take a look at that bottom slice of bread. What
you need to do before the first day to set yourself up for
success. And we're gonna start where we always start by
identifying our purpose.
Heidi: Yes, it is so easy to get lost in the busyness that comes
with back to school. That's how we end up running ourselves
ragged, but somehow we still don't feel prepared, even though
we're working nonstop. To combat this, we're going to take a
couple of minutes to figure out what matters. First, stop and
reflect on what kind of teacher you want to be this year. Think
about the parts of teaching that bring you joy and the kind of
impact you hope to have on your students.
Emily: A great addition to this exercise is setting a one word
theme to guide your year. Maybe it's steady or wonder or grace
or joy, just one word that you can come back to when things get
overwhelming. You can write it on a sticky note and put it
somewhere where you will see it every day.
Heidi: We talked about choosing a one word theme back in episode
27 if you want to go back in time and revisit that. But we
also have some guiding questions in our back to school readiness
checklist, if you want a page that's already all set up to
collect all of your thoughts.
Emily: While you're in that reflective space, the readiness
checklist resource also has a goal setting page, plus some
more pages specifically focused on teacher prep, like a page for
listing what you're letting go of, writing yourself permission
slips, and writing a quick note of encouragement to yourself.
You can print it and stick it in your plan book, your desk
drawer, or even just take a screenshot and set it as your
phone lock screen.
Heidi: Oh, and set a reminder to take a photo of your classroom
once it's all set up. You've worked so hard to get it ready,
celebrate the moment before the kids come in and mess it all up.
Emily: Now, let's talk about prepping your personal launch
plan. You have to remember to take care of the human behind
the teacher. So map out what your ideal morning looks like on
that first day. When will you wake up? What will you eat? What
music will help you feel grounded?
Heidi: With that vision in mind, what can you do in advance to
make morning smoother? Maybe pack your lunch, lay out your
clothes, fill your teacher bag and get your own kids' backpacks
ready the night before. Every little step you can do ahead of
time helps.
Emily: We shared lots of good tips for this back in episode
209 so give that a listen if you want a refresher. But another
handy suggestion is to stock a desk drawer or a cabinet with
your survival essentials. You may want to set up a day one
emergency kit with things like tissues, band aids, lozenges and
extra snacks that you want to have handy on the first day.
Heidi: Yeah, in the first couple days of school, there just is
not a lot of wiggle room if your contact lens gets dirty, or you
get a stomach ache, you're kind of stuck. So make sure you have
on hand anything that you don't want to be caught without.
Emily: And I know we've mentioned this before, but one
of the best gifts you can give yourself is not working late on
the first day. So for that to happen, you need to prepare day
two at the same time that you prepare day one. We promise it's
not as tricky as it sounds. Episodes 144, 145, and 146 walk
you through exactly how to streamline your first day of
school plans and extend that process through the first week.
Heidi: Think how happy you will be at the end of that first day,
to waltz out of the school at 3:30 and have a long, relaxing
evening ahead of you. But you know, first we need to make sure
that that evening is actually relaxing.
Emily: Start by deciding how you're going to transition when
students leave. Will you sit quietly for five minutes, text a
friend, take a walk around the building? Have a plan so you're
not left floundering. And if you want a fun idea, make sure to
listen to the end of the episode, because we have a fun
Heidi: Next create a cozy landing zone at home, pillows,
tip to share.
snacks, soft lighting your favorite show all queued up.
Everything you need to really relax. Stock the recovery kit we
talked about in episode 209. Make it easy to take it easy.
Need that on a shirt.
Emily: Yeah. Also make an intentional plan for how you can
minimize demands for a few days. Maybe your kids get extra screen
time for the first week of school. Maybe you're getting
more takeout than you normally do, and that's totally okay. The
start of the school year is just a season. It's not your whole
life.
Heidi: Alright. That is the before the first day of school
bread slice. That's a sentence I never imagined saying. Make time
to reflect on what you want to have happen, prepare for your
personal launch, and set up your recovery plan.
Emily: So next comes the filling, but we have spent all
summer covering the middle of this sandwich—lesson plans,
community building, classroom setup and so much more. If you
need some ideas, make sure to scroll back to some of our past
summer episodes in your podcast feed.
Heidi: And now we can talk about the top slice of bread, what to
do after you make it through that first day. We'll follow the
same pattern as we did before, of figuring out your emotional
prep, your logistical basics and then your recovery plan.
Emily: Once the students leave, take five minutes to jot down
what went well, what didn't, and what you want to try differently
tomorrow. Celebrate small wins, even if the win is I made it
through or I remember five names. Even small
accomplishments deserve to be celebrated.
Heidi: And there is also a sheet for this in the back to school
readiness checklist. We really have thought of everything. So
grab that if you don't have it already.
Emily: I always say we overthink things so that you don't have
to. So you also want to set a reminder in your phone to take a
photo of your classroom after the students leave. Notice how
it's already changed because your students were there.
There's something beautiful, really about seeing that
transformation.
Heidi: Once you've had a moment to recover and reflect, focus on
the logistics of getting day two set up. Hopefully you have had a
chance to prepare most of the materials in advance. If not, do
whatever you can to make the morning of the second day flow
as easily as possible. Yes, I know you are so tired right now,
but you will probably still be that tired in the morning.
Emily: A suggestion that might help us to plan one easy win for
day two. So maybe it's a favorite read aloud, a simple
game, or even showing a 15 minute video. Focus on teaching
your essential procedures and activities to build your class
community, and you'll have all the important stuff covered.
Heidi: As you're wrapping up your work day, do what you can
to protect your energy. It's totally okay to skip the chatty
teachers lounge or to say, I need to recharge, I'll catch up
with you tomorrow. It's okay to be smart about your limits, even
if that teacher across the hall might not understand.
Emily: Once you've cleaned up day one, and set up day two, and
finally made it back to your front door, it's time to recover
with intention. So treat yourself the way you would treat
a tired toddler. Eat something comforting, take a warm bath if
you like a bath, go to bed early. You've just done
something incredibly hard, and you deserve that kindness.
Heidi: Use that recovery kit you prepped, or start one now. Put
on jammies as soon as you're home, do a puzzle, read a book,
watch a movie, get out of coloring a book. Prioritize the
things that give you the space to bounce back.
Emily: Or if you've got a totally different personality,
maybe you want to hit the gym, re-energize with a night out, or
start a brand new project. This is not our journey, but we love
that for you.
Heidi: Whatever type of recovery you need is the right choice.
And like we mentioned earlier, give yourself permission to
lower the bar at home. Use paper plates. Let everyone zone out on
their devices for a while. Order dinner without guilt. You're not
letting things slide. You're being strategic when your energy
is so limited.
Emily: If you are someone with a tough inner critic, this can be
hard to accept, but really, the best thing you can do during a
stressful time is to give yourself grace. Nothing good
comes from making yourself feel guilty for not meeting some
random standard of perfection. Beating yourself up won't
suddenly give you more energy. So be kind to yourself and
accept that this is a normal part of such a huge transition.
Heidi: I wish I had understood this back when I was teaching.
Emily: I know.
Heidi: I was, I would really beat myself up about not having
it together. But you know what this is, just a few days, you
will figure it out, and things will get back to normal, we
promise.
Emily: Plus, I think most people don't have it together. We
assume everyone else has it together. I think nobody has it
together. And just remember the first day of school is just one
day in a whole year of teaching, but it can feel so big and
overwhelming. So remember that the real magic happens in how
you prepare yourself, not just your classroom, and how you take
care of yourself after.
Heidi: We would love to hear your tips for what to do before
and after the first day. Come join the conversation in our
Teacher Approved Facebook group.
Emily: Now for our Teacher Approved Tip of the Week, where
we share an actionable tip to help you elevate what matters
and simplify the rest. This week's teacher approved tip is
to wrap up the first day of school was some fun. So tell us
what you have in mind, Heidi.
Heidi: Oh, I'm so excited about this, I'm doing little hand
claps. That's probably terrible for the audio. Oh, but this is a
fun one. Now, as you know, the first day of school leaves most
of us just running on pure adrenaline. Once the kids leave,
it's so easy to either dive straight into day two prep or
get stuck in one of those never ending hallway conversations
that somehow just suck your will to live.
Emily: Yeah, that's why I love your idea of a quick cheers and
chat check in with your grade level team, or maybe your
teacher friends. It's just structured enough to feel
special and meaningful, but it's light enough that it won't
hijack your whole afternoon or require a lot of your energy.
Heidi: So here's how to make it work. First, decide your goal.
Are you looking to debrief the day, share a few laughs, or just
celebrate that you survived? Decide if you are hosting in
your classroom or somewhere else in the school, and then pick
your timing. I would recommend right after dismissal, because
you want to grab everyone before they scatter to start prepping
for tomorrow.
Emily: Then decide if you're doing this with your grade level
team, just your teacher besties, or the whole staff. Keep the
refreshments simple, but a little special. Grab some
sparkling cider, a fun mix soda or even chocolate milk if that's
your vibe. Don't plan on something like donuts or muffins
that will require an extra errand before school, because we
want this to be painless, not adding to your crazy first
morning of school.
Heidi: Oh, yeah, absolutely not. And the nice thing about
limiting it to a drink is you can pick it up from the store
weeks in advance, and it is really easy to make things a
little more special with something as simple as those
dollar store champagne flutes.
Emily: Yeah, and nobody wants a bunch of extra work at the start
of the school year, so disposable champagne flutes for
the win. The next step is to send out an invitation a few
days in advance so it doesn't get lost in the back to school
chaos. Clearly promise that it will be very quick or people
will not be excited to attend.
Heidi: And then once everyone arrives, literally, set a timer
for 10 minutes, 15 minutes max. This is really important. By
setting a timer, you show that you understand how stressed
everyone is and that you respect their time.
Emily: And your time, because you still got stuff to do, of
course.
Heidi: Then offer one or two simple questions for everyone to
answer, something like, what made you smile today? Or, what
are you proud of right now? This keeps things moving and makes
sure that everyone gets a chance to share without it turning into
a whole complaint session, or without a few strong
personalities hijacking the whole thing. And finally, just
wrap it up with a quick toast to the new school year.
Emily: It's such a simple thing, but it can transform an
exhausting afternoon into a moment of real connection and
perspective, all while protecting your time and energy
for getting ready for tomorrow. From time to time, we all need a
reminder that we're not in this alone, and it's especially
important to build those relationships with your
coworkers.
Heidi: If this sounds like something you would be
interested in doing, we have a little freebie for you. We give
you a step by step guide for how to organize a cheers and chat
check in, and have an editable invitation that you can use. We
even include ideas for your toast to the new year and some
recipes. I'm using air quotes, a few simple recipes for some
fancy sodas.
Emily: Well, we're from Utah, so we know a fancy soda. Okay, so
we were not gonna leave you all hanging, and we'll have a link
to this in the show notes where you can go grab it for free.
It's a freebie.
Heidi: To wrap up the show, we're sharing what we're giving
extra credit to this week. Emily, what gets your extra
credit?
Emily: I'm giving extra credit to ice cream taste testing.
Heidi: Well, I would like to co sign that.
Emily: Yeah, we did this as a family recently, and it was just
so much fun. Everybody loved it. I got, I don't know, eight pints
of fun ice cream flavor. So I went for, like, fancier brands
or really unique flavors, and then I got those little plastic
condiment cups, and then I put a scoop of each flavor into each
cup. But I mean by scoop, it's probably more like...
Heidi: A melon baller.
Emily: Yes, a robust spoonful. So everyone could get, you know,
maybe a couple spoonfuls out of it, just enough to taste, and
then everyone would have a stack of cups to try. This way. I
wasn't having to, like, run back and forth scooping for each
flavor. I did all the scooping in advance, and then put it
right back in the freezer to hold up. And then I numbered the
cup so that we could all try the same one at the same time. And
then we gave it a rating out of 10. I think last year we did it
out of five, but the kids wanted to do it out of ten. And then I
averaged all the scores. So our winner this year was Van Lewin,
which my father speaks Dutch, and he let me know I am not at
all pronouncing that correctly, but you'll forgive me. It is
their pistachio flavor, and it was tasty and so fun. I loved
it, and that was a really yummy flavor.
Heidi: Yes, I was shocked that the kids liked it.
Emily: I thought that would be the least favorite, pistachio. I
got it because I like pistachio, and I was like, Well, I'm
getting it for me, but everybody loved it, even the kids. It was
so good.
Heidi: Yeah, it was really good. I've been craving it now.
Emily: Highly recommend it. We also, in our family, celebrate a
little holiday called flavor day, which is Labor Day. But
when my youngest was younger, much younger, she thought it was
flavor day, and kept calling it flavor day. And we decided that
from henceforth it shall be known as flavor day. And so we
usually go get ice cream. So if you would like to adopt flavor
day for your own family. I think an ice cream taste test would be
an excellent way to celebrate that.
Heidi: Yes, that would be perfect.
Emily: And this is the exact kind of thing we talk about on
our other podcast, the Holiday Headstart. So if you want to
hear more about traditions and ice cream, come on over to the
Holiday Headstart. That was an unplanned plug.
Heidi: And we really would love to have you there. If how we
plan back to school resonates with you, you will love how we
plan Christmas.
Emily: Get a load of how we prepare for Christmas.
Heidi: Oh, boy, yeah, we're not ready.
Emily: We overthought that one too so you don't have to. What
are you giving extra credit to, Heidi?
Heidi: I'm giving extra credit to the book The Spell Shop by
Sara Beth Durst. I think the second in this series just came
out recently, which I haven't read yet, but just read the
spell shop, and it was so sweet. I love a cozy fantasy. And this
just checked all the right boxes. The blurb on Amazon calls
it a hallmark rom com full of mythical creatures and fueled by
cinnamon rolls and magic. And I could not have summed it up any
better.
Emily: Sign me up.
Heidi: So I'm not sure how to pronounce this character's name.
That is the downside to fantasy novels is like, how do we say
these names? We don't know, so I'm just going to give it my
best guess. But the premise is that librarian Kyla and her
sentient spider plant Kaz, I was calling him Kaz, I don't know if
that's right. They escape a revolution and return to the
tiny island where Kyla grew up. Her goal is to build a life
while at the same time hiding the forbidden magic books that
she saved from the burning library. And so she ends up
opening a jam shop that just happens to sell spells on the
side. And of course, along the way, she learns that life is
better when you have other people to trust. It's very sweet
and imaginative. If you're looking for something to escape
into, like after a long first day of school, it's just the
perfect little getaway into imagination.
Emily: Oh, I love it. I'm putting on my TBR right now.
Heidi: That is it for today's episode. Remember to prep your
back to school sandwich. Take care of yourself before, during
and after that first day. You have got this and we are
cheering you on every step of the way.
Emily: And don't forget to grab our cheers and chat freebie from
the link in the show notes.
Heidi: We hope you enjoyed this episode of Teacher Approved. I'm
Heidi.
Emily: And I'm Emily. Thank you for listening. Be sure to follow
or subscribe in your podcast app so that you never miss an
episode.
Heidi: You can connect with us and other teachers in the
Teacher Approved Facebook group. We'll see you here next week.
Bye for now.
Emily: Bye.