Heidi: This is episode 266 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. Thank you for joining us today. In today's
episode, we are sharing seven small get ahead tasks that you
can knock out in 10 minutes each, plus we've got a
teacher-approved tip for setting up your email signature.
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's
our suggestion this week?
Emily: Okay, this week set up one small area of your home as a
summer command center, just a spot, it can even just be a
basket or a shelf or part of your desk, for any school stuff
that comes up over the summer, because stuff will come up even
when you're trying not to think about it. You know, a binder you
brought home or a sticky note with an idea you don't want to
lose or something you couldn't resist at the school supply
aisle.
Heidi: That you'll want to know where it is when August hits.
Emily: Yes.
Heidi: Or you know, even stuff for your own kids' schooling,
because school's gonna start sending paper soon.
Emily: Yep, there's always so much kids' stuff, and right now
those things are probably scattered. So designate a home
base for your school stuff. That way when you're finally ready to
think about school again, you won't have to spend the first 20
minutes hunting all the things down.
Heidi: And 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? Ratings and reviews are one way that new
listeners can find us, so every one really does help.
If you have been here for very long, you know that we have a
two-part recipe for summer success that we call recovery
and readiness. We love it so much. We've talked about it
every summer, going all the way back to 2022.
Emily: Hey, it's a good idea, but we need that clip from
Brooklyn Nine-Nine where Boyle says, 'You've told us this story
many times,' and Captain Holt shouts, 'And you'll hear it
again!'
Heidi: Yes, i put my finger up to enunciate here, and we are
going to do it again, because it's that important. We are on a
mission to make teacher summers as incredible as possible, and
that starts with recovery and readiness. You need recovery to
refill your tank after a draining school year, and you
need readiness, so you don't drain it again the second you're
back in the classroom.
Emily: So, in the recent episode, episode 262, we walked
you through how to plan for summer recovery, and in episode
263 we replayed our episode about setting boundaries around
work time. So today, let's look at the readiness piece of
recovery and readiness.
Heidi: And this is not the dive into your curriculum map kind of
readiness, that's too much. Instead, we've got simple tasks
that get the productivity ball rolling without requiring a
full-time commitment.
Emily: And bonus, they can all be done in 10 minutes or less.
Part of why back to school prep feels so heavy is that prep
comes in two very different sizes, and we tend to lump them
together. The big heavy stuff is things like rethinking your
whole reading block or overhauling your classroom
management plan. That work is real, and it's important, but
you don't have to deal with that in June.
Heidi: And then the other tasks, the small light stuff is
different. There are the little decisions that don't take much
mental energy on their own, but if you leave all of them for the
last week before school, they just kind of pile up into one
giant stressful heap.
Emily: And that's what these seven tasks are. The small light
stuff pulled out of the heap and spread across the summer. You do
them whenever the mood strikes.
Heidi: You know what, and if the mood never strikes, that's fine
too. Think of this like a menu, not a checklist. Pick the ones
that sound appealing, and you can just ignore the rest.
Okay, let's get started. Number one is to decide what you're
wearing on the first day.
Emily: And it's a little crazy that we're starting with this
one, but we like to live on the edge.
Heidi: Yeah, we're adrenaline junkies around here, and doing
this task now has two big benefits. The first is
practical: it removes a decision before the stress hits, because
if you don't do this now, picking a first day outfit is
going to drop to the bottom of your to-do list.
Emily: Yeah, and then that's how you end up standing in front of
your closet the night before school, or heaven forbid, the
morning of the first day of school, stressed, trying on
clothes, trying to figure out what you're going to wear, and
just praying that you can find something that isn't wrinkled.
Heidi: The second benefit of doing this right now is more
fun, because doing this now gives you this little rush of
being ahead. Even if you don't get anything else done to prep
for school this summer, you still get to say my first day
outfit is picked out and hanging up in the back of my closet, all
ready to go.
Emily: And that sentence, it will feel amazing in August, but
it is even more of a rush when you get to say it in June. I'm
not gonna lie, I thrive on this kind of a rush, it's my favorite
kind of getting ready is to be super ready, like so far in
advance. I'm way less motivated to do it if it's like only a
week away. So do it super early, because even though it's such a
small thing, it makes you feel like you've got it together.
Heidi: And you know what, this genuinely is a 10 minute task.
Just pull out three outfits from your closet, try them on, pick
the one that you can imagine, you know, walking around for six
hours, 'cause you're not gonna get a break, and then hang it
somewhere where you can get to it, and you'll remember where it
is, so you're ready to go.
Emily: And if you're someone who likes to buy a new outfit for
the first day, more power to you. Go ahead and start shopping
now, so that you can get that task off your list as soon as
possible.
Heidi: Okay, our second 10 minute task is to pick your
first read aloud of the year, and you can decide, does this
mean your first classroom chapter book read aloud or a
picture book for the actual first day of school, or you
know, pick both if you want to do that.
Emily: Start by scanning your bookshelf and checking the
library app to see what sounds good. If you need a copy, put a
hold on it or order it now, so it shows up with plenty of time.
Heidi: Read alouds are some of the best community building that
you will do all year, and they couldn't be simpler or more
enjoyable. I think they might be my favorite part of teaching.
Emily: Absolutely, and I just want to say, your kids are never
too old to be read to. Like, I think there's value even in
secondary teachers reading a novel out loud to their
students, so prioritize this read aloud time. For us, it's
the highlight of the day. We loved it so much, we dedicated
our second ever podcast to it.
Heidi: Way back then, back when we thought we would have an
academic focused podcast.
Emily: Yeah, it's it's grown since then.
Heidi: Who knew we liked classroom management so much?
Emily: We should have known, actually.
Heidi: But picking that first title now means it's one less
thing to worry about, and this is something that feels kind of
fun, definitely not a chore.
Emily: Yeah, choosing books is just never going to be
unpleasant. Okay, our third 10 minute task is to pick your
morning music playlist for the year.
Heidi: Don't underestimate the power of a good playlist to set
the mood. You can make a playlist out of songs that you
already love, or use this as an opportunity to find something
that somebody's already made, and you can just save it to your
account.
Emily: If you've never done morning music before, this is a
chance to add a little spark to your daily routine in a way that
doesn't amp the kids up. What you're going for is across the
threshold moment, so when kids walk into your room, there
should be a feeling that things are different in here than they
were out in the hallway. Music is the easiest way to create
that feeling, and it signals that you've arrived, you're
somewhere calm and welcoming now. The day is starting, and
you know what to expect.
Heidi: Just a couple of practical notes: if this is new
to you, you don't need a long playlist. You just need enough
to cover arrival time, so maybe 15 or 20 minutes of music, and
think about what you want that music to do. Morning music
probably shouldn't be a dance party, not trying to get kids
energized and loud right before you want them to settle.
Emily: Yeah, the goal is usually the opposite, right? Something
pleasant and fairly mellow, that takes the edge off the morning,
so obviously instrumental works well, and quiet familiar pop at
a low volume. You want kids humming but not bouncing off the
walls.
Heidi: And if making a playlist from scratch sounds like more
than 10 minutes, we have some teacher-approved playlists on
Spotify that you can use. There is a kid-friendly pop one, if
you want a little more energy, although you might want to save
that for, you know, your cleanup at the end of the day.
Emily: Yes.
Heidi: We also have a calming piano one, if you want more of a
settled vibe, and we will link to those in the show notes.
Emily: Okay, number four is to write your future you page. This
one is a little different from the others, it's less of a task
and more of a reflection.
Heidi: But don't skip over it, because it's not urgent right
now. In summer, you have perspective. You're rested
enough to know what matters, but school year you, especially in
those first few overwhelming weeks, loses that perspective
fast.
Emily: Yeah, it gets crazy. So, write it down now, while you can
still see clearly, and think about what you hope you remember
when school starts, the things that helped you this summer that
you want to carry forward, like getting outside or moving your
body, or actually resting when you're tired, instead of pushing
through all the time.
Heidi: And then write down what's important to remember
when things start to feel overwhelming. That might be
permission like, I don't need to create every resource myself, or
it might be a reminder like, my job is important, but it's not
my entire identity.
Emily: It's using the perspective summer gives you to
make the start of the year a little gentler on yourself.
Future you will be so grateful that summer you took 10 minutes
to write it down.
Heidi: But if you do this, just make sure to write it somewhere
where you will actually see it again. Writing it on a napkin
that you promptly lose is not super helpful, so put it in the
front of your planner, or take a photo of it and make it the lock
screen on your phone for the first few weeks, or tape it
inside the cabinet that you open every day.
Emily: The whole power of this is the rereading. In the frantic
pace of back to school season, you need this note front and
center in order for it to do its job. So decide now where it's
going to live.
Heidi: And for club members, there is a page for exactly this
in the Tired Teacher Planner, which is your club resource for
June. It's already set up with prompts, so if you would rather
not start from a blank page, it's waiting for you there. You
can print it and write on it by hand, or type write in it, and
then print it if that's your preference.
Emily: Yeah, I always prefer to type if I have the chance. Okay,
our fifth task is to update your teacher emergency kit. This is
the little stash of personal essentials that you keep in your
desk or classroom cupboard, so you can manage any human moments
that get in the way of being a teacher.
Heidi: Every teacher needs one of these, and most of us have
learned that the hard way. You forget the advil one time, then
you make sure you are always stalked after that.
Emily: Yeah, if you're allowed to have pain reliever in your
room, definitely grab that. Also, think of things like lip
balm or hand lotion, nail clippers, a few protein bars, or
crackers, maybe some electrolyte packets.
Heidi: Oh yeah, don't forget the throat lozenges for your poor
overused voice. Extra hair ties, contact solutions if you wear
contacts. That one got me several times. Mints or gum,
soft tissues instead of the cheap scratchy ones, make a
list, so you can make sure you get it all.
Emily: Yeah, the 10 minute version of this task is the
taking inventory part, so look at what you've got, see what ran
out last year, and make a list of what to restock. You don't
have to go shopping right now, you just need the list.
Heidi: We talked about this emergency kit back in episode
209 and there is a page for it in the back to school readiness
checklists with more than 30 suggestions already on it. It's
digital, so you can edit it to just the things you use.
Emily: And the back to school readiness checklists, if you are
a club member, you can get that with your download credits, or
if you're an annual member, you can download it anytime. And
these things that we're talking about seem really small, because
they are small, but when you're in the thick of those first few
weeks, having this little kit to take care of your needs, it
makes you feel noticeably more prepared.
Heidi: And if you've got a teacher friend or teammates that
you like, consider adding some care items to their survival
kits as a thoughtful back to school gift. It's a way to show
that you're looking out for them, even when you can't be
there to take care of them.
Emily: Okay, our next task is to save five favorite community
building activities to a week one folder. So search Pinterest,
search your notes app, listen to some of our back to school
podcast episodes. You can look through social media and your
camera roll for whatever you've saved over the years, and just
pick five of these ideas that you love and put them all in one
folder or a note, so that they're ready to grab.
Heidi: And this might be the most useful task on this list,
because the success of your school year hinges on community
building. Student cooperation depends on whether kids are
willing to cooperate with your vision, and they're much more
willing when they feel like their teacher likes them and
that they matter in the classroom. So, having five good
activities ready to go during the first week is really worth a
lot.
Emily: And remember, community building is not just filling
time, it really is the foundation of your year, so when
you're looking for your five ideas, try to pick a range, not
five versions of the same thing. So maybe one quick icebreaker,
something that gets kids moving, one that's calmer or
partner-based, one full class activity, and one you can come
back to and repeat throughout the year.
Heidi: I found that something that works well as a morning
meeting game is perfect for community building in the first
week, and then you can just use it in morning meeting all year
long. And doing this now means you can just browse calmly and
pick good ideas instead of having to make do with whatever
comes up first. You got time, pick the good stuff.
Emily: Yeah, and even get some of the light prep out of the way
early. If you want to do a team building STEM activity, maybe
you can package supplies in bags while you watch TV. We love a TV
task. It's no stress and the feeling of productivity without
having to get off your couch.
Heidi: Really, it's my favorite kind of productivity. That
brings us to our final 10 minute task. Pick your one word theme
for the year. Sit down with your coffee and jot down words that
resonate with how you want next year to feel or how you want to
show up.
Emily: We've covered the one word theme idea before, back in
episodes 27 and 86 so this isn't new for longtime listeners, but
it's worth revisiting because it's such a simple tool. It's a
nice exercise but the benefit comes when you use your word as
a filter. So if your theme for the year is joyful, it reminds
you to prioritize the kinds of lessons that you enjoy teaching.
If your word is relaxed, it tells you to prioritize the
systems that help your day move smoothly.
Heidi: In my, like, third or fourth year of teaching, I chose
the word present, because when I thought back to my memories of
the previous year, most of my memories were of me looking down
at my desk or at my computer screen instead of what was
happening with my students. I was just so busy planning and
prepping and worrying about the next thing, I was missing what
it actually meant to be present and with my students.
Emily: Well, I mean, it's easy to do because there's so much
going on in a school day, and so you can just easily lose sight
of what matters, so your word, your theme becomes your filter
that helps you stay focused on your priorities.
Heidi: Full transparency, I have to admit, I had very mixed
success with staying present. But at least the sticky note on
my computer reminded me to just walk away sometimes, just let it
go for now.
Emily: Yeah, because unfortunately having a one-word
theme isn't just magic that means you will nail it every
day, but even just having the word on a sticky note doing its
job to kind of nudge you back on track more often than you would
have been, that's that's a win.
Heidi: So those are our seven minute tasks. Pick your first
day outfit, pick your first read aloud, make your morning
playlist, write your future you page, update your emergency kit,
save five community building activities, and pick your one
word theme.
Emily: And if this kind of low pressure high payoff approach to
getting ahead is appealing, we want to tell you about
something. It's basically this episode, but bigger, and that is
our upcoming summit.
Heidi: Teacher Summer Talks is four days of short focus
sessions designed to help you get ready for the new year
without the overwhelm. It's the same energy as these 10 minute
tasks, just more of it, and more guided.
Emily: And if you've been to one of our teacher talks events
before, you know that we like to have a lot of fun. We always
have a fun theme, and I'll give you a little hint that this year
is giving summer camp, parent trap vibes. It's going to be a
real good time. You will not want to miss it. And the tickets
are free, and they are available on July 1.
Heidi: We will have all the details in the show notes. And
if the seven tasks today felt good, teacher summer talks is
the next natural step.
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 update your email signature. What do
you got in mind, Heidi?
Heidi: Well, okay, if you don't know, your email signature is
that little block of text that automatically shows up at the
bottom of your emails, and it can be a helpful tool in your
parent communication. Your signature should include your
name and contact info, obviously, and your office hours
if you have them. But you can also add your response policy,
something like I usually respond within two days during the
school week.
Emily: And then that line manages parent expectations
before they even become a problem. It will let the parents
know you're not going to be answering emails at 10pm.
Heidi: They still might hope you'll answer at 10pm but yes,
at least you've told them in writing what is reasonable. But
email signatures can be even more. You can include a photo, a
little icon, or a short quote if you want some personality in
there.
Emily: And if you don't have a signature yet, or if you want to
update yours. The nice part is you can design the whole thing
in Canva for free, even with a free account. It's really easy
to make yours cute, but still professional, or you know,
whatever your vibe is.
Heidi: And in the show notes, we will include a link to a YouTube
video that walks you through how to set all of this up in Canva,
and we will include a second link about Canva's new email
templates.
Emily: Yeah, I mean, bonus tip: if you want to get really ahead,
those email templates mean you can draft some of the emails you
already know you'll need, like your welcome email, your first
day of school email, and you know, the standard reminder
email that you send before every school holiday. But that's only
if you're ready to start thinking about school tasks, no
pressure.
Heidi: That's very optional.
To you wrap up the show we're sharing what we're giving extra
credit to this week. Emily, what gets your extra credit?
Emily: My extra credit goes to Hulken bags.
Heidi: They have the worst name.
Emily: I know, I know, but I mean they work hard like the
Hulk, I don't know. So they are these collapsible, foldable bags
that have like a sturdy base that has wheels, and then you
can get the sides open, and they're thick, easy to wipe off
material, but it, it looks kind of nice, it's a nice looking
bag, and then it has various kinds of handles on it, so you
can carry it in lots of different ways. You can do it
right next to you, you can pull it behind you with the longer
one, and the thing I love about these is you can fit so much
stuff in them. They're so handy, like I needed to haul in like
four big boxes of nothing but cake, little bunt cake things
for a PTA meeting, and I could get them all in that bag, just
barely, but I could. So they're just so handy to have.
So I have the large one, and let me tell you, it is large, like I
thought, oh, it's okay if I don't totally fill it up. No,
this should be called Extra Large. It is so big. So then I
got a medium for Christmas, because that's probably more
what you're expecting with a large. So I would say the medium
is more versatile, but it is really nice to have the Extra
Large one.
So I will say, though, Costco did come up with a knockoff, I
think it's the Clever Me brand, which I have their collapsible
laundry baskets that I have given extra credit to before, so
I know they're a good company, and I did see somebody that I
trust compare the two, and it stacked up pretty well. It was
not as sturdy, like the wheels weren't as heavy duty as the
Hulken bags, but they're like $40, they're way cheaper.
Heidi: Oh, wow.
Emily: So, but they only have one size, and it's like between
the medium and the large sizes of the Holken.
Heidi: I bet they come out with more sizes soon, though.
Emily: Yeah, they might. They totally might. So, I did notice
on Costco's website that there were quite a few reviews about
the wheels not holding up, like after a few months. But there
were plenty of people who said it was great, so it could be
something worth looking into, but also, if you see a deal on a
Hulken bag, might be worth just upgrading if you're gonna use
them forever. So I'll like to both.
Heidi: It'd be so nice to have that hauling stuff back and
forth from school all summer.
Emily: I know, especially that really big one. Well, honestly,
even both, I have frequently had that thought of like, I would
have loved these when I was hauling things in and out of the
classroom, or schlepping, as the Hulken company would say, that
these bags are made for schlepping.
Heidi: I love it.
Emily: What are you giving extra credit to, Heidi?
Heidi: Okay, well, my extra credit goes to Jury Duty
Corporate Retreat, but the bonus episodes.
Emily: Because you already gave extra credit to the series,
right? I didn't know there were bonus episodes.
Heidi: I didn't either! This is such a fun little surprise. So,
okay, to back up. Years, like, 2022 Jury Duty comes out, and
it's a hidden camera show, kind of like, but everyone's an
actor, except for one guy who thinks he's part of this
documentary about being on a jury. And all this crazy, insane
stuff happens, and everyone's like, Oh my gosh, that was
hilarious, too bad they can never do it again, because now
everyone knows. Well, they did it again, except now it's not a
jury duty, they did it at a corporate retreat, and I think I
like this one even better. I love jury duty, but corporate
retreat...
Emily: I know, corporate retreat, something about this,
the hero, I mean, that's what they call them, that's the
person who doesn't know that it's all fake. I loved the guy
in the first year, but he was a little more reserved. This guy
was in it. The guy at corporate retreat is like he's our, he's
becoming, he's a temp, he just barely met these people, but
he's becoming best friends with them by the end of the week,
like he.. Oh my gosh, I just love him so, so much.
Heidi: He was a gem of a human, and the nice thing is, they
don't ever set him out to be the butt of the joke. All of the
character actors are the butts of the joke.
Emily: Yes.
Heidi: So they call him the hero because he gets to be the hero
and save the day, and it was just so fun. Anyway, so I
finished up the last episode, and I was so sad. And then it
just immediately starts into the next episode, so they show you,
there's an episode about where they show how they did it, how
they set it up, like how they built this whole camp, like all
of the places the cameras were hidden, and how they
communicated when things went off the rails. I could watch
multiple episodes of that.
Emily: Yes, give me all the behind the scenes. I want to see
it all.
Heidi: James Marsden was in jury duty, and he came back to host,
like, a reunion special with the cast, so that was so fun.
Emily: Oh I want to watch that!
Heidi: They had the two hero guys sit down and have a talk
about their experiences, and then they go through and they
redo the corporate retreat episodes, but with the
commentary from the people that were doing it, so that you'd be
like, oh, well, in this moment you don't know what just
happened, because over here we had to do this because you did
this. And so it was so lovely.
Emily: Are they watching it with the hero, so he's getting filled
in too?
Heidi: Yes, and they're asking, "Well, what were you thinking
when she did this? And he's like, "I just thought that was
weird, but this was, you know." So yes, highly recommend. 10 out
of 10.
Emily: I cannot get enough. I will absolutely be starting that
tonight.
Heidi: And the good news is I was on IMDB looking something
up, and I saw that it looks like there's a season three coming
out, so.
Emily: Hopefully they've already been working on it sneakily, so
that they could get another surprise in there.
Heidi: Yeah, so this came out in 2026 and they filmed it in 2024.
Emily: I know. I was kind of surprised how long it took just
to edit it. I was like, seems like the setting up would be way
more worse than the editing. But what do I know?
Heidi: Well, that is it for today's episode. Pick one task
off the list and enjoy how far ahead it makes you feel.
Emily: And keep an eye out for the tickets for the Teacher
Summer Talk Summit. They become available on July 1.
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.