This is episode 240 of Teacher Approved.

You're listening to Teacher Approved, the podcast helping

educators elevate what matters and simplify the rest. I'm

Heidi.

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.

We're so glad you're tuning in today. Let's get to

the show.

Hey there. Thanks for joining us today. In today's

episode, we are sharing some teacher approved tips from seven

fantastic educators that will help you make this your best

January yet.

But first, let's start with a try it tomorrow, where we

share a quick win that you can try in your classroom right

away. So Emily, what is our suggestion this week?

This week plan something to look forward to. Coming back

after a long break can really feel rough, so you can make it a

little easier by giving yourself a boost. This could be something

fun that you're going to do with your students, or something just

for you. Maybe pack a yummy treat for after school, or grab

your favorite takeout for dinner, or plan a girls night

out for Saturday, or something you want to do with your

students that you love doing.

Or if you are thinking longer term, how about you think

about some spring break plans? I know it feels far away, but it's

closer than you think. Maybe print a picture that reminds you

of what you have to look forward to. You know, even if that's

just a cover of a book you want to read, print that picture and

tuck it into your plan book, and then you can peek at it when

you're on your third inside recess of the week, and

everything feels just a little bit too much.

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 in your podcast listening app?

Now we are so glad you're here today, because we've got

something fun planned, and we think you're really going to

love it.

Since most of you are heading back today or tomorrow,

we wanted to help you transition from cozy couch mode to busy

classroom mode.

Yeah, if you are feeling that post holiday slump and

maybe if your routines have gotten a little wobbly, or if

you're just ready for a reset heading into the second half of

the year, this episode is for you.

In a couple weeks, we are hosting the teacher winter talks

event. It is a free audio summit designed to help you start the

new year strong. And today, we're giving you a sneak peek.

Seven of our amazing event speakers are here to share

quick, actionable tips that you can use right now.

So think of this as the appetizer before the full meal.

Each of these speakers has a complete session waiting for you

at the summit, but what you're about to hear now is just a

little taste.

So if something resonates with you, and I have a feeling

several of these will, you can sign up for your free ticket at

the link in our show notes, or at

secondstorywindow.net/teacherwintertalks.

All right, let's kick things off with a tip that made

me say, Why have I never thought of this? Have you ever

considered that your student shirts could teach you? Kirsten

Hammond from The Southern Teach has and it's kind of brilliant.

So here's Kirsten.

Hi everyone. I'm Kirsten from The Southern

Teach, and I'm so excited to share a quick and easy strategy

that you can use right away to build real world events into

your social studies time. A little bit about me, I help

other elementary educators make social studies engaging,

meaningful and doable, even when time is tight. And one of my

favorite things to teach is how to connect what's happening in

the world right now to the skills we're already building

with our students.

One of the simplest ways to do that is a routine that I'm going

to call what's on their shirts. Every day, students are walking

in wearing shirts, hoodies and sweatshirts that tell you

exactly what's happening in their world—sports teams,

holidays, races, community events, and using that as a

conversation starter is one of the quickest ways to bring real

world events into the classroom. All you have to do is ask this

Is anything you're wearing today connected to a

real world event? This works anywhere, and I'm going to share

with you an example from my own community.

So over the football season this school year, we've seen a big

mix of Texas teams in the hallways, as always, because

football is a really big deal in the state. There's Texas Tech

fans, Texas A and M fans, Longhorn fans, and this year has

been especially exciting because both Texas Tech and Texas A and

M are making their very first college football playoff debut.

It's been a historic moment for both programs and our students

have felt that energy. As a former Aggie, of course I am

always cheering for A and M, but honestly, I would love to see

either team make a strong run, because it's such a big point of

pride for our kids and families. So hopefully, as you're

listening to this, when this airs, maybe one of those teams

will still be in the playoffs.

When a student walks in wearing a college football hoodie or

some type of jersey or tshirt from their favorite NFL team,

this is a perfect opening for a quick and meaningful connection.

You can talk about how sports bring communities together, why

the playoff season matters for both college football and for

NFL football, and even local high school football, and also

thinking about how events can impact local traditions or

economies all without planning a full lesson. Maybe there's a

nearby stadium that a lot of teams play at, or maybe your

city is hosting a college bowl game. There's all kinds of

things you can insert in, and you don't have to do a ton of

research to do it.

If a student isn't wearing anything event related, they can

always share something happening in their neighborhood or

something they heard at home. It takes a couple minutes, requires

little to no prep, and it helps students see social studies

unfolding around them every day.

If you like strategies like this, I can't wait to share more

during my summit session, real world events without the heavy

lifting. I'll walk you through how to choose the right real

world events, how to keep discussions neutral, and ways to

weave those moments into your day in a way that builds student

confidence without adding more to your plate. I'm excited to

connect with you all, and you can find me on Instagram, Tik

Tok and YouTube at The Southern Teach.

Okay, I love that, because this is one of those

ideas that is hiding in plain sight.

And it is a great reminder that social studies

doesn't always need a lesson plan to work.

And I love how adaptable this is. Even first graders can

participate in this kind of discussion, and this is just a

great way to re establish some connection with your students

post winter break.

And what you didn't hear is how she structures these

conversations so they stay inclusive and productive.

And that's what she breaks down on her full teacher

winter talk session, along with ways to make this sustainable

all year long.

Okay, our next tip is for anyone who's ever looked at

their lesson plans and thought, Wait, did three different people

write these? You know what I mean, your reading block has one

thing going on, and your writing block is doing something totally

unrelated, and grammar is just off in its own little world.

Oh, yeah, been there. But Jessica Ivey, from Ideas by

Jivey, has a simple fix. So here she is.

Hey, Teacher Approved listeners. It's

Jessica, also known as Jivey, from Ideas by Jivey, and I love

helping teachers simplify their ELA block using mentor texts and

routines that actually make your life easier. Today, I want to

share a quick mid-year win with you, something you can do this

week that won't add anything to your plate, but will make your

lessons feel more connected.

Instead of planning each subject separately, I want you to choose

one picture book and use it in two different parts of your day,

not the whole day, just two places. You know, by January, I

usually hear from teachers that they feel like their reading,

writing and grammar plans were created by three different

people who've never met. Everything feels disconnected

and it's exhausting to keep switching gears, for you and for

the students.

So I want you to grab a picture book that you already love. Now

don't overthink this. Just look on your shelf. Pick something

that you enjoy reading aloud, and then I want you to use that

book for a reading mini lesson and one other part of your day.

Now that could be a grammar warm up, a quick writing prompt, or

even discussing vocabulary words within the text. You're not

planning a whole week around the book yet. Save that for my full

session in the teacher winter talks. I want you to just focus

on reconnecting two pieces of your day.

So let's say you read your book and you spot one meaningful

reading moment and one sentence with great craft or structure.

Use the reading moment in your comprehension lesson, and then

pull that sentence later for a quick grammar or writing

conversation. Boom, you have two lessons that are connected with

zero extra prep. Our goal here is for students to see how

reading, writing and grammar actually live together, and to

give your brain a little break because you're not juggling five

different books in one day.

Now, in my teacher winter talk session called Mid Year Mentor

Text Makeover, I'm going to show you how to turn that simple idea

into a full planning routine that you can reuse with any

book. It's honestly the biggest sanity saver I teach. Now, if

you want to hang out with me before the session, you can come

find me on Instagram @ideasbyjivey. I can't wait to

share more with you soon.

What I love about this is how doable it feels. You don't

need a whole new curriculum to make things feel cohesive.

Right. It's one small decision that reduces cognitive

load for you, and helps students see how ELA actually fits

together. And what she impacts on her full session is how to

turn this into a repeatable planning habit, so it's not just

a one time fix.

Okay, our next step is for anyone who's watched

students freeze on word problems, even when you know

that they can do the math.

Ah, this is such a common problem, but Mona Iehl has a

simple shift that changes how students enter the problem. So

here's Mona.

Hi Teacher Approved listeners, I'm so glad to be

here with you. My name is Mona Iehl and I help kindergarten

through fifth grade teachers turn their math block into a

place where students feel safe to think and talk and problem

solve, even when the word problems get tricky.

So today's quick tip is one that you can use the very first day

back after winter break, or on any day here this winter or in

the future. It's honestly a game changer for students who

struggle with word problems. Here it is. Launch the problem

the same way that you launch a read aloud. I want you to use

the literacy comprehension strategies that you use every

day to help your students make sense of the situation before

they ever solve anything, because one of the biggest

hurdles for students with word problems isn't the math, it's

the reading. So if they don't understand the story, then they

can't make sense of the math.

So instead of handing your students a problem and hoping

for the best, I want you to try this. Tell them the story out

loud. Ask them to close their eyes and make a movie in their

mind. For example, here's what it might sound like. Okay, guys,

there's three fourths of a birthday cake left in the pan

after my dad's birthday party. My brother and I want to split

the remaining cake with our other brother. So I'm trying to

figure out how much of that cake I actually am going to get to

eat. And as you tell it, I want you to ask your students to

visualize. We want them picturing the pan, seeing the

cake cut into fourths, and imagining that there's only

three of those equal pieces left, and that then they're

going to be shared among three people. Then they're going to be

able to start to reason about the size of those pieces before

they ever touch a pencil.

Okay, but here's a first grade example. You might tell this

story to your students. There are 38 kids out on the

playground, you guys. They're all playing, they're on the

monkey bars, some are going down the slide. There's a few other

kids on that spinny thing, you know, the one where you like,

hold on and it spins you around real fast. Okay, there's 38

kids. Can you see them? Okay, but here's what happens next. A

whole class comes outside to the playground. They come busting

through the doors, their teachers being like, wait, wait,

wait, wait for me. But all these kids are running out onto the

playground. And now there are 53 kids on the playground. What I

want you to figure out is how many students came out to play.

Now, your students can imagine the playground, right? They're

there every day. They can start to see, okay, that first group

of kids is on the, all the equipment, and then more come

running through the doors. They're building a story, a

meaning before they solve. Now this tiny shift helps learners

access the problem, especially those who rely heavily on

strategies like visualizing and retelling and making mental

models in literacy, this is a great way to transfer those

skills. And it sets our students up to engage with math because

they understand the situation.

If this idea is resonating with you, I would love for you to

join my session at teacher winter talks, where I'm sharing

a simple daily routine called word problem workshop that helps

students take risks, to talk about their thinking and truly

become problem solvers, even in the middle of the year. I can't

wait to connect with you at the summit and share with you this

simple routine that can really shift everything, even in

January. See you there.

That line, launch the problem like a read aloud,

changes the whole entry point.

And it's a great reminder that when students feel oriented

and confident, the math thinking follow.

In her full teacher winter talk session, Mona turns

this shift into a daily routine that builds confidence and

mathematical talk over time.

If word problems are a sticking point in your room,

this one is worth your time. And staying in math for a minute,

our next speaker brings a reflection strategy rooted in

thinking classrooms research.

Cassie Tabrizi helps elementary teachers make math

time more meaningful, and today, she has a simple twist to get

students really thinking about their learning.

Hey, teacher approved listeners. My name is Cassie

Tabrizi and I support elementary teachers who want math time to

feel more meaningful for them and for their students. Today,

I've got a simple mindset shift that can lead to deeper thinking

and stronger retention in your math block. It's called writing

notes to your future forgetful self. The idea comes from Dr.

Peter Liljedahl's book Building Thinking Classrooms in

Mathematics.

At the end of a unit or even just a lesson, students take a

few minutes to reflect and jot down the most important ideas in

their own words. But here's the twist, instead of writing for

their teacher, they're writing for their future forgetful self.

That shift in audience makes a huge difference. The pressure's

off. The goal isn't perfection. It's about making connections.

What do they need to remember later? What would actually help

when they forget?

For learners, it gives some light structure. Think like

guided math journal pages with questions that focus their

thinking. Things like, what did you figure out today? What was

tricky at first, but makes more sense now? What do you want to

remember the next time this comes up? These journals become

a personal toolkit, something students can revisit in a few

weeks when they're spiraling back to old concepts or they're

preparing for a checkpoint like an assessment or a test.

In fact, Dr Liljedahl suggests letting students use their notes

on an assessment later on. This is not about letting them take a

shortcut. It's a powerful way to reinforce and retrieve what

they've learned. This retrieval practice really helps move

information from working memory to long term memory, so we can

battle the forgetting curve and really achieve deep

understanding. And one more thing as a side note, these

notes aren't graded. That's part of what makes them feel safe and

real.

So if you're curious about more steps that you can take to

master your math instruction, come join me in my winter summit

session. We'll dive into practical ways to create

clarity, increase motivation, and move information from

working memory to long term memory. Can't wait to see you

there.

Notes to your future forgetful self. I love how low

pressure that feels.

Yeah, it's turning reflection into something

students actually want to come back to, not just something that

they're rushing through. In her full teacher winter talk

session, Cassie walks through how to build this kind of

reflection into your math routine in a way that's

sustainable.

Okay, we are halfway through our summit sneak peek.

How are you doing? Are you getting some ideas brewing?

Oh, yeah, I'm already making a mental list of which

full sessions I want to catch first.

I love it. Our next tip comes from Meg Anderson at The

Teacher Studio. She spent over three decades in the classroom,

and she's got so many useful takeaways.

So here is Meg.

Hi, I'm Meg from The Teacher Studio. I'm so glad

you're here and taking a few minutes for yourself today. I

spent over three decades in the classroom, mostly in upper

elementary, and one thing I learned the hard way is that

January is different. We come back from winter break ready to

reset, reestablish routines and jump back into learning, but our

students often need a little more time than we expect.

So here's a simple but powerful reminder, as you head back into

the second half of your year, slow down your wait time. After

winter break, students are often hesitant. They're out of

practice, sharing their thinking, unsure of expectations

and sometimes just a little rusty. When we ask a question

and jump in too quickly or call on the first raised hand, we

unintentionally send the message that speed matters more than

thinking. Intentional wait time changes that.

When you pause just a few extra seconds after asking a question,

you give students space to first, process what's being

asked. Second, organize their thinking, and finally, take a

risk without being rushed. Those quiet seconds communicate

safety. They tell students, your thinking matters here. This is

especially important in math and discussion based lessons where

we want reasoning, not just answers. Wait time helps build

confidence, encourages more voices to participate, and

supports productive struggle, something students really need

as they ease back into learning routines.

So if January ever feels quieter or slower than you expect,

that's not a problem to fix. It's an invitation to lean into

these intentional pauses. In my full summit section, I'll dig

much deeper into how strategies like wait time fit into a bigger

picture of productive struggle, what it really looks like, how

to support it without rescuing students too quickly, and how

small shifts can lead to deeper thinking and stronger student

engagement.

If this idea resonates with you, I'd love for you to join me

there. Thanks for listening, and remember, those quiet moments

you build into your lessons matter more than you think. I'd

love to keep in touch, and you can find me at

www.theteacherstudio.com, or on Instagram and Tiktok

@theteacherstudio.

I love how much permission there is in that

reminder.

Yeah, you can tell she has spent a lot of time in the

classroom. Her tip reframes this January wobble not as a problem,

but as part of the learning process.

Meg's teacher winter talk session zooms out to show how

moments like this fit into a bigger picture of student

thinking and growth.

And if your January feels heavy or slow this year, that

perspective is really grounding. And if you need another tip,

perfect for this time of year, keep listening, because you know

what else January brings? Sickness and sub plans.

Hey, Teacher Approved listeners. I'm Trina Deboree

from Trina Deboree Teaching and Learning and the podcast One

Tired Teacher. And I spent 27 years in the classroom, mainly

as a second grade teacher, but also as a media specialist, and

I was that teacher who used to come to school sick because

writing sub plans felt harder than actually teaching.

Here's the simplest shift I want to share today. Stop thinking of

sub plans as something you do when you're sick, and start

thinking of them as something you set up once to protect your

future self. Most teachers don't avoid sub plans because they're

lazy. They avoid them because they're exhausted, and when sub

plans live only in your emergency brain, they never get

done.

Instead, here's the easy win. Pick one calm afternoon, not a

sick day, a calm afternoon. Does it exist? Yes, I believe it

does. And create a basic, reusable sub binder, just your

schedule, your class list, a short note to the sub and a

couple of flexible activities that work any day of the week.

That's it. Not cute, not fancy. Just ready. That one small shift

turns sub plans from panic mode into a safety net.

In my winter teacher talk session, the sub survival

system, how to plan once and rest easy all year, I share the

full framework, including how to keep sub plans simple, stress

free and guilt free, even during the busiest seasons. If you've

ever dragged yourself to school because the thought of sub plans

felt overwhelming, this session is for you. I'm so excited to

connect with you during the summit. You can find me at

trinadeboreeteachingandlearning.com, and if you like real talk and

practical support for tired teachers, I'd love to have you

listen to my podcast, One Tired Teacher. Take care of yourself,

your future self will thank you.

I love how much compassion there is in Trina's

reframe.

Yeah, this really does reframe sub plans as an act of

care for your future self, especially when that future self

might have strep throat.

Yeah, the strep throat, that always took me down at

least once a year.

Oh, it's the worst.

Trina's summit session, the sub survival system, will

show you how to build that safety net once, and then you

can stop carrying sub plan stress around all year.

And speaking of taking care of yourself, our last

summit speaker preview is someone we love collaborating

with. Our buddy Kelsey Sorenson from educate and rejuvenate has

hosted teacher conferences for five years. And she always

brings this grounded permission giving energy to our summit as

well.

Her tip isn't a strategy or a hack, it's more of a

perspective shift, and honestly, it might be exactly what you

need to hear right now.

Hey, Teacher Approved listeners. My name is

Kelsey Sorenson. I am a certified life coach, former

classroom teacher, current homeschooling mom of three, and

founder of educate and rejuvenate. You might know me

from the book, the podcast or Instagram, all of that same

name, educate and rejuvenate. We've also hosted a event for

teachers for the past five years. So if you've been to one

of our educate and rejuvenate conferences, hello, I'm so

excited to see you over at teacher winter talks as well.

Heidi and Emily and I love collaborating on our events, so

so much fun.

I want to offer you something today, not a productivity hack,

not another classroom strategy. You'll be getting plenty of

those, but a perspective shift that has completely changed how

I move through the season. Because let's be real. Winter

can feel really heavy. The holidays are over, the to do

list doesn't disappear. It's darker, colder, quieter, and

it's easy to start thinking, Why do I feel like this? What's

wrong with me? And here's the truth, what if nothing is wrong

with you at all? You are just in winter.

Literally, winter is not a season of blooming, it's a

season of rest, of a slowness of quiet, unseen growth. So let's

pause and really sit with that. And see how we can sit with that

analogy as teachers, because we are conditioned to go, go, go,

to hold it all together every day, every season, we rarely let

ourselves let up until we hit a break, literally like winter

break or summer break, and we crash and we're already burned

out.

But what if we allowed for seasonality, even within the

school year? What if we could still have a time to pull back,

simplify and get intentional about what matters most? Think

about it. Trees aren't blooming right now, not because they're

broken, but because they're wise. They're conserving energy,

they're preparing, they're doing the invisible work that makes

spring possible. And you are allowed to do the same. You are

allowed to slow down, to simplify, to take things off

your plate. You're allowed to stop fighting winter and be

like, Oh, I'm feeling the winter blues, and start working with

it.

Maybe that means not changing the bulletin board this month,

or using AI to streamline your lesson planning, or finally,

signing up for that meal service so dinner doesn't drain you

after a long day. And that is the mindset shift that I want to

leave you with today, not to fix yourself, but to give yourself

permission.

And inside of my winter talk session, it's called five tiny

tweaks that help teachers survive winter burnout, I'll

walk you through some practical, doable ways to support your

energy, your nervous system and your time right now. And if you

grabbed the max pass, don't skip the bonus. I'm sharing my

burnout to balance audio series, my full coaching framework, plus

access to an AI coaching tool I built specifically for teachers.

But for now, take this with you. You are not behind. You're not

failing. You are in winter, and this is a season to simplify.

That is such a helpful tip. We all could use the

permission to be more gentle with ourselves in the winter.

Yeah, if this season feels heavier than you expected,

you are definitely not alone. Kelsey's teacher winter talk

session offers small, supportive ways to care for your energy

during this season.

If winter burnout feels real right now, that session and

the bonus she's sharing are a beautiful place to start.

So that is our sneak peek of the teacher winter talks,

seven speakers, seven tips you can start using this week.

But remember, these are just the teasers. Each of these

educators has a full session with so much more depth waiting

for you, plus we've got so many other speakers that you haven't

even heard from yet.

Teacher winter talks is completely free to attend. Come

learn, low effort, big reward strategies to help you prevent

mid year burnout and reignite your teaching spark with

practical, bite sized audio tips you can listen to on the go and

use right away.

You can head to secondstorywindow.net/teacherwintertalks,

or head to the link in our show notes to grab your free ticket.

And if you want lifetime access plus bonus resources for each

speaker, you will want to upgrade to the max pass after

you sign up.

We cannot wait to see you there. We are going to have so

much fun.

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 design your seating for speed. I have a need for speed,

Heidi, tell us about this one.

Well, one thing that Emily and I often recommend

doing mid year is adjusting your seating arrangement. However,

before you start figuring out where everyone is going to sit,

take time to figure out one important detail. How quickly

can you get to any desk? Proximity to the teacher is the

number one deterrent to off task behavior. So your goal with your

seating arrangement is to be able to reach any seat in the

fewest possible steps.

So that means designing for walkways, and probably not

perfect rows, because if you have to walk all the way around

the perimeter of your desks to reach that back corner where the

kids are talking, you're going to do it less often, and when

you're tired, that means you're just going to default to calling

out instead of walking over and actually dealing with the

problem.

Designing your seating like this might seem

unimportant, but clear paths help you circulate more and

manage behavior quietly, and the real bonus is it cuts down on

the amount of walking you have to do, and your feet will thank

you for that, for thinking of them.

If you want to learn all about our strategy for using

your classroom seating arrangement for maximum impact,

you definitely want to sign up for the teacher winter talks. On

top of the 25 amazing sessions, Emily and I will be doing a

three day live challenge to help you create a seating chart that

works as one of your strongest classroom management tools. In

just a few minutes a day, during this challenge, you will walk

away with your own seating chart tailored to address your

specific classroom needs.

So head to secondstorywindow.net/teacherwintertalks

to grab your free ticket to join us on January 17 through 19th,

2026, and you can join us for the three day challenge too.

To wrap up the show, we are sharing what we're giving

extra credit to this week. Emily, what gets your extra

credit?

My extra credit goes to K18 dry shampoo. So I have seen

this recommended all over the place, and I finally gave it a

try when I, like, found a Black Friday deal. The rumors are

true, guys. It's amazing. It's way better than any other kind

of dry shampoo that I've tried. And it isn't the cheapest, but I

do feel like a little goes a long way. So like, in the long

run, I don't feel like it's that expensive.

Oh, that's good to know. I'm gonna have to be on the

lookout for that.

Yeah, for sure. What are you giving extra credit to?

So my extra credit goes to some new pens that I just

got. They are the Tul (T-U-L) retractable gel pens. My

preferred pen is the muji 0.5, long time devotee of the Muji.

It's true.

But those pens, I found they don't write well on post it

notes, and that is so frustrating. I've had to keep

other pens around, so I thought I would give these a try. And

these Tul pens are great. They write so smoothly. And now I'm

trying to decide if I need to get the pretty colored ones too.

I think you definitely do.

Well I will put a link to the pens in the show notes in

case you also need some new office supplies to get you

through January.

That is it for today's episode. Make sure to sign up

for teacher winter talks, and there is a link to that in the

show notes. We would love for you to join us. We're going to

have so much fun.

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Teacher Approved. I'm

Heidi.

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.

You can connect with us and other teachers in the

Teacher Approved Facebook group. We'll see you here next week.

Bye for now.

Bye.