Heidi: This is episode 196 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 sharing our simple three step approach to
help you mentally wrap up the school year without carrying a
bag of stress into your summer.
Heidi: 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: Our try it tomorrow is to designate a school task cutoff
date and stick to it. So before the final bell rings, decide on
a specific day and time when all school related work must cease.
Communicate this to colleagues, if necessary, and most
importantly, commit to it yourself.
Heidi: Absolutely. You deserve to firmly shut the door on
school life as you head into the wonderful world that is summer
life. If you need some accountability, make sure to
communicate your cutoff date to people who will hold you
accountable for sticking to it, and then shut the door on school
and enjoy your time off.
Emily: If you like this idea or anything else we share on the
podcast, would you do us a favor and give us a five star rating
and review in Apple podcasts?
Heidi: It is that time of year where one foot is still in the
classroom and the other is already halfway into summer
break. Mentally, you're probably clocked out, and emotionally,
you might be riding that roller coaster between, I can't wait to
be done and I still have a million things to do.
Emily: If that sounds familiar, you are absolutely not alone. We
all know that feeling, and what makes it even harder is that our
teacher brains never really shut off.
Heidi: Oh, my goodness, yes, you're supposed to be relaxing,
but there's always that voice saying, if you don't get it done
now, you're going to regret it in August. Meanwhile, you are so
exhausted you can barely remember to bring your lunch to
school, let alone plan for next fall.
Emily: The good news is that you don't have to stay stuck in
those feelings. We want you to finish the year feeling grounded
and confident, not like you're limping to the finish line,
dragging your to do list like a strip of toilet paper stuck to
your shoe. With a few simple mindset shifts and practical
tools, you can leave school feeling more done than undone.
Heidi: We are calling this our May/June crossover plan. It's
not about adding more to your plate. It's about giving you
permission to wrap things up with intention so you can
actually enjoy your summer.
Emily: You deserve a real break, not one where you're constantly
checking email or waking up in a cold sweat because you dreamed
you forgot to turn in your textbook inventory.
Heidi: The May/June crossover plan has three parts: capture
and contain, prep for the pause, and close the loop. Our goal is
to give you a simple framework that will allow you to mentally
clock out without dropping any balls or carrying your teacher
guilt into summer.
Emily: Man, we do love a list. So let's dive into part one of
our list, which is capture and contain. So this is all about
giving your brain some breathing room. If you're like most
teachers right now, your brain is trying to tie up a lot of
loose ends at once. It's like having a very full, very chaotic
parking lot inside your head. There are cars everywhere, some
are parked in actual spaces, and some are double parked, and then
some are just abandoned in the middle of the lane, which is
kind of how it feels like when everybody's at the school for a
band concert and the parents have just given up trying to
find a place to park, and it's just mass chaos. So if you've
been there, you can visualize what I'm visualizing.
Heidi: Those cars are all your thoughts, worries, and to do's.
Did I remember to submit my supply list? What if I tried a
different seating arrangement next year? I should really
laminate those anchor charts before I leave.
Emily: So what if we could park some of those thought cars? The
thoughts aren't the problem. The problem is that the thoughts
have nowhere to go. They're stuck in gridlock and taking up
valuable mental real estate when your brain desperately needs a
vacation,
Heidi: The solution is simple, but it is powerful. Create an
actual physical parking lot for all of those thoughts. You
sometimes call this a brain dump, but, you know, I kind of
like thinking of it as a summer parking lot. You're not getting
rid of the cars, you're just giving them an organized place
to hang out while you're away.
Emily: Your parking lot can be as simple as a stack of sticky
notes or a dedicated notebook, or you can just have a Google
doc titled For August. Whatever system helps you breathe easier
is the right one for you.
Heidi: The key is to have one specific place where you capture
every random thought, every idea or worry that pops into your
head over the next few weeks, and we do mean everything. I
need to move the bookshelf to the other wall. Or consider a
new morning routine. Ask about that grant for the garden
project.
Emily: So because we want to capture those thoughts
immediately, your parking lot needs to be where you are. So
using a notebook for your thoughts is great unless you
find yourself wide awake in the middle of the night with an
urgent thought and nowhere to write it down because you left
your notebook at school.
Heidi: Oh, that is a guaranteed way to ensure that you're not
gonna be getting back to sleep anytime soon. So make sure that
whatever you use for your thought parking lot is something
that you can easily access anytime you need it.
Emily: It may seem too good to be true, but we promise that
writing down your thoughts is kind of a magical way to
decrease your anxiety level. Our brains are great idea machines,
but they are not built to be remembering machines, but once
you write something down, your brain can let go.
Heidi: This strategy helps you gently shift into summer mode
with peace of mind. I started doing something like this years
ago, and it completely changed how I transitioned into summer.
Instead of carrying this invisible backpack of things
that I should be thinking about, I just dumped it all in a
document and then closed my laptop.
Emily: Yeah, and using a document is a better idea than
what I do, which is just send myself emails where the thought
is the subject line, because then sometimes the next day, I'm
like, what and what even was this? And my inbox is a mess.
Don't, don't do that. Use a doc.
Heidi: And then you have to do something with that email and
put that information somewhere where you can use it.
Emily: And then it gets buried in my email by other emails, and
then I see it, like, a month later, I'm like, Oh my gosh, I
forgot about that. So that's not a good approach. Use a doc. And
what's great about this approach is that you're not ignoring
these thoughts or or like pretending that they don't
matter. You're just containing them so they don't take over
your well deserved break.
Heidi: Right now is not the time for action. We're just
committing to remembering. That's the limit of what we can
handle right now. This gives your brain the comfort of
knowing it's not going to lose thoughts without forcing you to
act on them immediately before they're forgotten.
Emily: And then when you come back in August, you will have
this gift waiting for you—all your end of your insights and
ideas captured when they were fresh in your mind.
Heidi: Now, if you want to take this to the next level, we have
several different to do pages in our end of year roadmap. There's
a general brain dump page called my summer to do list, plus there
are pages for May through August, so you can schedule when
you might want to try to do some of those tasks on your to do
list.
Emily: All roads lead back to the end of year roadmap at this
time of year.
Heidi: No joke.
Emily: If you want to organize that brain dump list, there's a
sheet called tasks by location, and this helps you maximize your
energy and time. And then there's a task status list,
where you can identify each task's first steps. Writing down
the first step for each task can lift a huge weight off your
shoulders. When it's time to do some school work, you'll already
know exactly where to start, which is often the hardest part.
Heidi: There is zero expectation that you should use every one of
those lists, but there's enough there that there should be
something that helps you build the system that you need. The
link to our free end of year roadmap is in the show notes.
But even if you just grab a notebook and start scribbling,
you are still giving yourself a huge gift.
Emily: Okay. So with all of those swirling thoughts
captured, it's time for part two of the May/June crossover plan,
prep for the pause. This is where we set the stage for a
real break.
Heidi: The question to ask yourself here is, what can I put
in place now so I can fully pause later? The goal isn't to
pretend that teaching doesn't exist for two months. As nice as
that would be, it's just not realistic for most of us.
Instead, it's about creating clear boundaries so that when
you do think about school, it is intentional rather than
intrusive.
Emily: One simple way to make space for your summer pause is
to move your teacher bag and put it out of sight. You can put it
in your closet, and keep it in the trunk of your car, out of
sight, out of mind, but still easy to get if you do need it.
Heidi: Another game changer is setting your out of office
message, something simple like, thanks for your email. I'm
currently on summer break, and I will respond when school resumes
in August. If this is urgent, please contact the school. This
sets a clear boundary that protects your time and it also
manages expectations.
Emily: While you're at it, delete or hide those school
related apps on your phone. You can temporarily remove any
school email, grading, or communication apps and reinstall
them when school nears, if you really have to have those on
your phone.
Heidi: And now's the time to batch any lingering to do tasks.
If you know you need to submit final receipts or purge that
drawer of mystery supplies, try and tackle it now. Don't let
these tasks bleed into your first weeks of summer.
Emily: It may be helpful to block off specific time, like
maybe a day or even just an afternoon after the students
leave, to knock out all those tasks at once. It's so much
better to stay late one day in June than to have these tasks
hanging over your head in July.
Heidi: You could even try scheduling a classroom cleanup
day with your work besties team up for mutual accountability and
make classroom cleanup social, rather than isolating. Having
others help makes tasks more enjoyable and efficient and
bonus points if you bring some snacks.
Emily: In episode 194 we talked about the three bin system for
breaking down your classroom. So you set up one bin for any
summer work you know that you will actually do, one for your
classroom setup materials, and one for the first week of school
essentials. Label them, stack them where you can get to them
and walk away.
Heidi: Being intentional about preparing for summer isn't about
doing more. It's about doing just enough to allow your brain
to actually shut off and your body to rest, because you
deserve a real break.
Emily: And that brings us to the third part of our May/June
crossover plan, which is close the loop. This is where we give
ourselves emotional closure on the school year. We often talk
about student closure, but like we mentioned last week, teacher
closure matters just as much.
Heidi: I think this might be one of the most overlooked parts of
transitioning to summer, but it's so important. Teaching
isn't just a job, it is personal. Each year is a journey
with its own highs and lows, victories and challenges.
Without some kind of closure, it's easy to carry those
emotions, especially the heavy ones, like frustration or
disappointment, right into your summer.
Emily: Small rituals can make a big difference. So on the last
day of school, I liked to take a photo of my empty classroom, all
tucked up for summer hibernation. There's something
so satisfying about seeing that clean slate and knowing it's
ready for a fresh start in the fall.
Heidi: And don't underestimate the power of simply saying
goodbye to your room. Walk around, touch the walls, sit at
your desk, lean into the Marie Kondo woowoo-ness of it all,
thank your room for all of the wonder that it held this year.
Even though the carpet is old and it doesn't have enough
outlets and you never know what the temperature will be, you and
your classroom are a pretty good team.
Emily: Another idea is to write a quick note of encouragement to
your future self, highlighting what went well this year and
what you hope for next year, and then you could tuck it into your
desk drawer to read on your first morning back at work.
Heidi: In episode 195 we talked about closing the school year
with heart. The idea is to honor what you've accomplished and
acknowledge any difficulties before moving on. You deserve to
start somewhere with a sense of peace and not panic or regret.
These small rituals help you draw a line between the school
year and your break.
Emily: And that is our May/June crossover plan. Capture the
thoughts swirling in your brain, prep for your exit so you can
truly pause, and close the loop with simple emotional closure.
It's not complicated, but it makes a world of difference.
Heidi: You don't have to be perfectly planned. You just need
a clear exit ramp and a little compassion for yourself.
Emily: Do you want a little help making that exit smoother? Well,
then download our end of your roadmap. It's totally free and
full of simple prompts and checklists to help you finish
strong without the stress. You'll find a link in our show
notes.
Heidi: But if you're feeling the pull to rest and the tug to
regroup, you are absolutely not alone. That's why the teacher
summer talks are coming in June, to help you gently shift into
summer reflection and feel ready for what's next without the
pressure. So stay tuned. You are going to love this.
Emily: Oh, you really are. So go give future you the gift of a
peaceful start to summer, because you have earned it.
Heidi: We would love to hear your end of year rituals, or how
you mentally transition to summer. 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
create a classroom closing checklist. Tell us more about
this. Heidi.
Heidi: Well, make a comprehensive list of everything
that must be done before you leave your classroom at the end
of the year. For example, all of the fun stuff, like inventorying
your cleaning supplies, organizing textbooks, checking
in all the technology, maybe hiding that coffee maker you're
not supposed to have in your room. Check off the items
systematically so you can mentally release those
responsibilities.
Emily: And don't forget to turn your grades in, because Heidi
knows from experience, they'll chase you down in during summer
if you forget to do that.
Heidi: Did have that problem one year.
Emily: To help you out with this, we've added some pages to
our end of your roadmap freebie. Yes, we're talking about it some
more. You can't trust us with digital products because they're
just too easy to extend. So give us a couple years, and this will
be a 75 page freebie, and you'll be glad you have it. But for
what we just added, there's a checklist for packing up your
room, there's a page to write a letter to your future self for
back to school encouragement, there's an inventory sheet for
any classroom items you need to inventory at the end of the
year. And then there's a sheet so you can keep track of what
you put in your three bins. Remember your classroom
resources bin, your need first bin, and your first week of
school bin.
Heidi: Now if you've already downloaded the end of your
roadmap, you might be thinking, great ladies, I already have
this. But don't worry, it is so easy to add these new pages. I
promise it's so easy. If you have downloaded the roadmap, but
you haven't filled anything out yet, just delete the old version
and download the new version.
Emily: That's for sure the easiest way. But if you have
written a few things in your roadmap, but not a lot, download
the new version and copy and paste anything you've written
into the new document, and then delete your old one.
Heidi: If you have written a lot in your roadmap and you don't
feel like copying and pasting, go ahead and download the new
roadmap and then look at the pages we've just added. For any
pages that you want to add to your current roadmap, just click
the little tab at the bottom of the page on the new download.
This will bring up a bunch of options like delete and
duplicate, but the option you want is copy to. So when you
click that, it'll bring up option and you want copy to
existing spreadsheet. And then you can select your roadmap
file, and it will copy it right in there. Once you have copied
over any of the new sheets that you want, you can just delete
the file that you downloaded.
Emily: I promise it's way easier than it sounds, and there's so
much good stuff in there. We just don't want you to miss any
of it as we keep adding really awesome new additions to it. So
make sure to head to the show notes so you can grab your own
copy or update your copy if you need the latest one.
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: Well, I'm giving extra credit to something super sexy.
It's my new dandruff comb. I was like, why does it have to be
called that?? I told you it was super sexy. The thing about this
comb is that it has hollow teeth, so it exfoliates your
scalp when you comb it across your scalp. And then what's cool
about it is it has a little button that cleans it out after.
Heidi: Gross.
Emily: No, it's not gross. It's not gross. I promise it's not
gross. It's not, it's less gross than having your scalp flakes
end up your clothes.
Heidi: That's very true. Yeah.
Emily: So it gets it out of your hair very easily. It feels
really good. And I feel like my scalp has been like, extra clean
since I started using this.
Heidi: Well, that does sound like a win.
Emily: I'm gonna turn you into a fan instead of a hater.
Heidi: We'll see.
Emily: I know that dandruff scales run in our family, so
don't try to pretend you're better than my dandruff comb.
Heidi: Don't out our dirty laundry on a national podcast!
Emily: Sorry mom for bringing shame on our family. What are
you giving extra credit to you, Heidi? Better bring something
really good after that mocking.
Heidi: Oh, it is excellent. It is so lovely and centering and
healing. So I'm giving extra credit to JaxKelly's shower
affirmation cards. These are really just such a simple way to
add a little brightness to your day. These cards are made from
like, some special material, probably plasticky, so it makes
them waterproof. So you just choose one, I like to choose one
at random, and then you get your shower wall a little wet, and
the card just sticks to it. And then while you're showering, you
can remind yourself that I am creating a life of passion and
purpose, or I am open and ready to receive amazing
possibilities.
They have several different sets for things like abundance,
So you can use the dandruff comb and then take a shower, and
anxiety and positivity and lots more than that. And they have
sets for kids and teens as well. I think these are really unique
then, if you're lucky, you'll pull out one that's like, I'm
gifts, especially if you have someone who might be going
still worthy, even though I have dandruff sometimes.
through a hard time. And I also think these are really helpful
They have some pretty specific ones, so they probably have
if you happen to be in a place right now where that thinking
time in the shower might lead to spiraling thoughts. So I give
these 10 stars out of 10 stars, I don't know, how many stars do
you think can get? This gets all of them. They're just really
lovely, a little bit of brightness in a world that can
that.
sometimes feel overwhelming.
Emily: If not, you can just make your own card to add to the set.
Heidi: That is it for today's episode. Use our May/June
crossover plan to mentally clock out without dropping the ball,
and don't forget our teacher approved tip to create a
checklist for packing up your classroom.
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.