This is Mr. Funky Teacher with BeAFunkyTeacher.com. I'm coming to you with another Be a Funky Teacher podcast. Welcome back everyone. Today's episode is called Saturday Stories: Leadership Kit — Work Hard After the Bell. Before we jump into today's story, I want to ground myself in gratitude. Here are three things that I'm thankful for. The first thing that I'm thankful for is early mornings. There’s something about starting the day before everything gets loud that just feels right. The second thing that I'm thankful for is moments where students surprise you—when they go a little further than expected or show growth you didn’t see coming. And the third thing that I'm thankful for is routines. The small things we do every day that don’t feel big in the moment but build something over time. Well, it’s Saturday, which means it’s time for another Saturday story from the Leadership Kit. We just finished talking about decision making—starting, trying, learning from mistakes, thinking before acting. Now we move into something that shows up every single day: effort. Because decisions matter—but effort is what sustains them. Let’s step into the story now. This episode is part of the Leadership Kit. The value that we are focusing on this week is effort. The skill students are practicing is work hard. And the story you’re about to hear is called After the Bell. The characters in this story are Aaliyah, Jayden, Sophia, Mateo, and Leo. I’m going to read the story all the way through with no interruptions, and I’m just going to have you listen. Then we’ll talk about it. All right, let’s get started. After the Bell The bell rang. Chairs slid back. Backpacks zipped. Voices filled the room. “Let’s go,” Mateo said, already halfway to the door. Jayden grabbed his stuff. “I’m out.” Sophia stacked her papers neatly. Aaliyah stayed seated. Leo noticed. “You’re staying?” he asked. Aaliyah nodded toward her work. “I didn’t finish this part.” Leo looked at the clock. “We’ve got like two minutes.” “Yeah,” she said. “That’s enough to get started.” Jayden looked back from the doorway. “You can just do it tomorrow.” Aaliyah shook her head. “I’d rather not start behind.” Mateo shrugged. “That’s fair.” Leo sat back. “I’ll stay for a minute too.” They worked quietly. Just a few more lines. A couple more corrections. Nothing big. The room emptied. The noise faded. The bell for the next class hadn’t even rung yet. Jayden peeked back in. “You still working?” Aaliyah smiled slightly. “Just finishing something I already started.” Later that day, when they came back to it, she wasn’t catching up. She was ready. Sometimes effort doesn’t look loud. Sometimes it’s just choosing not to stop. Well, that’s our story, y’all. The skill focus there is work hard. Effort isn’t always big. It’s not always dramatic. Sometimes it’s small. It’s quiet. It’s consistent. It’s doing a little more when it would be easy to stop. It’s finishing what you started. Leadership shows up in those moments. When you take this story into your classroom, you can start with reflection: “Have you ever stopped something and then had to work twice as hard later?” Then move into noticing: “Why did Aaliyah keep working after the bell?” “What did Leo choose to do?” “What was the result later?” As the week goes on, you can ask: “What does effort look like in small moments?” “Why is it easy to stop when others stop?” “How can doing a little extra now help you later?” Those kinds of questions can lead to meaningful classroom discussions. And as you use this story throughout the week, remind students: This week is about consistency—not perfection. You can name effort when you see it: “You kept going.” “You finished what you started.” “That was effort.” Students often think effort means working longer. This helps them see that sometimes effort means working a little longer—when it matters. If you want the printable version of this story with teacher questions and a student handout, you can find it at BeAFunkyTeacher.com. It’s free for classroom use. And as you head into the week, here’s the leadership focus: Effort isn’t about being the best. It’s about being consistent. Doing the small things. Finishing what you start. Because those small moments—they build something bigger. Well, head on over to Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcast and hit me up with a five-star review if you found value in this episode. And as you go into your next week, remember to inspire greatness in young people. And don’t forget to be a funky teacher. Bye now.