Heidi: This is episode 225 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 mid-September slump. What
happens when that back to school honeymoon period officially
ends, and how you can keep your students engaged without
completely exhausting yourself in the process.
Heidi: Let's start with a try it tomorrow, where we share a quick
win that you can try in your classroom right away. Emily,
what's our suggestion this week?
Emily: This week, try switching up your Monday morning question.
Instead of asking students how their weekend went, ask what
they're looking forward to this week.
Heidi: This small change can make a really big difference for
some kids. Not everyone has great weekends, and starting
Monday by asking them to think about something that might have
been hard can really set a tough tone for the day.
Emily: Plus, for kids who struggle with being at school,
reminding them about the fun they had at home can make it
even harder to settle into the school week. Asking them to
focus forward instead of backward helps them get mentally
ready for what's coming.
Heidi: It's a simple way to help kids regulate their emotions and
start the week thinking about positive possibilities rather
than dwelling on what they're leaving behind.
Emily: If you like this idea or anything else we share here on
the podcast, could you take a moment and give us a five star
rating and review in your podcast players?
Heidi: Well, we're in late September now, and if you're
noticing that your adorable little angels are, well, maybe
acting a little less angelic, you're probably not imagining
it.
Emily: No, because the honeymoon is officially over. Those first
few weeks when kids were actually excited about your
pencil sharpening procedure, when they hung on your every
word about how to line up for the bathroom? Well, we hate to
be the bearers of bad news, but that's done.
Heidi: Oh yeah, it's long done. This was always a bittersweet
transition for me. It was nice to feel like life was settling
into a routine after the chaos of back to school, but there was
something so sweet about their wide eyed enthusiasm for
everything. It's so endearing when getting to use new glue
sticks is the highlight of the day.
Emily: Yeah, but it wears off fast, doesn't it? But the thing
to remember is that this shift is supposed to happen. If
everything stayed brand new and exciting all the time, then kids
would be constantly overwhelmed. Their little brains need this
shiny excitement to wear off so that they can focus on learning.
Heidi: Which, you know, is not as endearing, but I guess, is
probably more important. That means that once the rhythm of
the normal school day is setting in, those little brains start
scanning the room like, Hmm, okay, I've mastered the morning
work situation. I know exactly what happens during math time.
What else is happening around here?
Emily: Yeah, it's like they have this internal radar that's just
searching for the next interesting thing. You can just
hear it beeping in your mind. And then if they don't find
it...
Heidi: Oh yeah, oh yeah, they will create their own
entertainment. And I can promise you that their version of
entertainment is not what you want to have happening during
your reading lesson.
Emily: No, definitely not. So if you're seeing more fidgeting
kids rushing through work just to have something to do, or that
glazed over look during lessons, their brains are simply saying,
I need something worth paying attention to.
Heidi: But don't let that get you down. We promise this is not
a depressing episode. In fact, we think this dip in energy is
actually a good thing, because once you understand this
pattern, you can harness it instead of letting it run the
show.
Emily: And you don't need to overhaul anything to do it. A
few simple tweaks can change everything. One of our favorite
things to talk about on this podcast is the balance of
structure and novelty in the classroom. We did a deep dive on
this back in episode 99 if you want all the details. But as a
refresher, picture one of those old fashioned scales, you know,
like the ones you see in a courtroom that have like the two
hanging buckets on it.
Heidi: One of those buckets represents structure. This is
your procedures, your expectations, your daily
schedule, and anything else that gives shape to your day. The
other bucket is spark. This is novelty, surprise, excitement
and anything else that adds a little flair to the normal.
Emily: When structure and spark are balanced, your students are
engaged. Too much structure, and kids get bored and check out,
too much spark, and they're completely overwhelmed.
Heidi: At the beginning of the school year, that spark bucket
is overloaded. Every single thing is brand new, new desks,
new crayons, new routines and a whole lot of new faces. To
balance all of that novelty, we lean heavily into structure at
the start of the year. We work on getting to know each other,
teaching procedures and settling everyone into the routine.
Emily: Yeah, we're just working overtime, on loading up that
structure bucket. And that was perfect for back to school
season, but now that bucket is getting pretty heavy, so it's
time to add some spark to balance things back out.
Heidi: And we are using the word spark on purpose because we are
talking about tiny, little glints, not a full fireworks
show.
Emily: Yeah, think small, intentional moments that signal
to kids, Hey, learning is pretty fun. And the best part is that
most of these cost nothing and take almost no prep. All they
need from you is a bit of intention.
Heidi: So let's talk about five simple ways to add that spark
back into your day. And these really are simple. Think micro
novelties, little effort, big payoff. And the first one is to
change something.
Emily: Changing something can be as basic as moving your read
aloud to a different corner of the room, or it can be letting
kids do their spelling practice with markers instead of pencils.
Suddenly, spelling feels special, even though it's the
exact same words.
Heidi: A simple way to make a change is switching up where you
teach lessons. Instead of standing at the front board, try
teaching math back at the carpet one day. Your lesson plan can
stay exactly the same, but your students will instantly be more
tuned in.
Emily: A great way to create that, oh, something's different
feeling at the end of September is to rearrange your desks. You
are probably going to change seats at some point soon anyway,
you might as well use it strategically.
Heidi: And we have lots of thoughts about how to do this
process strategically.
Emily: Who us, have lots of thoughts?
Heidi: I know. You might even say we have all of the thoughts
about this. So your seating arrangement is one of your
greatest classroom management tools. So let it work for you.
You can find the details in episode 97 where we walk you all
the way through all of the details for our teacher approved
seating system.
Emily: Also check out our digital seating chart tool that
lets you try out lots of different strategic
arrangements. Twenty minutes of planning a well balanced seating
chart can buy you two months of decreased management issues.
It's a very smart investment, and there's a link to it in the
show notes.
Heidi: Okay, besides changing something. The second way to
increase Spark is to add to what you're already doing. Add a
quick brain break between subjects, add a funny prop or a
sound effect. You can even try out a new accent for a few
minutes. And if your accent is terrible, that's even better.
Emily: Thank you, Pepe Le Pew.
Heidi: Should I do the whole episode like this?
Emily: I'm gonna say no on that one.
Heidi: Spoilsport.
Emily: Or you can add movement to something that's usually done
sitting down. So instead of reviewing math facts at their
desk, you can have kids stand to do jumping jacks while they
practice. You're still meeting your math goals, but with a
totally different energy.
Heidi: You could also think about adding something
unexpected to your routine. For example, maybe you add comedy
captain to your class jobs. That person's job is to read the
day's joke to the class at the start of morning meeting. Or you
could try ending the day with a silly clap or a chant.
Emily: Adding a new element makes old routines feel like an
upgrade, but don't feel like you have to make this a year long
commitment. We want novelties to stay novel. So once everyone in
the class has had a turn to be comedy captain for the day, you
can retire that position until you need it in February, because
then you can bring it back as a way to enliven the dreary winter
days.
Heidi: Yeah, the goal is to sprinkle in just enough newness
to keep things fresh, and then take it away so it keeps feeling
fun.
Emily: That sounds mean, but it's not mean. We're not giving
them something and then ripping it away.
Heidi: We're doing it out of love.
Emily: We're just pulling it back a little for later.
So the third way to add Spark is to celebrate something. And
before you panic, we are not talking about classroom parties.
Heidi: No, we would need three episodes to talk about classroom
parties. Check out episodes 33, 34 and 96 if you don't believe
me, but the celebrations that we are talking about today are much
more low key.
Emily: Much, much, much, much more low key. Think 30 second
dance break because it's Wednesday afternoon, or, you
know, one of those silly whatever the daily holiday is,
like, you know, did you know there's a National Cheese Day?
Heidi: Of course, there is. There's a national day for
everything.
Emily: Yeah, and I think we just missed Talk Like a Pirate Day
for this year. But National Random Acts of Poetry Day,
American Touch Tag day and National Grouch day are all in
October.
Heidi: Oh, put those on your calendar. And also in October,
if you're looking for more of a personal celebration, there is
National Bra Day and National No Bra Day.
Emily: Oh my gosh. Maybe don't put those on the classroom
calendar, though. I think you can just keep that one to
yourself.
Heidi: Yeah, probably for the best. But you aren't limited to
the calendar when it comes to planning celebrations. Pick a
day this week and have everyone whisper for the entire morning
just because. Kids eat that stuff up.
Emily: Yep. The fourth simple way to increase spark is to add
choice, and this is so motivating for kids. Maybe you
let them pick where to work for one assignment, they can sit at
their desk or under their desks or in the reading corner.
Heidi: Just make sure that whatever choices you give them
are choices you can live with. Don't offer the choice to work
under their desks unless you're actually okay with kids crawling
around down there.
Emily: Yeah, you can only be the fun teacher, or if you're also
okay being the lay down the law teacher. For choice to work, you
have to hold students to high expectations. It's that warm
demander mentality that we were talking about. I don't know if
that was last week or two weeks ago. So it'd be saying like, Oh,
it sounds like you're playing under your desk instead of
working, so time to move back to your chair. You can decide if
you want to give the student a second chance after a few
minutes, or if it's just better for them to be done for the day.
Heidi: With classroom structure, the boundaries are clear for
students. Adding spark, however, can come with some boundary
pushing. Kids naturally want to see how far they can go,
because, as we like to say here on the podcast, the minimum
standard of behavior in any classroom is, what can the
students get away with?
Emily: The potential payoff from adding spark to your day is
worth some hassle, but also be willing to walk it back if it
sends your kids into overwhelm. And if a big choice like
choosing where in the room to work is too big for your
students to handle, just keep it small.
Heidi: Yeah, even something like letting students choose between
solving their math problem on a whiteboard or on a sticky note,
can make the whole day feel fresh and exciting. Either way,
they're doing their work, which is a win for you, but the kids
feel like they got a treat, which is a win for them.
Emily: And that brings us to the fifth way to add spark to your
day, and that is to solve something. Kids love a good
mystery or challenge. So start phonics with a riddle, or
present your science lesson as a problem that they need to figure
out.
Heidi: You could write clues on the board and have them guess
what today's vocabulary word will be, or create a simple
classroom mystery, like someone has stolen our pencil sharpener.
Let's examine the evidence.
Emily: A great way to add a little mystery in math is to
give students story problems with no numbers. You can cover
up the numbers in the problem or just leave a blank space. At the
park, Devin saw some birds in a tree and some in the grass. How
many more birds were in the tree than in the grass?
Heidi: Because the students are missing key information, their
brains are much more interested in figuring things out, instead
of just solving for a quick answer. And if you have taught
this type of story problem before, that is especially
helpful, because when they hear how many more, how often do kids
just jump to addition, even though it's a subtraction
problem?
Emily: Yeah.
Heidi: This bit of mystery slows everybody down and it gets them
thinking before you reveal the numbers.
Emily: Solving something can also look like meeting a
challenge. Activities like finish before the timer beeps,
find three mistakes in my work, or solve the puzzle before the
bell can be extremely motivating.
Heidi: Just make sure that you've included accommodations
for any learners who might find this type of activity more
pressure than pleasant. We don't want to stress kids out in the
name of having fun.
Emily: You really don't have to add something big to spark
curiosity. Even small surprises signal, Hey, pay attention,
something different is happening here.
Heidi: But while you are adding these moments of spark to your
day, you also want to keep an eye out for any early warning
signs that your structure might also need some attention. As our
procedures become routines, little cracks can start to show.
Emily: Think of these as your check engine lights. Yes, you
can probably drive for a while with that light on, but
eventually you're going to have bigger problems if you don't
deal with it soon.
Heidi: And it's the same thing in your classroom. If you notice
that you are giving the same reminders over and over and
over, or the same kids keep making the same mistakes with
procedures, that is your warning light blinking.
Emily: For example, maybe morning work completion is
getting sloppy. A few kids aren't finishing, others are
rushing through without thinking. It's easy to just
remind those kids individually and keep moving.
Heidi: But if you find this happening, step back and really
look. If it really is just a couple of kids, you can find
ways to support them individually. But if it's more
widespread, that's your signal to hit the brakes and reteach.
Emily: I know the last thing any of us wants to do is go
backwards and reteach something we covered in detail just a few
weeks ago, but trust us, taking two days to reset expectations
now will save you weeks of frustration later.
Heidi: When I taught second grade, I learned this the hard
way. I would notice my morning routine getting a little loose
about this time of year. And I would think, Oh, I know they've
got it. They're just being kids. They'll settle in and things
will be fine. But a few weeks later, my whole morning would be
chaotic, because when one piece goes, it takes the whole system
down with it.
Emily: This is not the fun part of teaching. And the kids don't
enjoy it any more than you do, but when they know exactly
what's expected, kids are free to focus on learning, instead of
trying to figure out the rules or figure out a way around the
rules.
Heidi: So as you navigate this mid-September transition,
remember that what's happening is totally normal. It's a signal
that your new students are ready for the next level.
Emily: Keep those solid routines, that structure is
still super important, but start sprinkling in some small
surprises and choices and pay attention to the warning signs
before they become bigger issues.
Heidi: These aren't huge overhauls, they're just tiny
tweaks that can make a big difference in keeping your
students engaged as you settle into your school year rhythm.
And if you want more ideas for increasing engagement at the
start of the year, make sure to go back and check out episode
156.
Emily: We'd love to hear how you handle the September slump. Come
join the conversation in our Teacher Approved Facebook group.
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 tip is about getting ahead on
parent communication by scheduling emails now. So tell
us about this, Heidi.
Heidi: Well, this one is such a time saver. If you know you're
going to need to send the same type of email to parents
multiple times throughout the year, sit down and draft those
emails now. So for example, if you do a star student each week,
just draft the email. Your child will be star student in two
weeks, please send me a photo for their poster by Friday, and
then schedule it to send two weeks before each child's turn.
Emily: You can do the same thing for field trip permission slips,
conference sign ups, or any regular parent communication.
Draft the email once, then schedule when it needs to go
out.
Heidi: Now if you want some bonus points, cc yourself on
these emails. That way you get a copy in your inbox as a reminder
that the email went out and that you should expect responses.
Emily: Oh so smart. This is a great way to save time and make
sure you stay on top of important communication. Most
email systems let you schedule messages. You just compose the
email like normal, then look for the option to schedule it
instead of sending immediately.
Heidi: The key to making this work is having your important
dates mapped out ahead of time. If you know when your
conferences are, when field trips are happening, or any
special events that are coming up, like dress up days, you can
definitely schedule those reminder emails now.
Emily: This same system works for positive communication too.
Maybe you want to send a 'great job this week' email to three
different parents throughout the month. Draft those emails now
and schedule them to go out when you want.
Heidi: This way parents get the information with plenty of
notice, and you're not spending Sunday nights frantically
writing emails. So I think this is a win all around.
Emily: Yeah, maybe you want to consider setting aside one of
your planning times this week to set up your scheduled emails for
the next month or two, and your future self will be so grateful
if you do.
Heidi: To wrap up the show, we are sharing what we're giving
extra credit to this week. Emily, what gets your extra
credit?
Emily: I'm giving extra credit to the new game from the New
York Times that's called Pips. It has a cute name, and it's a
cute game. It's a game where you rotate dominoes to fit into a
game board, but there are certain parts of the board that
have conditions, like all of the numbers in a certain part of the
board must be the same, or certain squares must be greater
than or less than a specific number. It kind of reminds me
of, like the logical rules of playing Sudoku, but this is
probably more fun. Yeah, I'd say this is more fun. Especially
because it's like visual and they have three levels of
difficulty that you can play each day. So it's a new fun
addition to my daily puzzle schedule.
Heidi: I could see this being really popular with older
students, like this would be a perfect math warm up.
Emily: For sure, yeah.
Heidi: Might have to build up to the harder level.
Emily: Yes, those take a little bit more brain power.
Heidi: Yes, that is a very fun addition to what the New York
Times has offer. I'm just bitter that they locked up the mini
crossword. It's fine. It's fine. I'll get over it.
Emily: I know, I'm so sorry, and I subscribe, but only because it
was only $5 a month. When that expires, if they want me to pay
more, I probably won't pay more, but I'm willing to pay $5 a
month to get to play the mini every day. What are you giving
extra credit to, Heidi?
Heidi: Well, I'm giving extra credit to simmer pots. Now that
it is finally cooling down, I'm leaning into all things cozy and
fall. I love having a pretty pot bubbling away on my stove, and I
have been preparing.
Emily: Wow.
Heidi: So during this summer, I used my air fryer, oh my gosh, I
can't believe I did this. I used my air fryer to dehydrate lemon
and orange slices for this moment.
Emily: Oh my gosh, Martha Stewart.
Heidi: I know pretty much. Now, did this make a task of slicing
fruit 4000 times harder and more complicated than it should have
been? Yes. But it means that I can make a simmer pot anytime
the mood strikes, even if I don't have fruit on hand. And
that was always the hang up for me. I was like, oh, this would
be the perfect day to have, you know, some orange and cinnamon
going on the stove. I don't have any oranges.
Emily: Uh huh.
Heidi: So I was like, oh, add it to the grocery order and then
get it a week later, and that, you know. So this way I'm
totally prepared. Now, I did a little investigating, Heidi
science corner here. So I did an orange, dehydrated it, and put
it on the stove, and it did not have any scent.
Emily: Oh, no!
Heidi: I was very bummed. But then I did a fresh one in it
also did not have any scent in a simmer pot. Like, if, if I put
my face right in it, like close enough that I was having to hold
my hair back so it didn't catch on fire, like that close, then
it had some orange scent to it. But the fresh ones didn't smell
any stronger than a dehydrated orange. So I just now I'm using
it for esthetics, although I did then get some orange oil in
there. So we'll see. I turned a simple task into a production.
But that is fully my MO. If you have been here for more than
five minutes, you know this about me. So this is where we're
at.
Emily: Well, it could have been this really awesome hack.
Heidi: Well, it is, because, like, it's not pretty without
the citrus floating in there.
Emily: Oh, for sure. The only thing I hate is that, like, it
doesn't stay pretty for very long once you've put the the
fruit in, it all turns.
Heidi: Especially if you do the cranberries ones.
Emily: Yes, yes, that's true. And I do usually do the one with
cranberries. If I did one without cranberries, I bet it
would hold up a little longer, but the oranges do turn into a
big mushy mush.
Heidi: Yes, and we can tell, because we have glass simmer
pots for this.
Emily: Obviously.
Heidi: And I did if, if anyone else is on this same kick, I did
put a link in the show notes so you can find one. But the one
that's the thing too, is not anything special, just look for
something that's about two liters, I found that's a good
size, because you need it big enough to hold all the bits and
pieces and then water.
Emily: Well, I feel like now is the moment to mention that if
you like this content about dehydrated fruit for simmer pots
in your pretty glass pots, then you would probably like our
podcast The Holiday Headstart, where we talk all about ideas
for making every day special, especially season changes and
the holidays. So come join us over there, if you like this
riveting content.
Heidi: Yes, that's how you will know if you like that podcast.
If this sounded interesting to you, that podcast is the place
for you.
Emily: You know what, if this doesn't sell that podcast, I
don't know what would.
Heidi: Well, that is it for today's episode. Remember, the
September slump is completely normal, but you can make it work
for you and not against you by keeping routines steady and
adding small moments of surprise and delight.
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
Heidi: You can connect with us and other teachers in the
episode.
Teacher Approved Facebook group. We'll see you here next week.
Bye for now.
Emily: Bye.