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240. 7 Quick Teacher Approved Tips for a Better January
5th January 2026 • Teacher Approved: Elementary Teacher Tips & Strategies • Heidi and Emily, Elementary School Teacher and Resource Designer
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January hits differently, and we want this episode to feel like a deep exhale as you head back into the classroom. We’re sharing a sneak peek of Teacher Winter Talks with seven incredible educators and quick, practical ideas to help you reset after winter break. You’ll hear simple shifts to reconnect with students, strengthen thinking across subjects, and make January feel more manageable. This is just a taste of what’s waiting inside Teacher Winter Talks, so sign up and grab your free ticket today!

Prefer to read? Grab the episode transcript and resources in the show notes here: https://www.secondstorywindow.net/podcast/january-teacher-tips/

🔗 Resources:

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  4. Podcast: One Tired Teacher
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  9. Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
  10. Leave a comment or rating on Spotify.

🎧 Related Episodes to Enjoy:

  1. Episode 147, Teacher Approved Tips: How to Plan Ahead for Future Problems!
  2. Episode 169, Our Best Teacher Tips For Finding Pockets of Prep Time to Get Ahead for January
  3. Episode 187, 3 Teacher Approved Episodes, Tips, and Favorites That You Will Love
  4. Episode 200, 200 Episodes Later: These 5 Teacher Approved Tips Still Win

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Try the Teacher Approved Club free for 10 days and get one perfectly timed, research-backed strategy each month—plus support from Heidi and Emily to help you actually use it when it matters most. Start your free trial at https://secondstorywindow.net/trial

Transcripts

Heidi:

This is episode 240 of Teacher Approved.

Heidi:

You're listening to Teacher Approved, the podcast helping

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

Heidi.

Emily:

And I'm Emily. We're the creators behind Second Story

Emily:

Window, where we give research based and teacher approved

Emily:

strategies that make teaching less stressful and more

Emily:

effective. You can check out the show notes and resources from

Emily:

each episode at secondstorywindow.net.

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

the show.

Emily:

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

Emily:

episode, we are sharing some teacher approved tips from seven

Emily:

fantastic educators that will help you make this your best

Emily:

January yet.

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Emily:

This week plan something to look forward to. Coming back

Emily:

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

Emily:

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

Emily:

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

Emily:

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

Emily:

your favorite takeout for dinner, or plan a girls night

Emily:

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

Emily:

students that you love doing.

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

everything feels just a little bit too much.

Emily:

If you like this idea or anything else we share here on

Emily:

the podcast, would you take a second and give us a five star

Emily:

rating and review in your podcast listening app?

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

love it.

Emily:

Since most of you are heading back today or tomorrow,

Emily:

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

Emily:

classroom mode.

Heidi:

Yeah, if you are feeling that post holiday slump and

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

the year, this episode is for you.

Emily:

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

Emily:

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

Emily:

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

Emily:

Seven of our amazing event speakers are here to share

Emily:

quick, actionable tips that you can use right now.

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

Each of these speakers has a complete session waiting for you

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

little taste.

Emily:

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

Emily:

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

Emily:

the link in our show notes, or at

Emily:

secondstorywindow.net/teacherwintertalks.

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

considered that your student shirts could teach you? Kirsten

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

So here's Kirsten.

Kirsten Hammond:

Hi everyone. I'm Kirsten from The Southern

Kirsten Hammond:

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

Kirsten Hammond:

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

Kirsten Hammond:

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

Kirsten Hammond:

other elementary educators make social studies engaging,

Kirsten Hammond:

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

Kirsten Hammond:

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

Kirsten Hammond:

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

Kirsten Hammond:

with our students.

Kirsten Hammond:

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

Kirsten Hammond:

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

Kirsten Hammond:

in wearing shirts, hoodies and sweatshirts that tell you

Kirsten Hammond:

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

Kirsten Hammond:

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

Kirsten Hammond:

conversation starter is one of the quickest ways to bring real

Kirsten Hammond:

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

question:

Is anything you're wearing today connected to a

question:

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

question:

with you an example from my own community.

question:

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

question:

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

question:

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

question:

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

question:

been especially exciting because both Texas Tech and Texas A and

question:

M are making their very first college football playoff debut.

question:

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

question:

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

question:

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

question:

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

question:

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

question:

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

question:

will still be in the playoffs.

question:

When a student walks in wearing a college football hoodie or

question:

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

question:

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

question:

You can talk about how sports bring communities together, why

question:

the playoff season matters for both college football and for

question:

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

question:

thinking about how events can impact local traditions or

question:

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

question:

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

question:

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

question:

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

question:

research to do it.

question:

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

question:

always share something happening in their neighborhood or

question:

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

question:

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

question:

unfolding around them every day.

question:

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

question:

during my summit session, real world events without the heavy

question:

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

question:

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

question:

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

question:

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

question:

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

question:

Tok and YouTube at The Southern Teach.

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

ideas that is hiding in plain sight.

Emily:

And it is a great reminder that social studies

Emily:

doesn't always need a lesson plan to work.

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

great way to re establish some connection with your students

Heidi:

post winter break.

Emily:

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

Emily:

conversations so they stay inclusive and productive.

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

winter talk session, along with ways to make this sustainable

Heidi:

all year long.

Emily:

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

Emily:

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

Emily:

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

Emily:

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

Emily:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Jessica Ivey:

Hey, Teacher Approved listeners. It's

Jessica Ivey:

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

Jessica Ivey:

helping teachers simplify their ELA block using mentor texts and

Jessica Ivey:

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

Jessica Ivey:

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

Jessica Ivey:

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

Jessica Ivey:

lessons feel more connected.

Jessica Ivey:

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

Jessica Ivey:

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

Jessica Ivey:

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

Jessica Ivey:

usually hear from teachers that they feel like their reading,

Jessica Ivey:

writing and grammar plans were created by three different

Jessica Ivey:

people who've never met. Everything feels disconnected

Jessica Ivey:

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

Jessica Ivey:

the students.

Jessica Ivey:

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

Jessica Ivey:

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

Jessica Ivey:

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

Jessica Ivey:

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

Jessica Ivey:

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

Jessica Ivey:

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

Jessica Ivey:

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

Jessica Ivey:

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

Jessica Ivey:

on reconnecting two pieces of your day.

Jessica Ivey:

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

Jessica Ivey:

reading moment and one sentence with great craft or structure.

Jessica Ivey:

Use the reading moment in your comprehension lesson, and then

Jessica Ivey:

pull that sentence later for a quick grammar or writing

Jessica Ivey:

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

Jessica Ivey:

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

Jessica Ivey:

reading, writing and grammar actually live together, and to

Jessica Ivey:

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

Jessica Ivey:

different books in one day.

Jessica Ivey:

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

Jessica Ivey:

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

Jessica Ivey:

into a full planning routine that you can reuse with any

Jessica Ivey:

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

Jessica Ivey:

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

Jessica Ivey:

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

Jessica Ivey:

share more with you soon.

Emily:

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

Emily:

need a whole new curriculum to make things feel cohesive.

Heidi:

Right. It's one small decision that reduces cognitive

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

a one time fix.

Emily:

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

Emily:

students freeze on word problems, even when you know

Emily:

that they can do the math.

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

simple shift that changes how students enter the problem. So

Heidi:

here's Mona.

Mona:

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

Mona:

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

Mona:

through fifth grade teachers turn their math block into a

Mona:

place where students feel safe to think and talk and problem

Mona:

solve, even when the word problems get tricky.

Mona:

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

Mona:

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

Mona:

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

Mona:

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

Mona:

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

Mona:

the literacy comprehension strategies that you use every

Mona:

day to help your students make sense of the situation before

Mona:

they ever solve anything, because one of the biggest

Mona:

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

Mona:

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

Mona:

can't make sense of the math.

Mona:

So instead of handing your students a problem and hoping

Mona:

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

Mona:

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

Mona:

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

Mona:

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

Mona:

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

Mona:

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

Mona:

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

Mona:

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

Mona:

visualize. We want them picturing the pan, seeing the

Mona:

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

Mona:

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

Mona:

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

Mona:

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

Mona:

they ever touch a pencil.

Mona:

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

Mona:

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

Mona:

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

Mona:

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

Mona:

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

Mona:

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

Mona:

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

Mona:

whole class comes outside to the playground. They come busting

Mona:

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

Mona:

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

Mona:

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

Mona:

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

Mona:

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

Mona:

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

Mona:

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

Mona:

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

Mona:

meaning before they solve. Now this tiny shift helps learners

Mona:

access the problem, especially those who rely heavily on

Mona:

strategies like visualizing and retelling and making mental

Mona:

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

Mona:

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

Mona:

they understand the situation.

Mona:

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

Mona:

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

Mona:

a simple daily routine called word problem workshop that helps

Mona:

students take risks, to talk about their thinking and truly

Mona:

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

Mona:

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

Mona:

simple routine that can really shift everything, even in

Mona:

January. See you there.

Heidi:

That line, launch the problem like a read aloud,

Heidi:

changes the whole entry point.

Emily:

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

Emily:

and confident, the math thinking follow.

Heidi:

In her full teacher winter talk session, Mona turns

Heidi:

this shift into a daily routine that builds confidence and

Heidi:

mathematical talk over time.

Emily:

If word problems are a sticking point in your room,

Emily:

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

Emily:

our next speaker brings a reflection strategy rooted in

Emily:

thinking classrooms research.

Heidi:

Cassie Tabrizi helps elementary teachers make math

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

students really thinking about their learning.

Cassie:

Hey, teacher approved listeners. My name is Cassie

Cassie:

Tabrizi and I support elementary teachers who want math time to

Cassie:

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

Cassie:

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

Cassie:

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

Cassie:

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

Cassie:

Peter Liljedahl's book Building Thinking Classrooms in

Cassie:

Mathematics.

Cassie:

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

Cassie:

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

Cassie:

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

Cassie:

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

Cassie:

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

Cassie:

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

Cassie:

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

Cassie:

when they forget?

Cassie:

For learners, it gives some light structure. Think like

Cassie:

guided math journal pages with questions that focus their

Cassie:

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

Cassie:

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

Cassie:

remember the next time this comes up? These journals become

Cassie:

a personal toolkit, something students can revisit in a few

Cassie:

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

Cassie:

preparing for a checkpoint like an assessment or a test.

Cassie:

In fact, Dr Liljedahl suggests letting students use their notes

Cassie:

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

Cassie:

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

Cassie:

they've learned. This retrieval practice really helps move

Cassie:

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

Cassie:

battle the forgetting curve and really achieve deep

Cassie:

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

Cassie:

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

Cassie:

real.

Cassie:

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

Cassie:

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

Cassie:

session. We'll dive into practical ways to create

Cassie:

clarity, increase motivation, and move information from

Cassie:

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

Cassie:

there.

Emily:

Notes to your future forgetful self. I love how low

Emily:

pressure that feels.

Heidi:

Yeah, it's turning reflection into something

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

session, Cassie walks through how to build this kind of

Heidi:

reflection into your math routine in a way that's

Heidi:

sustainable.

Emily:

Okay, we are halfway through our summit sneak peek.

Emily:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

full sessions I want to catch first.

Emily:

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

Emily:

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

Emily:

and she's got so many useful takeaways.

Heidi:

So here is Meg.

Meg:

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

Meg:

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

Meg:

spent over three decades in the classroom, mostly in upper

Meg:

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

Meg:

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

Meg:

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

Meg:

students often need a little more time than we expect.

Meg:

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

Meg:

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

Meg:

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

Meg:

practice, sharing their thinking, unsure of expectations

Meg:

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

Meg:

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

Meg:

unintentionally send the message that speed matters more than

Meg:

thinking. Intentional wait time changes that.

Meg:

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

Meg:

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

Meg:

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

Meg:

risk without being rushed. Those quiet seconds communicate

Meg:

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

Meg:

especially important in math and discussion based lessons where

Meg:

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

Meg:

confidence, encourages more voices to participate, and

Meg:

supports productive struggle, something students really need

Meg:

as they ease back into learning routines.

Meg:

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

Meg:

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

Meg:

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

Meg:

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

Meg:

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

Meg:

to support it without rescuing students too quickly, and how

Meg:

small shifts can lead to deeper thinking and stronger student

Meg:

engagement.

Meg:

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

Meg:

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

Meg:

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

Meg:

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

Meg:

www.theteacherstudio.com, or on Instagram and Tiktok

Meg:

@theteacherstudio.

Emily:

I love how much permission there is in that

Emily:

reminder.

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

but as part of the learning process.

Emily:

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

Emily:

moments like this fit into a bigger picture of student

Emily:

thinking and growth.

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

what else January brings? Sickness and sub plans.

Trina:

Hey, Teacher Approved listeners. I'm Trina Deboree

Trina:

from Trina Deboree Teaching and Learning and the podcast One

Trina:

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

Trina:

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

Trina:

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

Trina:

writing sub plans felt harder than actually teaching.

Trina:

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

Trina:

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

Trina:

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

Trina:

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

Trina:

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

Trina:

plans live only in your emergency brain, they never get

Trina:

done.

Trina:

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

Trina:

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

Trina:

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

Trina:

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

Trina:

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

Trina:

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

Trina:

turns sub plans from panic mode into a safety net.

Trina:

In my winter teacher talk session, the sub survival

Trina:

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

Trina:

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

Trina:

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

Trina:

ever dragged yourself to school because the thought of sub plans

Trina:

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

Trina:

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

Trina:

trinadeboreeteachingandlearning.com, and if you like real talk and

Trina:

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

Trina:

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

Trina:

your future self will thank you.

Heidi:

I love how much compassion there is in Trina's

Heidi:

reframe.

Emily:

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

Emily:

care for your future self, especially when that future self

Emily:

might have strep throat.

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

least once a year.

Emily:

Oh, it's the worst.

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

can stop carrying sub plan stress around all year.

Emily:

And speaking of taking care of yourself, our last

Emily:

summit speaker preview is someone we love collaborating

Emily:

with. Our buddy Kelsey Sorenson from educate and rejuvenate has

Emily:

hosted teacher conferences for five years. And she always

Emily:

brings this grounded permission giving energy to our summit as

Emily:

well.

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

need to hear right now.

Kelsey Sorenson:

Hey, Teacher Approved listeners. My name is

Kelsey Sorenson:

Kelsey Sorenson. I am a certified life coach, former

Kelsey Sorenson:

classroom teacher, current homeschooling mom of three, and

Kelsey Sorenson:

founder of educate and rejuvenate. You might know me

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

so much fun.

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

those, but a perspective shift that has completely changed how

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

with you at all? You are just in winter.

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

out.

Kelsey Sorenson:

But what if we allowed for seasonality, even within the

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

simplify and get intentional about what matters most? Think

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

it.

Kelsey Sorenson:

Maybe that means not changing the bulletin board this month,

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

permission.

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

tweaks that help teachers survive winter burnout, I'll

Kelsey Sorenson:

walk you through some practical, doable ways to support your

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Kelsey Sorenson:

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

Emily:

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

Emily:

permission to be more gentle with ourselves in the winter.

Heidi:

Yeah, if this season feels heavier than you expected,

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

session offers small, supportive ways to care for your energy

Heidi:

during this season.

Emily:

If winter burnout feels real right now, that session and

Emily:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Emily:

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

Emily:

educators has a full session with so much more depth waiting

Emily:

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

Emily:

even heard from yet.

Heidi:

Teacher winter talks is completely free to attend. Come

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

mid year burnout and reignite your teaching spark with

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

use right away.

Emily:

You can head to secondstorywindow.net/teacherwintertalks,

Emily:

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

Emily:

And if you want lifetime access plus bonus resources for each

Emily:

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

Emily:

you sign up.

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

much fun.

Emily:

Now for our Teacher Approved Tip of the Week, where

Emily:

we share an actionable tip to help you elevate what matters

Emily:

and simplify the rest. This week's teacher approved tip is

Emily:

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

Emily:

Heidi, tell us about this one.

Heidi:

Well, one thing that Emily and I often recommend

Heidi:

doing mid year is adjusting your seating arrangement. However,

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

take time to figure out one important detail. How quickly

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

fewest possible steps.

Heidi:

So that means designing for walkways, and probably not

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

out instead of walking over and actually dealing with the

Heidi:

problem.

Emily:

Designing your seating like this might seem

Emily:

unimportant, but clear paths help you circulate more and

Emily:

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

Emily:

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

Emily:

you for that, for thinking of them.

Heidi:

If you want to learn all about our strategy for using

Heidi:

your classroom seating arrangement for maximum impact,

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

works as one of your strongest classroom management tools. In

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

away with your own seating chart tailored to address your

Heidi:

specific classroom needs.

Emily:

So head to secondstorywindow.net/teacherwintertalks

Emily:

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

Emily:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

credit?

Emily:

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

Emily:

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

Emily:

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

Emily:

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

Emily:

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

Emily:

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

Emily:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

lookout for that.

Emily:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Emily:

It's true.

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

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

Emily:

I think you definitely do.

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

case you also need some new office supplies to get you

Heidi:

through January.

Emily:

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

Emily:

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

Emily:

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

Emily:

have so much fun.

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

Heidi.

Emily:

And I'm Emily. Thank you for listening. Be sure to follow

Emily:

or subscribe in your podcast app so that you never miss an

Emily:

episode.

Heidi:

You can connect with us and other teachers in the

Heidi:

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

Heidi:

Bye for now.

Emily:

Bye.

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