In this special episode, we share a sneak peek at our upcoming Teacher Summer Talks Summit with quick, practical tips from eight expert educators! From writing instruction and math routines to classroom management and teacher well-being, you'll walk away with fresh ideas to help you prepare for the new school year. We also share one of our favorite productivity strategies for making back-to-school prep more effective by managing your energy instead of your time.

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

Resources:

• Register for Teacher Summer Talks!
• Preorder our book Structure and Spark
• Join The Teacher Approved Club
• Connect with us on Instagram @2ndstorywindow
• Shop our teacher-approved resources
• Join our Teacher Approved Facebook group
• Leave a review on Apple Podcasts!
• Leave a comment or rating on Spotify

Connect With the Speakers on Instagram:

• Jessica: @ideasbyjivey
• Shelby: @littlejusticeleaders
• Leigh: @appliciousteacher
• Greg: @mrelementarymath
• Marcy: @saddleupfor2ndgrade
• Jen: @strategicclassroom
• Kelsey: @educateandrejuvenate
• Jacey: @jaceypulverschank

Related Episodes to Enjoy:

• Episode 241. What Smart Teachers Do Before a PD Event (So It Actually Sticks)
• Episode 112. 5 Podcasts for Elementary Teachers That We Know You’ll Love!
• Episode 71. The Easy Way Teachers Can Learn This Summer: 10 PD Books We Love
• Episode 16. Easy Summer PD

Mentioned in this episode:

Join the Teacher Approved Club, where members get seasonal morning work pages for grades K–5 this month to add fall and holiday fun without throwing off their routines: https://secondstorywindow.net/club

This is episode 272 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. This episode

is a little different. Our Teacher Summer Talks summit

kicks off next week, and so we pulled together an exciting

sneak peek. Eight of our summit speakers each recorded a quick

tip to share with you.

So, this is basically a sampler platter of the summit.

If a tip makes you want to hear more, you're in luck, because

that speaker has a full session waiting for you.

Yeah, so let's start with our good friend Jessica Ivey,

lovingly referred to by Jivey, by most of us, by many of us.

She's got a grammar tip that's really a writing tip in

disguise.

And this is such a clever way to work smarter. She's got

one tiny question that does more than a whole worksheet, so let's

hear what she has to say.

Hey, teacher-approved listeners, I

hope your summer is treating you well, and you're soaking up some

rest before the planning season kicks back in. I'm Jessica Ivey

Smith, also known as Jivey from Ideas by Jivey. I spent 10 years

teaching in the elementary grades, and I've spent over 15

helping teachers implement research-based strategies and

building literacy curriculum. My whole focus is to take that

stuff the research says works and make it simple enough to

actually pull off in a real classroom.

My teacher-approved tip is one small question that will stretch

your students' grammar further than any worksheet. That

How do you know? Most of us teach grammar by having

kids identify things, circle the noun, underline the verb, point

to the adjective, but here's the catch nobody warns you about. A

student can nail every one of those and still not reach for a

single strong word when it's their turn to write. Identifying

a part of speech and actually using it well turn out to be two

very different abilities.

So try this instead. When a student tells you a word is a

verb, resist the urge to just confirm it and move on. Stop and

ask, How do you know? Make them put the reasoning into words.

You'll see those gears turning. Instead of, raced is a verb,

you'll get, raced is a verb because it's what the boy did,

it's the action. You've nudged them from memorizing a label to

explaining how the word actually does its job in the sentence,

and that explaining is exactly what carries over when they

write, because now they don't just recognize a vivid word,

they get why it works and how to choose one themselves.

That question is just one piece of a bigger routine, and I'm

walking through the whole thing in my teacher summer talk

session, launching the mentor sentence routine in your first

two weeks. I'll show you a simple weekly rhythm that ties

grammar directly to writing, how to get it going in the opening

weeks of school so it sticks all year, and I'm even giving you a

ready-made lesson to start with, completely free. Now, I'd love

to connect with you at the summit, and you can also find me

anytime at Ideasbyjivey.com or over on Instagram @ideasbyjivey.

Come say hi, and let me know how your students respond the first

time you ask them, how do you know?

I love that, because this is how you turn a kid who can

label a verb into a kid who reaches for a strong one when

they write.

And it's really so simple. I love an idea that's so

versatile. You could use this question daily, and every time

it would surface different kinds of thinking.

Speaking of the power of questions, our next tip takes

that same move into much trickier territory. So, here's

Shelby from Little Justice Leaders on what to do when a kid

asks something hard and you freeze.

Hi, Teacher Approved listeners. I'm Dr. Shelby Kretz.

I'm the founder of Little Justice Leaders, and I help

teachers build classroom communities where all kids feel

seen, valued, and affirmed. For all of us as educators, there is

some point when a student is going to bring up a hard topic,

whether that's a question about gender, an inappropriate comment

about race, or some other remark about identity or diversity, and

you're frozen in front of the class. So, here's my

teacher-approved tip.

When these hard questions or comments come up, instead of

trying to respond right away or sweeping it under the rug and

panicking, we're simply going to ask a question. And here's why:

asking a question gives us a few seconds to figure out what the

right course of action is, and it also gives you a chance to

understand why your student asked the question or made the

comment in the first place.

So, the question is, what to ask. Of course, this depends on

what the student said, but here are a few good questions to have

ready. That's a good question. What made you think of that?

We're going to ask this if maybe it's a question about identity

that we don't know how to answer right away, but it's not exactly

offensive. Now, if they're saying something offensive or

potentially inappropriate, then we're going to say, "Hey, I want

to ask, where have you heard that before?" or "What do you

If you're still not sure how to handle the situation after the

think that word means?" or "Do you know what that means?"

Again, we're giving ourselves a beat to think about how to

handle it, but we're also giving the student an opportunity to

give us insight into what they meant.

student responds, you can always say, "Right now, I'm going to

continue with what we're working on, but we're going to come back

to this later." That buys you even more time to think about

it, while clearly signaling to your students that you're not

ignoring the question or comment.

So, why does this work? It keeps the door open, we're not

sweeping it under the rug or changing the subject. It tells

our students right away that we're not going to let harmful

behavior or harmful language pass by, and it also tells them

that our classroom is a safe place to ask hard questions.

We're not going to ignore it just because it makes us

uncomfortable. So that's it. It really is that simple. Just

start with a question, you buy yourself a little bit of time to

think, you gain insight into what your student was thinking,

and you clearly demonstrate to the class that you aren't going

to sweep things like this under the rug, and that you genuinely

care about what they think and what they have to say.

So, remember, responding well in these moments is so much easier

when you've already built a classroom where kids feel safe,

they feel known, and everyone understands what fairness looks

like. So at Little Justice Leaders, we help educators build

classrooms that are affirming and rooted in belonging. In our

teacher talk session, I'm sharing even more strategies and

our exact framework for creating a classroom culture where every

student feels like they belong. So, please don't miss it. We

share so many more resources for educators and families online,

so come find us at Little Justice Leaders on Instagram and

other social media, that's @littlejusticeleaders, and best

of luck creating a classroom culture that is truly rooted in

belonging this year. I'm so excited to connect with you

during the summit.

Shelby is so right. In a tough moment, what you need most

is a few seconds to think, and a thoughtful question gives you

that buffer.

And it keeps the door open instead of shutting the kid

down, so it helps you stay in control of a moment that feels

like it might spiral out of your hands, but while still keeping

the connection open with your student.

Our next tip is for everyone who's ever stared their

schedule wondering where on earth more writing is supposed

to fit. Here's Leigh from the Applicious Teacher.

Have you ever looked at your schedule and thought, I

know my students need more writing, but how am I supposed

to fit it in? It's a challenge that I hear all the time, and

honestly, it's something that I struggle with too. Hey there,

I'm Leigh Langton, and I'm a third-grade teacher here in

Central Florida, the creator behind the Applicious Teacher,

and a lifetime advocate for helping teachers implement

research-based practices in ways that are actually realistic for

basic classrooms, just like mine.

One of the biggest misconceptions about writing

instruction is that it has to happen in this special dedicated

writing block, and the truth is some of the most powerful

writing can happen in just a few minutes throughout the day.

Here is a quick tip that you can try literally your first day

back at school. So, imagine for a second it's your first week of

school, and you're about to read a classroom community building

book, like "Our Class is a Family" or something like that.

Before reading, ask your students to spend a couple

minutes responding to this prompt. What are some things

that you do to help take care of your family? Now, let your

students write whatever comes to their mind, then you can share

what they wrote, read the story, come back to that same prompt,

and ask students to revise their thinking using the text that

they just read, as well as how they could apply it to their

classroom family.

And there, in just a few minutes, students have activated

prior knowledge, engaged deeply with a story, they reflected on

their classroom expectations from previous classroom

experiences, and they practice some very meaningful writing,

all in one simple quick write. That is the power of quick

writes.

In my teacher summer talk session, I'm going to show you

how to use quick writes to help build the bridge between the

science of reading and the science of writing, and you'll

walk away with practical, low prep ideas that naturally fit

into your reading, math, science, and social studies

times without adding another program, another resource, or

hours to your day, or hours to your planning. So be sure to

join me for quick writes marrying the science of reading,

and the science of writing, and I cannot wait to share more with

you.

A quick write before a read aloud is so doable, you

don't have to invent a whole new block, you are folding writing

into something you're already doing.

And her first week community building example is

perfect timing, you could easily slot this into your first week

lessons.

Okay, now let's shift into math. So, here is Greg,

also known as Mr. Elementary Math, on how to stop guessing

your way through small groups.

What's going on, math fam? I'm Greg, also known as Mr.

Elementary Math. I'm a math coach and a curriculum writer

who helps third-grade teachers feel confident about

differentiation and small group instruction. My tip is all about

stopping the guessing game in your teacher-led small groups.

Here's something I see all the time: a teacher pulls a small

group, right, grabs an activity that looked good on paper, and

15 minutes later realizes it wasn't what that group needed.

Does that sound familiar?

So, here's the mind shift. Every student who sits down at your

small group table falls into one of three categories. They're

either still building understanding, they're

inconsistent and need more practice, or they've got it, and

they're ready for something deeper. Once you know which one

you're looking at, the right kind of lesson becomes obvious.

The tricky part isn't the teaching, it's figuring out

which category a group falls into before you waste your 15

minutes guessing.

So I'm breaking this down even more in my summit session called

Stop Winging It: How to Target Instruction in Math Small

Groups. I'll be sharing an example of how this looks, and a

quick checklist you can run through in under a minute to

know exactly what each small group needs. So, if guessing

sounds a little too familiar, you'll want to check me out. I'm

excited to connect with you during the summit. You can also

find me on Instagram @mrelementarymath.

This is such a helpful framework. Once you know which

category you're looking at, the lesson kind of builds itself.

And that question that he ends on the figuring out the

category before you waste 15 minutes, that is the perfect

setup for our next tip. Greg helped us figure out what

happens at your small group table, and Marcy from Saddle Up

for Second Grade is here to talk about how to keep everyone else

on track.

Hey, Teacher Approved listeners, I'm so excited to be

here with you today, and share a quick tip before my session at

the Teacher Summer Talks Summit. I'm Marcy Bernethi from Saddle

Up for Second Grade, and I help first, second, even third grade

teachers make math instruction feel more manageable with

practical routines, small group support and ready to use

resources.

If you are wanting to start small groups or math stations in

your classroom, the biggest thing I want you to remember is

you can't start small groups until your students know

what to do independently, and I say this because I learned this

the hard way. When I first started trying to do small group

math, I thought I could just pull a few kids back to my

table, give the rest of the class the math game for

activity, and they would magically know what to do.

Spoiler alert, that did not happen.

I had high expectations for them. I had not actually taught

them how to meet those expectations. I expected them to

work with a partner or a group, but I hadn't shown them what

that should look like and sound like. I expected them to use

math materials the right way, but I hadn't taken the time to

model it. I expected them to use the right voice level and

problem solve and take the basket off the shelf and clean

up and put it back exactly where it belonged, but here's the

those are not things our students automatically know how

to do. They have to be taught explicitly, repeatedly, and

patiently.

Before you ever expect your students to work independently

during math stations, you have to slow down and teach the

expectations first. What does it look like to play a math game

with a partner? What does it sound like when you're using a

math voice instead of a recess voice? What do you do if you

don't understand the directions? What do you do when you finish

early? Those little routines might seem small, but they are

the foundation that makes small group math actually work.

So my tip for you is this: before you launch math stations,

pick one expectation and teach it like it is part of your math

lesson, because it is. Model it, practice it, and let students

try it. Stop and reteach when needed. You may feel like you're

moving slowly at first, but I promise you that time on the

front end will save you so much frustration later. In my teacher

summer talk session, five simple math routines to teach before

small group math begins, I will walk you through the five

routines I teach before launching math stations in small

groups so your students will know exactly what to do while

you're working with a small group at the teacher table.

I'll also share a fun freebie to help get your routine started,

because small groups can work, but the routines have to come

first. I would love to connect with you before the summit. You

can find me at Saddleupfor2ndgrade.com or head

on over to Instagram and find me @saddleupfor2ndgrade.

And Marcy's right, you can't start small groups until

your students know what to do independently. That is so true.

Yeah, and it's probably something most of us learned the

hard way. It's really so easy to skip that step when we're just

excited to get going, but Marcy's right, those independent

routines aren't something that kids just know, you have to

teach them just like you'd teach anything else.

Our next tip is about a tool a lot of us are still

figuring out how to use well. Here's Jen from Strategic

Classroom with a rule of thumb for AI and your back to school

prep.

I'm Jen from Strategic Classroom, and I help great

teachers get their time back without sacrificing their

effectiveness. I've been teaching about AI and the ethics

of using it in the classroom since 2018 which is why I'm so

excited to share my teacher-approved tip with you

today. That's about AI.

The thing about AI is that it is amazing at giving you the

illusion of productivity, you might sit down and generate a

whole bunch of stuff, which makes you feel busy and

accomplished, except then you look down and realize that

you've actually just created more work for yourself. So, the

rule of thumb that I want you to carry into back to school prep

is that AI can be a green light when you've already made a

decision, and you just want more options, or you want refinement.

I wouldn't use it when you haven't made a decision yet, and

you're hoping that it will decide for you.

Let me show you the difference. Let's say that you've already

decided that you want a lining up routine that utilizes a song.

You might ask AI for 15 transition songs that other

teachers use, so that you can pick the two that you love.

That's a real time saver, because you got a lot of options

that have already been teacher tested, and then you are making

the call. AI widened your options, but it didn't take away

the decision to use a lineup song.

Now, if you sit down and ask AI for 30 first week of school

activities, we now have 30 different activities to read,

vet, and mostly throw away or modify. That doesn't actually

save you any time. You gave AI the decision, and it gave you

back a pile of work. So, before we ask AI for anything this

summer, I want you to ask yourself, have I already

decided, or am I hoping that it decides for me. We want to widen

our options without outsourcing our judgment.

This is just one of three questions that I'm going to walk

you through in my teacher summer talk session, AI can do it,

should it, where I'll give you a whole framework for knowing

exactly which back to school tasks to hand to AI and which

ones to keep for yourself, plus one thing that I would never

ever put into an AI tool. You definitely want to hear that

last one. I would love to connect with you during the

summit, and you can also find me on Instagram and TikTok

@strategicclassroom. I'll see you there.

It is so easy to feel productive with AI when you've

actually just made yourself 30 things to sort through.

And then you still haven't figured out the original

problem, so widen your options, but keep the judgment. No

computer can replace your expertise.

So far, everything we've talked about has been focused on

the classroom, but we can't forget the one thing that makes

it all work: the teacher.

That's what these next few tips are about. Here's

Kelsey from Educate and Rejuvenate on what to do when

your teacher brain won't clock out.

Hi, Teacher Approved listeners, I'm Kelsey Sorensen

from Educate and Rejuvenate. I'm a certified life coach for

teachers and a teacher author, probably most known for virtual

events, life coaching, and sub plans, but my biggest love and

what I do is helping teachers enjoy their lives both inside

the classroom and outside of it. You might also know me as I have

been a guest on the podcast and a speaker at past teacher summer

talks and teacher winter talks, and I'm so thrilled to be back

as a featured speaker for Teacher Summer Talks 2026.

So, here is something I've noticed with my teacher clients

who I work with. During the school year, your teacher brain

follows you home. You're sitting on the couch trying to watch

your show, but you're actually replaying the email that parents

sent, or running through tomorrow's lesson for the third

time. Then, when the summer hits, you might think that it

can leave you alone, but it doesn't always. Maybe you're at

Target, not even thinking about school, just grabbing whatever

you came in for, and then you walk past the back to school

section and see all the folders and the backpacks, and your

stomach drops, even though it's July and nothing has actually

happened yet.

So today I want to give you something you can do in that

exact moment. First, name it out loud if you can, say, there's my

teacher brain again, or just, my teacher brain followed me into

Target, and summer's not even over. That's it. Just noticing

what is actually happening.

Second, before you even get to that moment, build yourself what

I call an anchor menu. This is where you pick two to five

things ahead of time that bring you back to the present moment,

instead of worrying about the past or fretting about the

future. At least one should be something you can do instantly,

even if you were like, say, in the middle of teaching, or in

the checkout line at Target. Maybe it's taking three deep

breaths, or pressing your feet into the floor, or rocking side

to side. Decide this now, so the second you name your teacher

brain, you already know what to do next to bring yourself back

into the present moment, instead of just standing in the checkout

line, spiraling.

Now even if this is the one thing you take from today, it

can actually help you enjoy what you have left of your summer and

walk into the new school year with a tool that is going to

help you to bring yourself back to the present moment among all

of the back to school stress. But there's even more waiting

for you at Teacher Summer Talks. I've got a session called How to

Stop Dreading September Before It Even Starts, and it goes much

deeper into all of this. I'm a featured speaker this year, so

keep an eye out for it. You're not going to want to miss that

session. I have some great things to share with you there,

and an awesome freebie too.

You can also find me on Instagram @educateandrejuvenate,

and if you want a little pick-me-up, every week, I send

something via email called the Teacher Brain Break, where I

share a little tip like this. You can sign up for that at

Educateandrejuvenate.com/teacherbrainbreak.

That's it for now, but I can't wait to see you at Teacher

Summer Talks.

Her shopping example got me, because that's exactly what

happens. You're fine, you're just buying paper towels, and

then the backpacks are right there, and your stomach just

drops. It's the worst feeling.

I hate that moment. But what I like is that Kelsey gives

you something to actually do in that moment. You don't have to

give into the panic or push it down like it's not real. Name

it, and then go to your anchor response. Help your nervous

system do its job of keeping you regulated.

While Kelsey's tip is about catching yourself in the

moment, the next one is about setting things up before the

moment ever hits. So, here's Jacey on the boundary most of us

forget to plan for.

Hi, everyone, I'm Jacey Schank. I want to leave you with

one quick tip that has the power to completely change your school

year. Most teachers think boundaries are things we set

with other people, boundaries with parents, boundaries with

coworkers, but one of the most important boundaries is actually

the ones we set with ourselves.

Here's what I mean. Every August, teachers create

classroom procedures, lesson plans, and organizational

systems, but very few teachers create a plan for protecting

their own energy. Instead, we tell ourselves, I'll start

taking care of myself when things settle down, I'll start

exercising once I get into a routine, I'll start meal

prepping after the first few weeks of school. Guess what the

teachers never actually get caught up. There's

always another email, another meeting, another lesson, another

responsibility.

So, my challenge for you is very simple: before school starts,

choose one personal non-negotiable, just one. Maybe

it's eating breakfast every morning, maybe it's taking a 10

minute walk before school, maybe it's setting a hard stop time

and refusing to work after that time. Whatever it is, decide

right now, because if you don't intentionally protect your

well-being, the school year will gladly consume every bit of time

and energy that you have.

One of the biggest lessons I learned recovering from burnout

was that taking care of yourself isn't something you do after

everything else is finished. Taking care of yourself is a

boundary, and it is one that deserves protection. If this

resonates with you, be sure to check out my full session,

Protect Your Energy: three back to school boundaries every

teacher needs, where I will walk you through the exact

boundaries, habits, and systems that helped me recover from

burnout and create a healthier, more sustainable teaching

career.

And if you'd like more support, encouragement, and practical

strategies for preventing burnout, I'd love to connect

with you on Instagram @jaceypulverschank, J A C E Y P

U L V E R S C H A N K. I can't wait to connect with you and

help you protect your energy this school year.

This is so common, we plan every procedure for the

kids, and we leave ourselves completely out of it.

And that line, I'll take care of myself when things

settle down. I mean, there is no settling down, the year is never

gonna get less busy, so you have to set your non-negotiable now

before your intentions just get swallowed up by your to-do list.

So that is our sneak peek from eight of the voices that

you will hear at Teacher Summer Talks.

And every single one of these speakers has a full

session waiting for you at the summit, going deeper than they

could go here in just a few minutes. Teacher Summer Talks

runs july 20 through the 23rd, and it is free. All of the

speaker sessions are audio, and so you can listen while you're

driving or watching kids at the pool, or whatever you want to do

to relax.

But we are not finished yet. Of course, we couldn't

leave you without a tip of our own, and we are picking up right

where Jacey left off. Our tip is to schedule around your brain,

not your time. So, tell us more about this, Emily.

Okay, so basically every productivity tip teachers get is

about the clock, right? So they tell you to block it, batch it,

find the gaps, but the problem is making the mistake of

assuming that every hour is equal, and I don't know about

you, but there are some tasks my brain just cannot handle after

4pm. So instead of just going down your to-do list, try

sorting your tasks by energy.

Right. Some tasks, like lesson planning, parent

communication, that was a hard one for me, problem solving, and

looking at data, they all need your good brain, those are more

high-energy tasks.

But not every task requires that same level of

focus. That's where your low energy pile comes in. So, that's

running copies and organizing, clearing out your desk, filing

papers. None of that needs your sharpest hours.

So, take a minute to reflect and ask yourself, am I

trying to do thinking work during my tired hours, because a

lot of us are. We save lesson planning for Friday afternoon or

late at night when we are the most depleted version of

ourselves.

And when you're not thinking clearly, it makes every

task feel twice as hard. So, please do yourself a favor and

manage your energy, not your time.

I even have that as a sticky note on my computer. It

works for everyday life as well as it does for school. In fact,

you can just start using this right away. You don't have to

wait for school to start. Take a look at your back to school prep

and sort all of your tasks the same way.

If you're freshest in the morning, use that time for

planning your first week, building your classroom

procedures, designing lessons, mapping routines, all that high

brain work.

But if you're more of a night owl, save those tasks for

the hours when your head is the clearest. Put the kids to bed,

put on a favorite show, and fire up your laptop. Make your system

fit the realities of your life.

And save all the low brain stuff, like cutting out

lamination, organizing supplies, stuffing birthday bags, when

you're running on fumes. You don't need a fresh brain to use

a paper cutter.

Please make sure you're paying attention while using a

paper cutter, even if you are feeling tired. Nobody needs to

start the school year with stitches.

Yeah, I feel like no stitches is just a good goal for

everyone. And another good goal is to join us for the Teacher

Summer Talks Summit next week. Tickets are free, and all of the

speaker sessions are audio, so it frees you up to do whatever

you're doing. And then we have a few live sessions every day that

are going to be super fun if you can make it live, but even if

all you can do is take in the audio content, you will get so

much out of this week.

Besides all of our sessions, you get a guided first

day plan challenge, so you walk into August with a real back to

school plan all ready to go, and you get to hang out with us. So

that's definitely a bonus.

Yeah, we'll help you do it. It's gonna be so much fun.

Grab your free ticket at secondstorywindow.net/summertalks,

or even easier, just follow the link in the show notes.

Thanks for listening. Hope to see you at the summit

next week.

Bye.

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.