Latest / Teacher Approved: Elementary Teacher Tips & Strategies / 236. Your Tired Teacher Guide to January Prep from Your Couch

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236. Your Tired Teacher Guide to January Prep from Your Couch · Teacher Approved: Elementary Teacher Tips & Strategies

• 0:00
  Heidi: This is episode 236 of Teacher Approved.
• 0:06
  You're listening to Teacher Approved, the podcast helping
• 0:09
  educators elevate what matters and simplify the rest. I'm
• 0:12
  Heidi.
• 0:13
  Emily: And I'm Emily. We're the creators behind Second Story
• 0:16
  Window, where we give research based and teacher approved
• 0:19
  strategies that make teaching less stressful and more
• 0:22
  effective. You can check out the show notes and resources from
• 0:25
  each episode at secondstorywindow.net.
• 0:28
  Heidi: We're so glad you're tuning in today. Let's get to
• 0:31
  the show.
• 0:35
  Emily: Hey there. Thanks for joining us today. In today's
• 0:38
  episode, we are talking about your January launch plan and how
• 0:42
  you can prepare for it from the comfort of your couch, and we're
• 0:45
  sharing a teacher approved tip for managing inside recess.
• 0:49
  Heidi: But first, let's start with a try it tomorrow, where we
• 0:52
  share a quick one that you can try in your classroom right
• 0:54
  away. Emily, what is our suggestion for this week?
• 0:57
  Emily: Our suggestion is tomorrow, set up a thank you
• 1:01
  note list. So back in episode 39 we shared this as a teacher
• 1:04
  approved tip, but it's a wonderful quick win, so we're
• 1:07
  bringing it back today. Many teachers are about to receive
• 1:10
  some gifts this holiday season, and it is not required, but it's
• 1:14
  obviously a nice touch for you to send a thank you note. It
• 1:18
  shows the parent that the gift actually made it to you at
• 1:20
  school, and the kids will feel so special to get mail from
• 1:24
  their teacher.
• 1:24
  Heidi: Yes.
• 1:26
  Emily: When I was in first grade, Mrs. Clark sent me a
• 1:28
  thank you note during Christmas break, and my mom saved it in my
• 1:31
  scrapbook, and every time I read it, it makes me teary, because
• 1:34
  it was just so incredibly sweet, and I remember being so excited
• 1:37
  to get it. So with all that being said, if you plan to send
• 1:41
  thank you notes, print a list of your students names now ahead of
• 1:45
  time, and then you'll have a place to write down any gifts as
• 1:48
  they trickle in. And you'll be so grateful to have this when
• 1:51
  you want to send those thank you notes.
• 1:53
  Heidi: That's such a helpful tip, because you know those
• 1:55
  gifts just kind of trickle in over the month. And so some
• 1:59
  people are really on the ball, and they're dropping them off
• 2:01
  December 1, and then you get a big wave near the end, but it's
• 2:04
  hard to keep track of everything, and having the list
• 2:06
  already made just like that's one, one huge task off your
• 2:10
  mental load.
• 2:10
  Emily: Yeah, for sure.
• 2:12
  Heidi: If you like this idea or anything else we share here on
• 2:14
  the podcast, would you take a second and give us a five star
• 2:17
  rating? Ratings and reviews are one way that new listeners can
• 2:20
  find us, and every rating and review really is a huge help.
• 2:24
  Emily: Today, we are solving big problems. We're talking about
• 2:28
  how to prepare for January from the comfort of your couch,
• 2:32
  whether that's before break even starts, or during your break if
• 2:35
  you run out of time.
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  Heidi: And first things first, you are tired, you deserve a
• 2:40
  real rest, and rest all by itself, is valuable and
• 2:43
  productive. You absolutely do not need to justify your
• 2:46
  downtime by sneaking work into it.
• 2:49
  Emily: Right. If your free time is spent doing absolutely
• 2:51
  nothing work related, that is completely okay. In fact, it's
• 2:55
  probably exactly what you need.
• 2:57
  Heidi: And we want that so much for you. But you know, for a lot
• 3:00
  of teachers, knowing that January is prepared actually
• 3:04
  helps them rest better.
• 3:06
  Emily: Totally. It's really hard to fully relax when you're
• 3:09
  dreading what is waiting for you on the other side of your
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  relaxing.
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  Heidi: So this episode isn't about being productive during
• 3:16
  your break. It's about lowering your stress so that you can
• 3:20
  actually enjoy your time off. If doing a few light tasks from
• 3:24
  your couch means you are not lying awake at 2am thinking
• 3:27
  about lesson plans, that it's a huge win.
• 3:30
  Emily: And hopefully, ideally, you'll get most of this done
• 3:33
  before break even starts. That is the dream.
• 3:37
  Heidi: Oh yes, that is the dream, for sure. But if life
• 3:41
  happens and you run out of time, at least you can tackle these
• 3:44
  tasks while you're cozy, instead of having to drag yourself into
• 3:48
  your classroom.
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  Emily: Oh yeah. Nobody wants that.
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  Heidi: No. Been there plenty.
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  Emily: We talked about this concept back in episode 201. The
• 3:55
  basic idea is that some tasks are so low effort and low brain
• 3:59
  that you can do them while binging Hallmark movies or
• 4:02
  catching up on your favorite shows.
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  Heidi: And that's why we call these TV tasks. The key is that
• 4:08
  they don't require a lot of focus or materials. You mostly
• 4:11
  just need your phone or your laptop.
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  Emily: And just think of it as a way to add relaxation to your
• 4:16
  work time instead of adding work to your relaxation time. That's,
• 4:21
  that's the goal here.
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  Heidi: Yeah, that's a good reframe, because, yes, you are
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  getting work done, but you're also giving yourself permission
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  to do it in the easiest, most comfortable way possible, which
• 4:32
  is 100% our brand.
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  Emily: My favorite way to do anything is from the couch. So
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  what we're going to walk you through today is what we're
• 4:40
  calling your January launch plan. This is the bare minimum
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  you need to have ready so that you and your students can start
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  the new term calmly and confidently.
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  Heidi: We really do mean bare minimum. We're not planning the
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  whole month of January right now.
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  Emily: Oh heck no.
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  Heidi: We're just gonna focus on your first three to five days
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  back. That's it, just enough to get started without scrambling.
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  Emily: So the January launch plan has three parts, content,
• 5:06
  community and comfort. We love a list that starts with the same
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  letter. These are the only three things you need ready to start
• 5:14
  strong.
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  Heidi: So content is the learning side of your classroom,
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  lessons, procedures, schedule, all of that. Community is about
• 5:20
  reconnecting with your students and helping them reconnect with
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  each other. And comfort is about taking care of yourself and
• 5:27
  making that rough transition back as gentle as possible.
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  Emily: And you're probably not surprised that I'm going to tell
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  you that the December teacher survival kit is ready to help
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  you with this. It's full of pages to help you plan your
• 5:39
  January launch plan. So grab that if you want some help
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  figuring this all out. But if you've got those 3c covered for
• 5:45
  your first few days back, you are golden. You'll walk into
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  your classroom in January and feel ready instead of frantic.
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  Heidi: So let's break these down. Starting with content, the
• 5:56
  very first decision that you need to make is whether you are
• 5:59
  diving right back into regular content, or taking a couple of
• 6:03
  days to settle in. And this decision depends so much on your
• 6:06
  situation. If you have a short week back, you might want some
• 6:09
  transition time.
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  Emily: Or if you know your students are going to be
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  dragging after two weeks of sleeping in and eating cookies,
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  they might need a day or two to ease back in. If your schedule
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  will allow it, definitely set aside a couple of days to
• 6:22
  transition back into school mode, if you can.
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  Heidi: But by transition days, we don't mean wasted days.
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  You're still keeping students meaningfully engaged, you're
• 6:32
  just not jumping back into brand new content yet.
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  Emily: Yeah, so that might mean doing a new year's goal setting
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  activity, or, you know, finishing any leftover
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  assessments, or maybe even December projects that did not
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  get done.
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  Heidi: Oh, yeah, yeah, there's always like, what, half a dozen
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  of those haunting you like Ghost of Christmas past?
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  Yes.
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  You could play a fun review game to get those brains thinking
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  again, or introduce a new small routine, like morning journaling
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  or a daily question, something to make things feel a little
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  fresh but not overwhelming.
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  Emily: Yeah, you could plan a reflection activity, and that
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  could be as simple as students drawing their favorite memory
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  from winter break, or writing three goals for the new year.
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  Heidi: And while you're thinking about it, you could also update
• 7:19
  your classroom playlist. This is a great TV task. Maybe you want
• 7:23
  some fresh music for your arrival time or your end of day
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  cleanup, or do yourself a favor and round up links for videos or
• 7:29
  new brain breaks.
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  Emily: Yeah, because if you're not ready to dive into full
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  lessons yet, having some engaging videos lined up keeps
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  students meaningfully busy.
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  Heidi: You could also look for seasonal craft or writing ideas,
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  new year's resolutions, winter art projects, goal setting
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  templates. There are so many fun activities out there for this
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  time of year.
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  Emily: And don't forget to research titles of books to read
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  aloud in January.
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  Heidi: And now here is where that couch prep comes in. Each
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  of these ideas takes so little mental energy, you're basically
• 8:01
  just browsing and bookmarking.
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  Emily: Ah, yes, perfect couch work. Like I could do that while
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  half watching a movie.
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  Heidi: Ah, movies are perfect for that. You do not need a
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  whole lot of attention.
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  Emily: It's true.
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  Heidi: Now if you're in a situation where you do have to
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  dive right back into content, of course, that's fine too. What
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  are you gonna do? Just build on some time during that first day
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  or two back for reminders and transitions, because everyone's
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  just gonna be rusty after break.
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  Emily: Oh yeah, so rusty. But whether you're jumping in or
• 8:32
  easing in, every class needs a procedure refresh.
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  Heidi: Oh yes, that first day back is what we like to think of
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  as your second first day of school.
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  Emily: Yeah, we talked about this in episode 172, but it's
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  worth saying again. January is your chance to reestablish
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  routines and reset expectations. December has a way of making
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  everything kind of fall apart just a bit.
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  Heidi: Oh, just a bit. So from your couch, make a list of the
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  top three to five routines that need review. Maybe it's lining
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  up, transitions, turning in work, whatever has been driving
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  you crazy, put it on your list.
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  Emily: You can also create procedure review slides. These
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  are so simple, you just type the name of the procedure on a
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  slide. Have students rate themselves on a scale of one to
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  five, and then discuss what needs to improve.
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  Heidi: And we have a digital product for this. If you want
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  something that is already ready to go, all you have to do is
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  type in the procedure name, and then when you present it to
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  students, you click to make stars appear based on how the
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  class rates themselves. And you could definitely prepare all of
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  that from your couch.
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  Emily: And then you have an actual conversation when you get
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  back to school about what's working and what needs work. It
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  is structured, but it's not stuffy.
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  Heidi: For any of your procedures that are really
• 9:48
  struggling, you know what I'm going to say, you can pull out
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  your tell try tally talk slides from the beginning of the year,
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  and actually reteach the routine step by step.
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  Emily: We promise being proactive now will mean fewer
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  headaches later. Would you rather spend 20 minutes
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  reviewing and practicing in January, or deal with the same
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  problems over and over again until June?
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  Heidi: I know, don't do that to yourself. Nobody wants that. So
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  even if you do have to jump back into regular content right away,
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  set aside some time to refresh procedures your first day back,
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  your future self will say so many thank yous.
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  Emily: And then we have our last piece of content prep, which is
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  your safety net.
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  Heidi: Because no matter how much or how little you plan,
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  make sure your first day back is fully ready. Think of it as like
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  an insurance policy against chaos.
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  Emily: Yeah, imagine that you're sick, which is very likely to
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  happen, or maybe your flight gets delayed.
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  Heidi: I always have nightmares that that happens to me.
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  Emily: Right? Or maybe you just walk in feeling completely
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  overwhelmed, but if that first day is already planned, you are
• 10:55
  covered.
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  Heidi: So from your couch, create or update slides for your
• 11:00
  first day back, gather copies or links for the day's activities.
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  Make notes for subs in case of illness, or, you know, if you do
• 11:08
  get stuck in an airport, like I always fear.
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  Emily: And then, while you're at it, you probably want to update
• 11:14
  your sub binder, because winter illnesses are definitely going
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  to hit at some point, even if it's not the first day back.
• 11:19
  Heidi: Oh, seriously, it's not an if. This is a when.
• 11:22
  Emily: Yeah, so doing this now is just being smart.
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  Heidi: Now it's December, so think of this as giving yourself
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  a gift. You are going to walk in that first day and take a deep
• 11:32
  breath and know that you're already ready.
• 11:35
  Emily: Such a good feeling, too. Okay, so that's content. Now
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  let's talk about community. This is all about reconnecting with
• 11:41
  your students and helping them reconnect with each other.
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  Heidi: And the best way to reconnect when students come
• 11:48
  back is with a warm welcome. Greet them individually at the
• 11:51
  door, if you can. Show them that you are happy to see them after
• 11:54
  such a long break.
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  Emily: Some of those kids are going to be thrilled to be back,
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  and others will be dragging their feet. So just hold space
• 12:01
  like Elphaba and Glinda. Hold space for both emotions. It's
• 12:06
  okay that not everyone is excited.
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  Heidi: And to make that transition a little easier, you
• 12:12
  might want to plan a special morning meeting greeting or an
• 12:14
  activity. Maybe you do your class cheer or a secret
• 12:18
  handshake, or maybe it's a what I love about winter share. Just
• 12:22
  think of something that feels welcoming but not so forced.
• 12:25
  Emily: And then from your couch, you can draft a short welcome
• 12:28
  back email or message to post for families. Let them know
• 12:32
  you're excited to see their kids and what to expect the first
• 12:35
  week. Doesn't have to be anything fancy.
• 12:38
  Heidi: We also want to make time to help students reconnect with
• 12:40
  each other. Winter Break is long, and kids need time to
• 12:44
  rebond as a class. You could have them share favorite
• 12:47
  memories from the first half of the school year.
• 12:49
  Emily: Or they can talk about what they're looking forward to
• 12:51
  in the next few months. Keep the focus on experiences, not on the
• 12:56
  gifts that they received.
• 12:58
  Heidi: Oh, definitely, because that can get awkward real fast.
• 13:01
  Emily: Yeah. Another powerful community building activity is
• 13:05
  to host a short class meeting to solve a common problem, like if
• 13:09
  there's been a lot of conflict at recess, or if students have
• 13:12
  gotten sloppy with managing their materials.
• 13:15
  Heidi: When you invite students to brainstorm their own
• 13:17
  solutions, they are way more invested in the outcome. It
• 13:21
  helps the class feel like they are all on the same team,
• 13:24
  working for the same goal.
• 13:25
  Emily: So one of my favorite January activities is goal
• 13:28
  setting. January is the perfect time for students to reflect on
• 13:31
  how much they've grown since school started, and also think
• 13:34
  ahead to what they want to achieve by the end of the year.
• 13:37
  Heidi: And we do have a free goal setting resource if you
• 13:40
  want to try this, it includes writing pages with prompts for
• 13:43
  each grade level. You have your students reflect on their
• 13:46
  growth, set a goal and then plan the steps to reach that goal.
• 13:49
  Emily: And there's a link to that freebie in the show notes.
• 13:53
  And if you saved any work from the beginning of the year, pull
• 13:56
  it out in January so students can compare it to their current
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  work. You're always amazed at how much they've improved in
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  just a few months, like genuinely shocked.
• 14:05
  Heidi: Okay, so from your couch, you can plan all of these
• 14:09
  community building activities. Just think about what your class
• 14:12
  needs most, reconnection, problem solving, goal setting.
• 14:15
  Just choose one or two of those to focus on.
• 14:17
  Emily: And here's something we talked about in episode 233,
• 14:21
  plan a student engagement hook. This is one fun, low prep
• 14:25
  activity that makes the first week back feel special.
• 14:29
  Heidi: So the idea is to give kids a sense of a new beginning.
• 14:32
  Coming back from break can feel like such a letdown. All of the
• 14:35
  holiday sparkle is over, and now it's just regular school in the
• 14:39
  middle of winter, but if you have got something engaging
• 14:43
  planned, it totally shifts that energy.
• 14:46
  Emily: And just keep it simple. The key here, really is low prep
• 14:49
  for you, high interest for them, so think of a little spark of
• 14:53
  fun. It doesn't have to be fireworks.
• 14:56
  Heidi: And really you can keep this simple. It could be a class
• 14:58
  challenge, making a time capsule or a vision board, just anything
• 15:03
  that feels fresh and different.
• 15:05
  Emily: And if it's something that makes you excited to come
• 15:07
  back too, even better. Lean into what you enjoy about teaching,
• 15:11
  because crawling out of your cozy bed in January is so hard
• 15:15
  without dreading what's waiting for you.
• 15:18
  Heidi: Oh, for real. And that sets us up for the last C of our
• 15:21
  January launch plan, which is for comfort. This is where we
• 15:25
  focus on making the transition gentle for both you and your
• 15:28
  students.
• 15:29
  Emily: January is like the world's worst cold plunge. So
• 15:34
  dark, it's freezing, your room is full of coughing kids, and
• 15:38
  you are supposed to just jump back into the chaos like you
• 15:41
  haven't been living in pajamas for two weeks.
• 15:45
  Heidi: I hate it so much. So let's plan for comfort instead.
• 15:52
  Let's create a soft landing. From your couch, think about
• 15:56
  your personal comfort first. What would make that first
• 15:59
  morning back easier?
• 16:00
  Emily: A good place to start is with picking your first day
• 16:03
  outfit now, like really, seriously right now, that will
• 16:06
  be one less decision to make when you're half asleep.
• 16:10
  Heidi: And while you're at it, plan a breakfast that you are
• 16:12
  excited to eat, something you can grab and go, but that will
• 16:15
  still give you energy to keep going till lunchtime.
• 16:18
  Emily: And a great TV task is making or updating your morning
• 16:21
  energizer playlist. Having music that makes you feel good can
• 16:25
  shift your whole mood.
• 16:26
  Heidi: Or, you know, your podcast playlist.
• 16:28
  Emily: Yes.
• 16:29
  Heidi: But really, don't underestimate how much of a
• 16:31
  difference that music can make, and if it's at all possible,
• 16:35
  schedule, easy review based lessons for that first week. You
• 16:38
  don't have to come back firing on all cylinders with brand new
• 16:41
  content. Give yourself permission to ease into the
• 16:43
  rhythm if there's any way to make that happen.
• 16:46
  Emily: For your classroom comfort, you can plan a cozy
• 16:49
  read aloud, something warm and engaging, and think about brain
• 16:54
  breaks that you might want to use. Maybe create a class reset
• 16:57
  ritual, something you do together on that first day that
• 17:00
  signals a fresh start.
• 17:02
  Heidi: You could also tweak your seating chart or your group
• 17:04
  arrangements. If you have been meaning to make changes. January
• 17:08
  is a natural time to do it. Use sticky notes to play around with
• 17:11
  your arrangements.
• 17:13
  Emily: Or you could grab our digital seating arrangement
• 17:16
  tool. It walks you step by step through the whole process of
• 17:20
  using your seating chart strategically, and it is super
• 17:23
  easy to do from the couch.
• 17:25
  Heidi: And don't forget my favorite TV task, online
• 17:29
  shopping. Order supplies to restock your desk or cupboard.
• 17:33
  Think snacks, emergency lunches, tissues, hand sanitizer,
• 17:37
  whatever you know you're going to need in the next few weeks.
• 17:40
  Emily: And snacks. Yes, snacks. Don't forget the snacks. Walking
• 17:44
  in and knowing you're stocked up on protein bars and chocolate is
• 17:48
  like getting a care package from past you.
• 17:51
  Heidi: And since it's the new year, you could also refresh
• 17:54
  your planner with something new. Sometimes just having a fresh
• 17:57
  notebook or planning stickers makes everything feel more
• 18:01
  manageable.
• 18:02
  Emily: Oh, there's nothing like the power of a new planner.
• 18:05
  Heidi: Oh, seriously.
• 18:06
  Emily: And don't forget to restock or repack your teacher
• 18:09
  bag. Even if it's just making a digital checklist of what needs
• 18:12
  to go in there, that's helpful too. Better than frantically
• 18:15
  packing at 6am on that first day back and you can't remember what
• 18:19
  you need to put in there.
• 18:20
  Heidi: Oh, yeah, you don't want that. So think about what you
• 18:23
  can do to make that transition back into teacher mode a little
• 18:26
  softer. One idea is to send yourself an email and schedule
• 18:30
  it to arrive on your first day back. Just a little pep talk to
• 18:33
  make that first day back a little easier.
• 18:35
  Emily: It's like writing letters to yourself like dear Evan
• 18:37
  Hansen. Those little touches do make a difference, though, and
• 18:42
  comfort is your buffer between the lovely holiday rest and the
• 18:47
  grind of the school rhythm. It's about being gentle with yourself
• 18:50
  at a time that can feel really challenging.
• 18:54
  Heidi: Okay, let's take a breath. We have covered a lot,
• 18:57
  but if you have thought about your content, your community and
• 18:59
  your comfort. You've done everything you need for a smooth
• 19:03
  January launch.
• 19:05
  Emily: And most of these tasks really are perfect for doing
• 19:07
  from your couch. You can get a little bit of planning done now
• 19:11
  or even during break, if that's when you get to it, and then
• 19:13
  that means you can walk back into your classroom feeling
• 19:16
  ready instead of frantic.
• 19:18
  Heidi: The goal is not to work through your winter break. The
• 19:21
  goal is to have just enough ready that you can actually
• 19:25
  relax during the winter break without that nagging guilt in
• 19:28
  the back of your mind.
• 19:29
  Emily: Okay, grab your blanket, pick your favorite movie, and do
• 19:32
  just enough prep to make January feel like a gentle start instead
• 19:36
  of a cold plunge.
• 19:38
  Heidi: And if you want help organizing all of this, we have
• 19:41
  resources that can guide you through the process. Everything
• 19:43
  is linked in the show notes.
• 19:45
  Emily: And we'd love to hear about your January prep couch
• 19:49
  tasks. That's a long one. Come join the conversation in our
• 19:52
  Teacher Approved Facebook group.
• 19:55
  Now for our Teacher Approved Tip of the Week, where we share an
• 19:58
  actionable tip to help you elevate what matters and
• 20:00
  simplify the rest. This week's teacher approved tip is make
• 20:04
  your inside recess plan now. Tell us about it, Heidi.
• 20:07
  Heidi: to help you in a few weeks, not just in January, with
• 20:11
  winter here inside recess is definitely in your near future,
• 20:15
  if it has not already arrived. And if you're anything like me,
• 20:18
  the words inside recess make you want to hide in the supply
• 20:21
  closet. But it doesn't have to be crazy. The key is having a
• 20:26
  plan before inside recess happens.
• 20:28
  Emily: Right, because once it's raining and snowing and you've
• 20:31
  got these antsy kids staring at you, it's too late to figure out
• 20:34
  a system. So while you're on your couch and you have some
• 20:38
  thinking time, you can create a simple structure that you can
• 20:42
  use every single time that the weather does not cooperate.
• 20:45
  Heidi: Or if you live in Utah, the air is too polluted to go
• 20:48
  outside.
• 20:49
  Emily: Yes.
• 20:50
  Heidi: So start by deciding what your inside recess rules are
• 20:53
  going to be. What can students do, what spaces can they use,
• 20:56
  what materials are available? And make these rules really
• 20:59
  clear and really specific. Think about what supplies you're
• 21:03
  willing to have out during inside recess. Maybe you like
• 21:05
  board games, cards, drawing supplies, Legos, books, whatever
• 21:09
  you're comfortable managing.
• 21:11
  Emily: You could create a rotation system if you want. And
• 21:13
  I love this idea. So maybe for morning recess it's board games,
• 21:17
  and at lunch recess it's building challenges. And then
• 21:20
  for afternoon recess, it's brain break videos. That way you're
• 21:23
  not managing everything going on all at once.
• 21:27
  Heidi: With my students, I like to set up zones in my classroom,
• 21:30
  so maybe, like the back table at games, when students were at
• 21:33
  their desks, they could draw a read, and then the carpet was
• 21:36
  for building. This helps contain the chaos, because students know
• 21:40
  exactly where each activity is happening.
• 21:42
  Emily: And then make a visual or a list that you can post when
• 21:46
  inside recess happens. Students should be able to look at it and
• 21:49
  know exactly what their options are without having to ask you 17
• 21:52
  questions every recess.
• 21:54
  Heidi: Yeah, you don't need that. But here is a pro tip,
• 21:58
  have a specific routine for how inside recess starts. Like maybe
• 22:02
  have students return to their desks, you review the rules, and
• 22:06
  then they make their choice. Having that structure at the
• 22:09
  beginning prevents the mad rush and the arguing over materials.
• 22:13
  Ugh, just had flashbacks. Yeah, you don't want that. When
• 22:17
  everyone knows the system, it stays calmer.
• 22:20
  Emily: From your couch right now, you can make a list of
• 22:22
  acceptable inside recess activities and just jot down
• 22:25
  your rules. You can even create a simple slide or poster that
• 22:29
  you'll display when inside recess happens, and then the
• 22:31
  first time you have inside recess, you'll teach this system
• 22:34
  explicitly.
• 22:35
  Heidi: You can use the tell try tally method here too, if that's
• 22:38
  helpful. Walk students through the expectations, let them
• 22:41
  practice and give feedback.
• 22:43
  Emily: After the first time inside recess becomes so much
• 22:46
  easier because everyone knows the routine and you're not left
• 22:49
  scrambling every time the weather's bad.
• 22:51
  Heidi: So on your couch task list, add inside recess plan.
• 22:56
  And if you want lots more suggestions for inside recess,
• 23:00
  go back and check out episode 46. It is one of our most
• 23:03
  popular episodes for a reason.
• 23:05
  To wrap up the show, we're sharing what we're giving extra
• 23:05
  credit to this week. Emily, let's get your extra credit?
• 23:08
  Emily: I'm giving extra credit to Rothy's clogs. So I have worn
• 23:15
  Birkenstocks for several years, and they're fine. I like them,
• 23:18
  but I had heard so many people raving about Rothy's that I just
• 23:22
  had to try them when they were on sale. And I'm sorry to say
• 23:26
  that they totally live up to the hype. It's better arch support
• 23:30
  than Birkenstocks, and they're washable. You, that's a big
• 23:33
  issue with Birkenstocks, they cannot be washed. The sad thing
• 23:37
  is now I wish I had one of the cozy lined pairs for inside
• 23:41
  during the winter, and they are expensive, so it's kind of a
• 23:43
  bummer that I love them so much.
• 23:45
  Heidi: Oh, shoot. Well, you have to keep your eye on sales. I bet
• 23:48
  they have something good coming up. You know, holidays and
• 23:50
  stuff.
• 23:50
  Emily: Yes. What are you giving extra credit to Heidi?
• 23:53
  Heidi: My extra credit goes to the Spin to Survive book series.
• 23:58
  I bought the Deep Space Danger book as a Christmas present for
• 24:01
  Emily son, and it's so cute. The premise is, as part of a
• 24:06
  pioneering mission to Mars, you've earned your place as one
• 24:08
  of Earth's greatest explorers. Now become its most tenacious
• 24:12
  hero as you fight for your life and the lives of your crew, when
• 24:15
  your spaceship meets with catastrophe. All systems are
• 24:18
  down, your crew mates are gone, and you're millions of miles
• 24:20
  from help. So this is kind of like a Choose Your Own Adventure
• 24:23
  book, but it's got beautiful illustrations, and the fun
• 24:27
  factor is a built in spinner. So on each page, you read the
• 24:31
  story, and then you decide what to do, and use the spinner to
• 24:34
  determine if you were lucky or not.
• 24:36
  Emily: Oh.
• 24:36
  Heidi: There are lots of adventures and mishaps along the
• 24:37
  way, and I think he's gonna love it.
• 24:37
  Emily: Oh, he's totally gonna love it. That's a great idea.
• 24:42
  Heidi: And they have some really fun titles. I liked the pirate
• 24:46
  one, but I do know he's a space boy, so we'll go with that one
• 24:50
  for him.
• 24:50
  That is it for today's episode. Start your January plan with the
• 24:55
  3 Cs. Think about your content, think about your community, and
• 24:59
  think about your comfort. Your January self is going to thank
• 25:02
  you for taking care of her.
• 25:04
  Emily: Until next time, happy couch planning.
• 25:08
  Heidi: We hope you enjoyed this episode of Teacher Approved. I'm
• 25:11
  Heidi.
• 25:12
  Emily: And I'm Emily. Thank you for listening. Be sure to follow
• 25:15
  or subscribe in your podcast app so that you never miss an
• 25:18
  episode.
• 25:19
  Heidi: You can connect with us and other teachers in the
• 25:21
  Teacher Approved Facebook group. We'll see you here next week.
• 25:25
  Bye for now.
• 25:25
  Emily: Bye.