Latest / Teacher Approved: Elementary Teacher Tips & Strategies / 209. The Most Important Back-To-School Prep No One Talks About
Transcript
- 0:00Heidi: This is episode 209 of Teacher Approved.
- 0:05You're listening to Teacher Approved, the podcast helping
- 0:09educators elevate what matters and simplify the rest. I'm
- 0:13Heidi.
- 0:14Emily: And I'm Emily. We're the creators behind Second Story
- 0:17Window, where we give research based and teacher approved
- 0:20strategies that make teaching less stressful and more
- 0:22effective. You can check out the show notes and resources from
- 0:26each episode at secondstorywindow.net.
- 0:29Heidi: We're so glad you're tuning in today. Let's get to
- 0:31the show.
- 0:36Emily: Hey there. Thanks for joining us today. In today's
- 0:39episode, we are sharing our best strategies for preparing
- 0:42yourself, not just your classroom, to go back to school,
- 0:47and we've got a teacher approved tip for creating a Sunday
- 0:49routine that will save your sanity all year long.
- 0:52Heidi: But first, it's time for a try it tomorrow, a favorite
- 0:56quick win that you can try in your life right away. Emily,
- 0:59what is our suggestion for this week?
- 1:00Emily: This week, take a photo of yourself doing something fun.
- 1:04That's it. Just snap a picture of you in a moment when you're
- 1:08laughing, relaxing, adventuring, reading, hiking, gardening,
- 1:11eating something delicious, watching the sunset, or just,
- 1:14you know, not being a teacher. And then come October, when your
- 1:18to do list is longer than the school day, or in January, when
- 1:21you're facing your 15th indoor recess, you can have this nice
- 1:25reminder of the you who exists outside of school, the you who
- 1:29still knows how to rest and laugh and wander and feel joy.
- 1:33So this photo can become a visual love note from summer you
- 1:37to school year you.
- 1:39Heidi: The key is to keep this photo somewhere where you will
- 1:42see it. Make it your phone background, or print it and tape
- 1:45it inside your desk drawer. Or, you know, you can tuck it in
- 1:48your planner where only you will spot it, but you'll see it every
- 1:51day.
- 1:51Emily: You could put it in your joy drawer that we talked about
- 1:54recently. That's a tongue twister, joy drawer, right?
- 1:57Isn't that what we called it?
- 1:58Heidi: Yes.
- 1:59Emily: So if you're doing something fun this week, even
- 2:02something small, you can just pause for 30 seconds, snap a
- 2:04photo and smile and save it for later.
- 2:07Heidi: If you like this idea, or anything else that we share here
- 2:10on the podcast, would you take a second and give us a five star
- 2:13rating? Ratings and reviews are one way that new listeners find
- 2:16us. So every rating and review really is a huge help to us.
- 2:20Emily: Over the years, we've created an extensive library of
- 2:23back to school products. So to help you find the tools that
- 2:26will make the start of your new year easier, we are going to be
- 2:30spotlighting our procedures and routines planning guide and
- 2:33checklists today. I know it has such an exciting name.
- 2:38Heidi: It's hard to give it a name that people can find it,
- 2:41but makes it sound compelling. There's not a good balance
- 2:45there. But this is such an important tool for helping you
- 2:48get your school year started off on the right foot. We thought
- 2:51through all of the different procedures that you might need
- 2:54to make your classroom run smoothly, and we added them all
- 2:57to a handy dandy checklist. You can go through the checklist on
- 3:00paper, or you can do it digitally in Google Docs, and
- 3:03then you can just check off the specific procedures that you
- 3:06need for your classroom.
- 3:07Emily: Then once you know which procedures you need, you can
- 3:10open up the planning guide and decide on the exact steps that
- 3:14students need to follow, identify your role in making the
- 3:17procedure happen smoothly, and outline a plan for how to teach
- 3:21the procedure to your class.
- 3:23Heidi: Once you have this kind of specific, personalized detail
- 3:26about your procedures, you won't want to start the year without
- 3:28it. You can find a link to the procedures and routines planning
- 3:31guide and checklist in our show notes.
- 3:34Emily: If you're feeling behind, tired, or like the summer
- 3:37slipped away a little too fast, you are not alone. This episode
- 3:42isn't about hustle or perfection. It's about creating
- 3:44a soft landing so that when school starts, you don't crash
- 3:48into it, you arrive, even if you are a little sleepy when you get
- 3:52there.
- 3:52Heidi: But we're not going to focus too much on the classroom
- 3:55right now. Instead, we are focusing on the most important
- 3:58part of back to school success, and that is you.
- 4:02Emily: Right. We spend so much time getting our classrooms
- 4:05ready, and obviously that is very important, but we often
- 4:08forget to get ourselves ready. And we're not just talking about
- 4:12having your teaching materials organized. We're talking about
- 4:15how to truly prepare yourself, your life, your energy, your
- 4:19recovery plan, so that you're set up to actually thrive when
- 4:22you go back to school.
- 4:23Heidi: Think about it this way, you wouldn't run a marathon
- 4:27without training your body and preparing your mind, right?
- 4:29Hopefully not anyway. Teaching is an endurance sport too,
- 4:33especially those first few weeks when everything feels new and so
- 4:38intense.
- 4:39Emily: Back to school season really demands a lot of
- 4:42teachers, emotionally, physically, logistically, and
- 4:46especially in those first couple weeks. It can feel like your
- 4:49entire life gets rerouted through your classroom. If
- 4:52you're not ready, it will chew you up and spit you out. So
- 4:55let's talk about what we can do now, while summer still has some
- 4:58breath in it to support your future self.
- 5:02Heidi: We're going to walk through three simple categories
- 5:04that will help you feel calm, capable, and a little more like
- 5:08yourself when that first bell rings. The goal isn't to start
- 5:11strong, it's to help you manage your life, your energy and your
- 5:14recovery, so that you can sustain your energy all year
- 5:17long.
- 5:18Emily: Okay, let's dive into the first area, preparing your life
- 5:21to support you. This means setting up your personal life so
- 5:25it basically runs on autopilot for those first few weeks.
- 5:28Because, let's be honest, decision fatigue is real, and by
- 5:324pm on a school day at the beginning of the school year,
- 5:35the last thing you want to do is figure out what's for dinner.
- 5:38Heidi: Oh, yeah, been there. We're not talking about being
- 5:40perfect or even having it all together. This is about being
- 5:44kind to your future self. Future you is going to be so tired,
- 5:48possibly overwhelmed, and definitely not in the mood to
- 5:51make a million tiny decisions.
- 5:54Emily: So let's start with food, because we all have to eat, and
- 5:57we all know we're much nicer to be around if we don't let
- 5:59ourselves get hangry.
- 6:02Heidi: Oh yeah, guilty. So here's what we suggest. Prepare
- 6:06freezer meals for the first one to two weeks of school. This
- 6:09isn't about doing anything elaborate that's going to take
- 6:11you all weekend to prepare. Think simple, nourishing meals
- 6:15that you can dump on a ziploc and then tuck in the
- 6:17freezer—soup, chili casseroles, or even just prepared
- 6:21ingredients for tacos or stir fry.
- 6:24Emily: And don't forget to set up some emergency dinners too,
- 6:27those pantry staples that can become a decent meal in 15
- 6:30minutes when you're too tired to think and you're either out of
- 6:33freezer meals or you didn't have time to make any. So that would
- 6:36be things like pasta with jarred sauce and frozen vegetables, or
- 6:40scrambled eggs and toast or a bag of frozen dumplings. Those
- 6:43can be lifesavers.
- 6:45Heidi: If you're someone who feels suffocated by the thought
- 6:48of committing to regular meal planning, try reframing it. This
- 6:52isn't about a lifetime commitment to schedules. You're
- 6:55just trying to make a rough time a little smoother, the same way
- 6:58that you would offer meals to a friend who just had a baby or to
- 7:01someone who is recovering from surgery. It doesn't take a whole
- 7:04lifestyle change, just scheduling an afternoon to
- 7:07prepare some crock pot meals.
- 7:09Emily: And speaking of food, let's talk about your lunch
- 7:12situation. Again, even if you don't meal prep all year, having
- 7:15a plan for your school lunches those first few weeks can make
- 7:18such a difference, whether that's packing the same sandwich
- 7:21every day, buying lunch, or prepping a week's worth of grain
- 7:25bowls, just decide ahead of time so that you're not defaulting to
- 7:29a protein bar yet again.
- 7:30Heidi: Okay, next up we have outfit planning. It doesn't have
- 7:34to be fancy. It doesn't have to be expensive. Just pick out a
- 7:37week or two's worth of outfits that make you feel confident and
- 7:40comfortable and have them ready to go.
- 7:43Emily: Yeah, lay them out, take photos on your phone, whatever
- 7:46works, the goal is to eliminate that 'I have nothing to wear'
- 7:49moment when you're already running behind. Make as many
- 7:52decisions as you can now, so that your tired brain has one
- 7:55less thing to deal with at back to school.
- 7:57Heidi: And since we're dealing with clothes, this is the
- 8:00perfect time for a laundry reset and a grocery restock. Do all
- 8:05the laundry, put it all away, that's the kicker, and stock up
- 8:09on essentials so you're not scrambling for clean socks or
- 8:12running out of coffee that first week.
- 8:14Emily: Take care of all those neglected home systems too. You
- 8:16know, the things that have been on your 'I'll deal with this
- 8:19later' list all summer. You can set up automatic bill pay if you
- 8:23haven't already, clean out your car, your future self will
- 8:26really thank you for that one. Clean out your purse and your
- 8:29teacher bag, get your prescriptions refilled, or maybe
- 8:33even prep your morning routine and practice it a few days
- 8:36before school starts. I have to admit, I think that would be
- 8:37Heidi: And here's something that sounds simple, but is actually
- 8:39pretty impressive if you actually did that, but it would
- 8:42be smart if you did
- 8:48revolutionary. Block out recovery time on your calendar
- 8:51for that first week. Unless you're one of those people who
- 8:54thrives on lots of social interaction, try to limit your
- 8:58after school obligations for those first few weeks. Scheduled
- 9:01naps, no social evenings or nothing nights, right into your
- 9:05planner.
- 9:06Emily: I love this because it gives you permission to say no
- 9:09to things and prioritize your own rest when you need it most.
- 9:14Heidi: All right, now that we've got your life set up to support
- 9:16you, let's move on to preparing your teaching self. This isn't
- 9:20just about having the right supplies, though we will
- 9:22definitely talk about those. It's about reconnecting with
- 9:25your why and making space for the teacher that you want to be
- 9:28this year.
- 9:29Emily: Yeah, it's so easy to get caught up in all the logistics
- 9:32and forget about the heart of why we do this work. So start by
- 9:36reflecting on your goals for this school year, both personal
- 9:38and professional. What kind of teacher do you want to be? What
- 9:42do you want your classroom to feel like? How do you want to
- 9:45take care of yourself this year? These big picture questions help
- 9:49you approach the year with intention, instead of just
- 9:51reacting to whatever comes your way.
- 9:53Heidi: If you want support with this task in our digital back to
- 9:56school readiness checklist, there's a whole section on
- 10:00teacher preparation. One of the resources is a journal page with
- 10:04guiding questions to help you reflect on what matters most as
- 10:07you're heading into the new school year.
- 10:09Emily: Once you've figured out your goals, it's time to figure
- 10:11out your gear. Start with the basics, comfortable shoes so you
- 10:15can be on your feet for hours, a water bottle that you'll
- 10:18actually use and a lunch bag that makes you happy to pack a
- 10:21lunch each day.
- 10:22Heidi: And then gather items that support your physical well
- 10:24being, because if you aren't taking care of your body,
- 10:27everything is just going to get so much harder.
- 10:29Emily: This is one of my favorite tips. Stock your desk
- 10:32or classroom cupboard with personal essentials. Think of it
- 10:35kind of like creating a survival kit for your teacher self.
- 10:38Heidi: I love that. What kind of things are we talking about
- 10:41here, Emily?
- 10:42Emily: Well, I think things like lip balm and hand lotion. Don't
- 10:46you always find you need those in the middle of the day when
- 10:48you're feeling so dry.
- 10:49Heidi: So dry.
- 10:50Emily: Yes, and all the talking, and you'll want to pack some
- 10:54protein bars or nuts or crackers and maybe some electrolyte
- 10:58packets for those days when you forget to drink water until 2pm.
- 11:02And my extra credit is going to be useful for for these ideas,
- 11:07so stay tuned for that.
- 11:08Heidi: Oh, that's intriguing.
- 11:10Emily: And don't forget personal care items like contact
- 11:13solution. If you wear contacts you know how it is that
- 11:16suddenly, like something goes wrong with your contact and you
- 11:18don't have any solution to deal with it.
- 11:20Heidi: Ugh, the worst.
- 11:21Emily: Yeah, and then throat lozenges, if your throat is
- 11:25feeling sore from all the talking, pain reliever for sure
- 11:28for headaches and cramps or anything else you might have,
- 11:32you'll probably want supplies for upset stomachs. The Pepto
- 11:36liquid gel caps are like excellent to keep on hand. Extra
- 11:39hair ties, maybe even some mints or gum.
- 11:43Heidi: And guess what, folks, there is a page for this in the
- 11:46back to school readiness checklist. We added more than 30
- 11:50suggestions to the list already, but because it's digital, it is
- 11:53so easy to edit the list to reflect the kinds of things that
- 11:56you actually need to have on hand.
- 11:58Emily: And these might seem like small things, but when you're in
- 12:01the thick of those first few weeks, having systems in place
- 12:04can make you feel so much more prepared and confident. And just
- 12:08having what you need in the moment that you need, it just
- 12:10makes you feel like such a rock star, like, Man, I wish I had
- 12:14some lip balm right now and then realizing, Oh, I do. That's so
- 12:18nice.
- 12:18Heidi: Such a lovely feeling to feel like you're cared for, even
- 12:21if you're the one having to care for yourself.
- 12:23Emily: Yep.
- 12:24Heidi: And that brings us to our final area, preparing your
- 12:28recovery plan. This is the section that's easiest to
- 12:31overlook, but please don't blow this off. It's honestly so
- 12:35important. We are so good at thinking about how to start
- 12:38strong, but you know, we rarely think about how to recover well.
- 12:43Emily: Recovery isn't just about collapsing on the couch when you
- 12:45get home, though sometimes that's exactly what you need,
- 12:49but it's more about having intentional ways to help
- 12:52yourself decompress and recharge. So let's start with
- 12:54building a recovery kit for your post school wind down. This is
- 12:59like a little gift you give to your future exhausted self.
- 13:02Heidi: I love this idea. When the first day ends, you want to
- 13:05walk through your door and feel like you have stepped into a
- 13:08soft cloud of, hey you, you've got this.
- 13:11Emily: So you can just grab a container and stock it with
- 13:14supplies to help hamper yourself after a long, long day. So you
- 13:18might want to put a bath bomb or a shower steamer in there so
- 13:21that you can literally wash off the school day, maybe some cozy
- 13:25loungewear, or even a special first week of school comfy
- 13:28outfit that makes you feel cozy.
- 13:30Heidi: Lean into anything that reminds you that you're a real
- 13:33human, not just a tired teacher. Stock up on your favorite treats
- 13:37or get some gift cards for meal delivery services, because
- 13:41sometimes the most loving thing you could do for yourself is not
- 13:44cooking dinner.
- 13:45Emily: For sure, or get those groceries delivered, anything
- 13:47like that to treat yourself. Also include some low energy
- 13:51activities for when you want to decompress but you don't want to
- 13:54just scroll your phone. So you could get a coloring book, and
- 13:57they have such cool different kinds of coloring books now, you
- 14:01could get a real fluffy read that you've been wanting to
- 14:04read, or a feel good movie that's queued up and ready to
- 14:07go.
- 14:08Heidi: And of course, Emily would always recommend having a
- 14:10puzzle on hand.
- 14:12Emily: It's true. It's great way to decompress.
- 14:14Heidi: You can even prep your bedroom and bathroom with
- 14:17relaxing essentials for better sleep. Sleep is so important,
- 14:20especially at the start of the school year. So think fresh
- 14:22sheets, a lavender pillow spray, or whatever is going to help you
- 14:26unwind. Make your room an oasis of calm, you know, at least for
- 14:31a couple days.
- 14:32Emily: And of course, there's a page full of ideas in the back
- 14:35to school readiness checklist, so you can grab the checklist
- 14:38from the link in the show notes.
- 14:40Heidi: One more idea for how to prepare your recovery is to
- 14:43schedule something to look forward to once the back to
- 14:46school madness has calmed down. It doesn't have to be a big
- 14:48event. Maybe it's just trying a new coffee shop, or going for a
- 14:52hike, or having a movie marathon. Knowing you have
- 14:55something fun on the horizon can carry you through those first
- 14:59few challenging days.
- 15:00Emily: Now, here's one of our favorite tips from our friend
- 15:03Sharika, which is so funny because I was thinking about her
- 15:06when you were talking about the pillow spray, because she always
- 15:09had a pillow spray that she loved. We all knew this about
- 15:11her, because she loved this pillow spray so much. So here's
- 15:14another great tip from Sharika. You want to leave at the end of
- 15:19your contract time on the first day. So to make that happen, you
- 15:23need to prepare your second day of school at the same time as
- 15:25your first day. Day one is going to be exhausting no matter how
- 15:29well it goes, and so the last thing that you're going to want
- 15:31to do is stay late trying to prepare for day two.
- 15:34Heidi: Exactly. This way you can go home and actually use that
- 15:38recovery kit you prepared. And don't let this sound like a
- 15:41difficult goal, the second day of school is basically a light
- 15:45version of the first day. So while you're doing all that
- 15:47first day planning, you may as well figure out day two at the
- 15:50same time.
- 15:51Emily: Yeah, and can you imagine how cared for you will feel on
- 15:54the first day of school if you take some time in July to
- 15:57prepare for those first few days back.
- 16:00So let's recap our three areas for preparing yourself for back
- 16:04to school.
- 16:04Heidi: First, prepare your life to support you. Set up meals,
- 16:08outfits and home systems so that your personal life can run on
- 16:12autopilot those first few weeks, and don't forget to literally
- 16:16schedule rest time in your calendar.
- 16:18Emily: Second, prepare your teaching self. Reconnect with
- 16:21your goals, gather supplies that support your well being, and
- 16:25stock your classroom with personal essentials. Think of it
- 16:28as caring for the whole person who happens to be a teacher.
- 16:31Heidi: And third, prepare your recovery plan. Build a kit for
- 16:35post school decompression, plan something fun to look forward
- 16:38to, and prep day two at the same time that you prep day one so
- 16:41that you can actually leave on time.
- 16:43Emily: We would love to hear how you prepare for taking care of
- 16:46yourself at back to school. Come share your best tips in our
- 16:49Teacher Approved Facebook group.
- 16:52Now for our Teacher Approved Tip of the Week, where we share an
- 16:55actionable tip to help you elevate what matters and
- 16:58simplify the rest. This week's teacher approved tip is to
- 17:01create a Sunday reset routine that will save your sanity all
- 17:05year long. So Heidi tell us more about this.
- 17:07Heidi: A Sunday reset routine is basically a gentle way to prep
- 17:11for the week ahead without feeling overwhelmed. The key is
- 17:15keeping it simple and manageable, maybe 30 minutes to
- 17:1845 minutes max. Start with just three quick wins, maybe a
- 17:23surface level tidy of your living space, some light meal
- 17:26prep or planning, and laying out your clothes for Monday. That's
- 17:28it. This can become a gentle ritual to help you transition
- 17:32from the weekend to work mode. The goal is to eliminate some
- 17:35decisions from your busy weekdays. Using Sunday to make
- 17:38Monday a little softer saves you precious mental energy in a
- 17:42moment when your brain isn't fully online yet. And once you
- 17:46get in the habit, this routine actually becomes relaxing. It's
- 17:50like you're taking care of your future self, which always feels
- 17:53good.
- 17:54Emily: So why are we talking about this in July? Well, once
- 17:58the school year starts, it's go, go, go. But right now, you have
- 18:01space to experiment. You can test out a Sunday routine that
- 18:04actually supports you, not stresses you. That way, when
- 18:07August hits, you're not scrambling to reinvent your
- 18:10week.
- 18:10Heidi: If you want to make this routine even more nurturing,
- 18:14pair it with something you enjoy. You can light a candle,
- 18:17put on your favorite playlist or a podcast, pour a glass of
- 18:20something delicious. This doesn't have to be a
- 18:23productivity sprint. It can just be 30 minutes of peace and prep.
- 18:27You can even give it a fun name, like your Sunday Soft Start, or
- 18:31your Future Me Time. Call it something that makes it feel
- 18:34like a treat, not a task.
- 18:36Emily: And if 30 minutes feels like too much, just start with
- 18:3910. Pick one area, even that small step can create a feeling
- 18:43of calm momentum. Mondays are always going to be Mondays, but
- 18:47they don't have to be miserable. So give your Sunday a little
- 18:50intention, and you might be surprised how much smoother your
- 18:53whole week feels.
- 18:55Heidi: To wrap up the show, we're sharing what we're giving
- 18:57extra credit to this week. And okay, Emily, this is the big
- 19:00reveal. What is getting your extra credit?
- 19:02Emily: I'm giving extra credit to my new favorite electrolytes
- 19:06flavor. So element, which is L M N T, is my favorite.
- 19:12Heidi: I did not guess that that's how that was pronounced.
- 19:14Emily: I have called it L M N T for a year. I think it was like
- 19:18a month ago that I was like, it's element, oh. So now we all
- 19:23kno,w little lesson for us. But they're my favorite of, I've
- 19:27tried several different electrolytes, and they're by far
- 19:29my favorite. And they have a new flavor that's called lemonade
- 19:33salt, and it is so good. I like to mix it with a can of
- 19:37sparkling water, and it's so nice on a hot day. I do think
- 19:41it's a limited time flavor, though, so if you want to try
- 19:44that specific flavor, you probably want to hop on it. But
- 19:47they have other ones that are good. Their citrus salt one is
- 19:49usually my go to, but they've got a bunch of different ones.
- 19:52They apparently even have one that's chocolate salt that
- 19:54either you love or you hate. I've never tried it, but maybe I
- 19:58will. Maybe I will.
- 19:59Heidi: Oh, wow, wild woman.
- 20:01Emily: I know, I know, but it there is something about
- 20:05electrolytes. When you need them, they just really make you
- 20:08feel so much better. So, if you're thinking about them.
- 20:11Heidi: I have never tried, it's never even crossed my mind to
- 20:13try it.
- 20:13Emily: Really? I think of, I think I started doing them last
- 20:17summer, and I was like, Oh, this is like a nice afternoon boost.
- 20:21I mean, it's not like caffeine or anything, but it just like,
- 20:23kind of, I don't know, makes you feel better, but it is very
- 20:27salty, so you have to be okay with that. I think it's sort of
- 20:29an acquired taste.
- 20:31Heidi: Okay. Well, maybe I'll give it a go. Maybe I'll steal
- 20:33one of yours first.
- 20:35Emily: You should, you should. I've been trying to convert my
- 20:38teenager that's in color guard and in the marching band and
- 20:40like doing these long summer days, trying to convert her to
- 20:44electrolytes. And so we've bought every kind of electrolyte
- 20:47under the sun at this point, and she still doesn't like any of
- 20:50them
- 20:52Heidi: She's missing out clearly.
- 20:53Emily: Yeah, well, she is. What do you giving extra credit to,
- 20:57Emily: Oh
- 20:57Heidi: Okay, well, my extra credit goes to these door hinge
- 20:57Heidi?
- 20:58Heidi: of your house. And I just checked Tamed Wild, and right
- 20:59magnets that I bought from Tamed Wild. Now I love a little sneaky
- 21:03touch of whimsy in my house, and these are so cute. They're just
- 21:06little figures about one inch tall. I'm holding up my fingers.
- 21:10That's not going to help you see this. They're about an inch
- 21:13tall, and they have a little magnet in their base. So they
- 21:16sit on top of your door hinge and they just stay there. And I
- 21:20wanted the gnome, but they were out of stock, so I ended up
- 21:23getting the dragon, which was a good choice, because I just love
- 21:26it. And the fun surprise was that when it came it was a set
- 21:29of three. I thought I was just getting one, but it was a set of
- 21:33three. So now I have a little dragon guarding over all of my
- 21:36doorways. It's so cute.
- 22:08now they only have the bunny and the cat in stock, which are both
- 22:11darling. But if you also want a little door dragon or a frog or
- 22:15a bat, and the bat is fun because you can hang it upside
- 22:17down on the bottom of your door.
- 22:18Emily: Cute.
- 22:19Heidi: You can sign up when they restock.
- 22:21Emily: I want the little gnome.
- 22:23Heidi: It's cute. There's a link to the store in the show notes,
- 22:27if you also need a little touch of whimsy at your house.
- 22:30Emily: I feel like I'm on a mission to have more whimsy,
- 22:33whimsy in my life, because I didn't intentionally lose
- 22:38whimsy. I think you just get busy and you don't realize that,
- 22:40like, you're missing those little, fun little sparks. And
- 22:43then you hear other people, well, since this has been, like,
- 22:45the online trend right on threads and stuff, Instagram, of
- 22:49people sharing what they do to add whimsy in their life. And
- 22:53I'm like, oh, everybody's having more fun than I am. I gotta give
- 22:58it, get on this, because I feel like I, it's, my personality
- 23:01should be more whimsy, but I'm just always like, go, go, go. So
- 23:05I appreciate this easy to implement idea for whimsy.
- 23:08Heidi: That's why I like whimsy, because it's like, manageable
- 23:11fun. You don't need to round up a bunch of people, you don't
- 23:15have to make plans. You're just like, I'm just gonna have this
- 23:16little funny inside joke with myself and then it makes me
- 23:18smile.
- 23:19Emily: And then that's how you have a little Sebastian in your
- 23:22guest bathroom.
- 23:24Heidi: And a crossword puzzle, on the wall.
- 23:27That is it for today's episode. We hope you feel inspired to
- 23:31start preparing, not just your classroom, but yourself for
- 23:33going back to school. Remember, our goal is to work smarter, not
- 23:36harder. A little preparation now can save you so much stress and
- 23:40energy later.
- 23:41Emily: So give the Sunday reset routine a try, start building
- 23:45your recovery kit, and don't forget to schedule some rest
- 23:47time for those first few weeks back.
- 23:52Heidi: We hope you enjoyed this episode of Teacher Approved. I'm
- 23:55Heidi.
- 23:56Emily: And I'm Emily. Thank you for listening. Be sure to follow
- 23:59or subscribe in your podcast app so that you never miss an
- 24:02episode.
- 24:03Heidi: You can connect with us and other teachers in the
- 24:05Teacher approved Facebook group. We'll see you here next week.
- 24:08Bye for now.
- 24:09Emily: Bye.