Latest / Teacher Approved: Elementary Teacher Tips & Strategies / 249. 5 Easy Teacher Tasks for March That Pay off Big at Back to School

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249. 5 Easy Teacher Tasks for March That Pay off Big at Back to School · Teacher Approved: Elementary Teacher Tips & Strategies

0:00
Heidi: This is episode 249 of Teacher Approved.
0:04
You're listening to Teacher Approved, the podcast helping
0:09
educators elevate what matters and simplify the rest. I'm
0:13
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.
0:36
Emily: Hey there. Thanks for joining us today. Today we are
0:39
talking about five things you can do to make teaching easier
0:43
right now that will also set you up for a smoother back to
0:46
school, seriously. And we have a teacher approved tip for making
0:50
sure everyone pays attention while you give directions.
0:54
Heidi: Our try it tomorrow this week is a little different from
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our usual classroom strategies. This one is just for you, that
1:00
hard working teacher. So Emily, tell us about this.
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Emily: All right, so tomorrow, grab a sticky note and write one
1:05
word on it. March. Put it somewhere you'll see it, like
1:09
your desk, your monitor, your plan book, wherever. And the
1:12
next time you feel yourself getting really frustrated with
1:14
student behavior or just the general chaos of this time of
1:18
year, look at the note.
1:20
Heidi: Yeah, March can feel like such a slog. Why is it 31 days?
1:25
It's such a long month.
1:26
Emily: The longest month.
1:28
Heidi: Seriously. And sometimes just having that reminder is
1:31
enough to give yourself a little grace.
1:33
Emily: Yes, you're not doing anything wrong. It's just March.
1:36
It's just March.
1:37
If you enjoy what we share here on the podcast, we would love it
1:41
if you would take a second and leave us a five star rating and
1:44
review. It's one of the easiest ways to help new listeners find
1:47
us.
1:48
Heidi: All right. Are you ready to take a look at five things
1:52
you can do in March to prepare for back to school?
1:55
Emily: I bet you anything, there's like nobody has blog
1:58
posts about this. There are not other podcast episodes on it,
2:03
and we promise we have not lost our minds or our calendars. We
2:08
are well aware that the first day of school is still five, six
2:12
months away. So today is not about handing you a list of
2:15
August tasks to start tackling in March, because that would be
2:18
completely unhelpful.
2:21
Heidi: Definitely. But even though the first day is still
2:24
months away, March does provide a brief window of opportunity
2:29
for helping make that time a little easier. That's because
2:33
you are in the thick of things right now. You know exactly
2:36
what's working and what makes you want to close your door and
2:39
eat lunch alone.
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Emily: Which, for the record, is sometimes the right call.
2:44
Heidi: Totally. Zero shame about that. But it's important to
2:48
recognize that the clarity you have right now is valuable but
2:52
fleeting, and by July, a lot of everything you're aware of right
2:55
now is just gonna fade into a general blur.
2:57
Emily: So today we're talking about five small things you can
3:01
do today that will pay off later. This is the definition of
3:04
working smarter, not harder. You're making sure that the
3:08
effort you're putting in today makes both the end of this
3:10
school year and the start of next school year a little easier
3:13
to manage.
3:14
Heidi: That is like our favorite kind of magic trick. So let's
3:18
look at our first suggestion, which is to reflect on what you
3:21
already know about next fall.
3:23
Emily: And really, this could not be simpler. You're probably
3:26
doing some version of this in your mind already.
3:29
Heidi: Yeah, by now, most teachers have probably turned in
3:32
their letters of intent, so you know at least a few things about
3:35
next year. Are you staying in the same grade or switching
3:38
grades? Are you staying in your room or moving? Are there any
3:41
team changes that you need to account for?
3:43
Emily: And all of that is just floating around in your head
3:46
taking up space. So this first task is to get it out of your
3:49
head and onto paper. We are calling it a next year parking
3:52
lot, a running list where you can drop anything that comes to
3:56
mind about next year as it surfaces.
3:59
Heidi: The key thing here is remembering there's no pressure
4:02
to make decisions. You're just giving those thoughts somewhere
4:05
to live so your brain can let them go and you can deal with
4:08
everything else on your plate right now.
4:10
Emily: Yeah, because that background stress is real and
4:13
it's really draining. When you've got a dozen unresolved
4:16
'what about next year' questions that are just floating around,
4:19
they add up even when you're not consciously thinking about them.
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Heidi: Exactly. It's like having open tabs in your brain, and
4:27
that makes me nuts. So grab a big sticky note, a scratch
4:31
paper, or even your notes app, and start a list of what's
4:34
changing, and then for each change, jot down a quick note
4:37
about what that might mean for you.
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Emily: So if you're moving rooms, you might need to
4:41
remember to save boxes. If your team is gaining or losing a
4:45
member, then you might need to figure out a new distribution of
4:48
responsibilities.
4:49
Heidi: But you really, you can figure all of that out down the
4:52
road. You don't need to know any of these details right now. You
4:55
just need a designated space to park all those thoughts that
4:58
keep racing through your brain. That's the perfect kind of task
5:01
for March, and it will save you from having to recall all of
5:03
those questions five months from now.
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Emily: Once you've got your thought parking lot started, you
5:08
can turn your attention to our second March task, which is to
5:11
declutter with intention.
5:14
Heidi: March is actually a really good time for
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decluttering for two reasons. One, the clutter from the last
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six or so months has probably built up quite a bit by now, if
5:24
your room is anything like mine was, and that clutter makes an
5:27
already chaotic classroom feel worse. When spring fever is at
5:31
its peak, reclaiming your physical space gives you back
5:34
some sense of agency. It's one of the few things you can
5:37
actually control right now.
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Emily: And the second reason is to think of decluttering as a
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gift to future you. Fewer materials now means less to
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pack, less to move, and less to organize in August. Every item
5:50
you let go of in March is one less item on your end of year
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list.
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Heidi: Now, if you are someone who thrives with a big project,
5:56
maybe you want to come in on a Saturday and knock it all out
5:59
for once, and good for you, if that lights you up. But for us
6:03
lesser mortals, without that kind of stamina, you can take
6:07
this on a tiny bit at a time. Just start by picking out one
6:11
small area to focus on each week, that could be a drawer or
6:14
a cabinet even.
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Emily: Or even just one shelf in a cabinet. The nice thing about
6:19
doing this now is that you really have time for small steps
6:22
to make a big difference. If you've got 12 weeks left of the
6:25
school year and picked one area to declutter each week, you
6:28
could make pretty good progress on deep cleaning most of your
6:31
room.
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Heidi: We have a whole episode, episode 60, all about spring
6:35
cleaning your classroom. Check that out if you want some more
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tips. But the thing to keep in mind is to be discerning about
6:42
what you decide to keep.
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Emily: Yeah, I think this is a common trap for teachers.
6:46
Getting rid of something potentially useful, even if it's
6:48
something you have never actually used, can make you feel
6:51
panicky. There's often the worry that you might need it someday.
6:55
Heidi: That is how I held on to a set of coin rubber stamps for
7:00
years. I got them at a workshop early, early in my teaching
7:04
career, and I could never figure out what to do with them. I just
7:08
did not have it in me to manage ink pads. They were so nice, and
7:12
they seemed so special, and I just couldn't let them go. And
7:15
when I left second grade, you know what happened? They went to
7:18
a new teacher, never even having been opened after taking up
7:23
space in my math cupboard for over a decade.
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Emily: Oh yeah, that is a cautionary tale that most of us
7:29
can relate to. You need space for things that will actually
7:32
help your students now, not things that might help future
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students someday. When you unearth one of those treasures,
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ask yourself, have I touched this in two years? If the answer
7:41
is no, it's not a someday item, it's a museum piece.
7:44
Heidi: And you have our permission to let it go. Donate
7:47
what's still usable, recycle the rest. Another teacher will be so
7:51
grateful to have it. And if it helps, consider that it is doing
7:55
more good being used by students, even if they're not
7:58
your students, rather than sitting on a shelf.
8:01
Emily: You know, we need to get a custom, like, easy button that
8:03
you can use, that that sings, let it go. So when you like find
8:07
something, you hit the button and it'll sing to you, and
8:09
you'll be like, All right, I'll let it go.
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Heidi: Perfect.
8:11
Emily: And while you're at it, take a look at your classroom
8:14
library. Are there books that never get picked up? Are some
8:17
falling apart or outdated? We know it goes against a book
8:21
lover's heart to part with a book, but sometimes it's the
8:23
right choice.
8:24
Heidi: Yeah, even public libraries clear out old books
8:27
all the time. I follow some librarians on threads, and
8:29
they're always talking about that, and people are shocked
8:32
that libraries get rid of books.
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Emily: They'd be stuffed.
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Heidi: Yeah, and a little weeding now means a fresher,
8:40
more functional library in the fall, without having to do a big
8:44
overhaul in August, when you've already got 65 other things on
8:47
your list.
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Emily: And your room's so hot and you just don't want to be
8:50
sitting there digging through your library. Plus, if you clear
8:53
out unused books, you'll have shelf space to buy new ones,
8:56
just in case you've accrued some scholastic bonus points this
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year.
9:00
Heidi: Buying new books is always the right answer. I don't
9:02
care what the question is.
9:04
Emily: Nope, correct. If you ever need us to back you up on a
9:07
book purchase, just send us a message, and we are more than
9:10
happy to help you justify it.
9:11
Heidi: I'd say that's one of our gifts maybe.
9:14
Emily: Yep.
9:15
Heidi: Okay, so you're thinking about upcoming changes. You're
9:19
slowly working away at decluttering. Emily, what is
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next?
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Emily: Well, our third tip for March is to save student work as
9:25
future teaching tools. This one is so easy, it almost feels like
9:29
you're getting away with something.
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Heidi: I love a sneaky good idea.
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Emily: And there are so few of those in teaching, so you've got
9:35
to grab them when they come by. Okay, if you're staying in the
9:38
same grade, right now you're teaching content that you're
9:40
going to teach next year. And one of the most powerful things
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you can do when you introduce a new assignment is show students
9:46
examples of what the work actually looks like.
9:49
Heidi: Of course, you can always make that example yourself. You
9:52
probably have done that plenty of times, I know I have.But
9:54
kid-generated models land so much better than anything
9:58
teacher-made. When students see work from actual kids, they see
10:01
that the standard is achievable.
10:03
Emily: And that creates a real shift, and it's so easy. While
10:07
you're teaching these units right now, be intentional about
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saving a few pieces. Grab examples that clearly show what
10:12
you're looking for, maybe even include different levels, like a
10:15
strong example, a middle example and a still developing example.
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Seeing that range helps kids understand the expectation.
10:22
Heidi: Just for privacy, remove any names before you share
10:24
anything with a new class, and you're good to go.
10:27
Emily: Yeah, you don't need your second graders telling, you
10:30
know, third grade Johnny, hey, we saw your work today, and it
10:34
wasn't the good example.
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Heidi: Avoid that, avoid that at all costs. And when you have
10:41
your pictures, drop them into a folder on your drive, something
10:44
simple, like a label of work examples organized by subject,
10:48
will help you know exactly where everything is, and that's it.
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When these units come up again next year, you won't be
10:53
scrambling to create samples from scratch, or, you know,
10:56
trying to remember what good work looked like. You're going
10:58
to have the real thing all ready to go.
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Emily: You can extend this same idea to anything else you might
11:04
want to reference in the future. Photograph anchor charts before
11:07
they come down, take a picture of a strong notebook setup, and
11:11
definitely grab photos of any bulletin boards you like. You
11:14
tell yourself you remember, but you won't remember. It's like
11:17
every year I have to look at last year's pictures of how I
11:19
set up my Christmas decorations, or my mantle and shelf decor.
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I'm like, How did I do this? I never remember, and you won't
11:26
remember either.
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Heidi: Okay, ready for tip four? This is for the version of you
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who has a running wish list of things that they always say
11:35
they're going to implement next year.
11:37
Emily: This is my chronic downfall. Every summer, I would
11:40
build this vision of the kind of classroom I was going to run
11:43
this year. And this would be the year for the consistent morning
11:46
message. This would be the year I figured out rubrics for
11:49
grading. This would be the year for weekly family communication
11:53
that didn't feel like a chore every week. And then August
11:56
would hit, and it's just 100% survival mode. So those ideas
11:59
would get pushed back again. And when I finally came up for air
12:02
in October, it felt too late to start something new, so it got
12:06
pushed again to next August, rinse and repeat over and over.
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Heidi: Well, you know for sure, I was not any better at that. In
12:14
fact, I was probably enabling a lot of your bad habits.
12:17
Emily: I guarantee it.
12:19
Heidi: But it's just such a draining cycle to be trapped in.
12:22
You can see how these ideas would benefit your classroom and
12:25
your students, but figuring out how to manage new systems on top
12:30
of starting the school year is almost guaranteed to fall apart.
12:33
So if you want to have something different, we need to do
12:36
something different.
12:38
Emily: And that is why our fourth tip is to try out the
12:40
thing you've been wanting to try. Whatever that might be, a
12:43
new grading system, a new type of technology, or a new class
12:46
routine, March is your moment for greatness.
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Heidi: Or you know, if not greatness, at least giving it a
12:52
solid effort. That's because right now, you have something
12:56
valuable, a class that already knows your routines. They trust
13:01
you. So when you introduce something new, you're not also
13:04
managing new relationships and new schedules and new everything
13:07
at the same time.
13:08
Emily: Yeah, you just get to try the thing. Think of it as a low
13:11
stakes prototype. Start that morning message, test a
13:14
different end of day procedure, or try a new transition routine.
13:18
See what actually takes too long, what needs tweaking, and
13:21
honestly, what you don't enjoy as much as you thought you
13:23
would.
13:24
Heidi: Yeah, definitely pay attention to that part. There
13:27
are ideas that sound great in theory and feel exhausting in
13:30
practice. Finding that out now with students who are already
13:34
used to you is so much better than finding it out in week two
13:38
with a brand new class.
13:40
Emily: Okay. And that brings us to our fifth March task, which
13:43
is something you are going to thank us for. Next week, we are
13:46
kicking off the Quiet Your Chatty Class Challenge inside
13:50
the Teacher Approved Club, and we want to invite you to join us
13:53
by starting a free trial.
13:54
Heidi: Spring chatter is real and it's here. You maybe have
13:58
noticed that. The energy is high, focus is scattered, and
14:01
getting students to actually listen while you're giving
14:04
directions can feel like a full time job on top of your full
14:08
time job.
14:09
Emily: But we can help you manage that. As part of the
14:11
challenge, you'll get three already-done-for-you mini
14:14
lessons and systems specifically designed to address classroom
14:18
talking. Plus you'll get printables, a teacher's guide,
14:21
and a daily video with us, so we can help walk you through it.
14:24
Heidi: You can use all of this right now with your current
14:27
class to get things a little quieter during work time. But
14:30
here's the back to school piece, and this is what we love about
14:33
it. When you go through the challenge now with those
14:36
students that already know you, this will be your practice run.
14:40
You're learning how the pieces fit together, getting all of the
14:44
materials prepped, figuring out what works, before you ever have
14:47
to introduce any of it to a brand new group of kids.
14:50
Emily: So then when fall rolls around, you're not trying
14:53
something new, while also building relationships and
14:55
teaching first week procedures. You'll already know the system
14:58
and have your materials all prepped. It means you'll be
15:01
implementing something you've already tested.
15:03
Heidi: If you have ever introduced a system you've never
15:06
tried before, while simultaneously doing everything
15:09
else September requires, you know exactly how much easier it
15:12
will be to figure things out now.
15:14
Emily: You can start your free trial through the link in the
15:17
show notes. So come join us for the challenge. Get some real
15:20
relief from the spring chatter, and walk away with materials and
15:23
systems that will be already prepped for you in the fall. So
15:26
it is a double win.
15:27
Heidi: Okay, those are our five tasks you can do in March to get
15:30
ahead for back to school. And we promised you they wouldn't be
15:33
overwhelming, and they weren't, right?
15:35
Emily: I agree, yes, right. I'm speaking for the listener.
15:39
They're nodding along.
15:39
Heidi: Thank you, Emily. So number one, reflect on what you
15:43
already know about next fall. Start a next year parking lot to
15:46
get those floating thoughts out of your head and onto paper.
15:49
Emily: Number two, declutter with intention. Set a goal to
15:53
sort through one small area per week. Let go of the museum
15:56
pieces, weed your classroom library, and enjoy the mood
15:59
shift that comes with a cleaner space.
16:01
Heidi: Number three, save student work right now as
16:04
feature teaching tools. Next year, you'll have real student
16:07
samples ready to go, instead of scrambling to create something
16:10
from scratch.
16:11
Emily: Number four, test drive the new management system or
16:15
routine you keep meaning to try. Use your current class as your
16:18
low stakes prototype, so you're not figuring it out in week two
16:22
of next year.
16:23
Heidi: And number five, start a free trial of the Teacher
16:26
Approved Club and join us for the Quiet Your Chatty Class
16:29
Challenge. Get immediate relief from spring chatter and walk
16:33
away with systems and materials already prepped for fall.
16:36
Emily: Make sure you check the show notes for the link to start
16:39
your free trial and join the challenge, we would love to see
16:42
you there.
16:43
Now for our teacher approved Tip of the Week, where we share an
16:46
actionable tip to help you elevate what matters and
16:49
simplify the rest. This week's teacher approved tip is to try
16:52
the five finger game, and this is the perfect tool for helping
16:56
reset shrinking attention span. So tell us more about it, Heidi.
16:59
Heidi: Well, this is such a good one for getting students to
17:02
actually listen while you're talking. The dream, right? So
17:06
here's how it works. When you are about to give directions,
17:09
hold up your hand with all five fingers up. You know, don't wave
17:12
around in the air. You can just have your hand in front of you.
17:15
And then ask your students to mirror you. They hold up their
17:18
own five fingers against their chests. Once they're ready, you
17:21
just give your directions. Anytime someone talks out of
17:24
turn, blurts or interrupts, you put down one finger, and your
17:28
students then immediately mirror you. So they're watching,
17:31
they're paying attention, and they are physically tracking how
17:34
the class is doing as a group.
17:36
Emily: And because everyone mirrors every finger, students
17:39
aren't just managing their own behavior. They're aware of the
17:41
groups. They're quietly holding each other accountable without
17:45
you having to say a word about it.
17:47
Heidi: And that means you don't have to give any warnings or
17:49
call out names, and that shifts the dynamic completely. You just
17:54
put a finger down and keep going, and the students will
17:55
figure out the rest pretty quickly.
17:59
Emily: Just make sure you're keeping the talking to the
18:01
minimum, even the most focused student can only pay attention
18:04
for so long.
18:06
Heidi: And if you teach younger kids, you might be able to keep
18:08
them invested in this process just by making it feel like a
18:11
challenge. "Let's see if we can get everyone to listen to my
18:14
directions without talking. Do you think we can do it with zero
18:17
interruptions?"
18:19
Emily: If you teach older kids, though, they might need a bit
18:21
more of an incentive. Tie the outcome to whatever motivates
18:24
your class. If all five fingers are still up at the end of
18:27
directions, maybe they earn a brain break, a couple minutes of
18:29
free choice, an extra recess minute, or whatever works for
18:33
your group.
18:33
Heidi: Try it this week. It takes about 30 seconds to teach,
18:37
and you can introduce it before your very next set of
18:39
directions.
18:41
Emily: And this pairs beautifully with the Quiet Your
18:43
Chatty Class Challenge that we mentioned earlier. If spring
18:46
chatter is wearing you down right now, that challenge is
18:48
going to give you a whole toolkit of strategies, just like
18:51
this one.
18:51
Heidi: To wrap up the show, we are sharing what we're giving
18:51
extra credit to this week. Emily, what gets your extra
18:56
credit?
18:58
Emily: I'm giving repeat extra credit to the TV show Shrinking.
19:02
Season three is airing now on Apple TV, and I'm pretty sure I
19:05
gave this extra credit in season one and season two.
19:08
Heidi: It's just so good.
19:09
Emily: It deserves it. I think it's the best show on TV right
19:12
now. If you like humor and heart and found family, and Harrison
19:17
Ford being the absolute best version of himself, I think
19:20
maybe ever, you will love it. Every season just gets better.
19:24
So what are you waiting for? Go watch it.
19:27
Heidi: Yeah. How rare is that this show gets better each
19:29
season?
19:30
Emily: Yes, it usually goes the other way.
19:31
Heidi: Yeah, because I liked the first season, but I wouldn't say
19:34
it completely won me over. I think I was still, like, waiting
19:37
for, like, a big, heavy drama twist. So I was bracing myself,
19:41
and then you get to the end, you're like, Oh, it was just,
19:44
like, it was dealing with real things, but not in a way that
19:47
left you emotionally wrecked.
19:49
Emily: Yes, which I do appreciate that about the show.
19:51
It's not just fluff. They're covering real human emotions and
19:57
experiences, but in a way that feels, what's the word I want to
20:01
say? I was gonna say wholesome, but that doesn't feel right.
20:04
It's, it feels real but, but not too heavy and sweet, but not
20:09
saccharine.
20:10
Heidi: Yeah, it's, it's like Ted Lasso, but maybe slightly less
20:15
funny?
20:16
Emily: I think it's funnier than Ted Lasso. But in a different
20:19
way.
20:19
Heidi: Ted Lasso's kind of broad humor.
20:22
Emily: Yes.
20:22
Heidi: And this is very like, intelligent, quiet moments.
20:26
Emily: Yes, it's a little like, Wait, what did he say? Oh, it's
20:30
so good. I love it so much. What are you giving extra credit to,
20:34
Heidi?
20:34
Heidi: Well, my extra credit is going to the Proper Mountain
20:38
Woman's Club.
20:38
Emily: Yahoo.
20:39
Heidi: Which is something that you Emily introduced me to, and
20:42
we've had so much fun doing this the past few months. Our mom
20:45
even joined us. It's just been so much fun. And don't let the
20:48
name intimidate you. It is not about survival skills.
20:51
Emily: No rope tying required.
20:55
Heidi: Instead, it's more like Girl Scouts for grown ups, but
20:58
with a fun theme, instead of, you know, I don't know what Girl
21:01
Scout badges, I wasn't in Girl Scouts.
21:03
Emily: No, me neither, sadly.
21:06
Heidi: But each season has a different focus. And then
21:09
there's a list of possible merit badges you can earn. And the
21:13
badges are all digital, which was kind of sad, but if you earn
21:16
enough of those badges, you qualify for a physical patch. So
21:20
that's been really fun.
21:21
Emily: Yeah.
21:22
Heidi: And this week we are wrapping up the winter session,
21:25
which has been all about Emma M Lion.
21:28
Emily: Which is the book series that we love.
21:30
Heidi: Yes.
21:31
Emily: That's an extra extra credit for this week that we're
21:34
both giving double extra credit to, because I know we've given
21:37
it before, but it is so good, best book series. I just
21:40
finished going through it for a second time on audio. It's so
21:44
good.
21:44
Heidi: Oh, that's so fun. So we have earned merit badges for
21:47
having tea parties, making Valentine decorations, and even
21:50
howling at the moon. But it does also have practical suggestions
21:54
like deep cleaning your bathroom, finishing a project,
21:57
tidying your desk, which I still have not done.
21:59
Emily: I know I need to, I should like right now go do my
22:02
washing my makeup brushes one.
22:04
Heidi: Oh, there you go. Yeah, that's an easy one. So I bring
22:07
this up now because the spring season is starting March 20, and
22:11
if you want a gentle invitation to be more present in your life,
22:15
this might be what you're looking for. I feel like it has
22:18
been so good for me to have these little nudges to just add
22:22
some whimsy to my day, like wearing a brooch on Thursdays is
22:26
one of the merit badges. And you know, honestly, it did not make
22:30
me a more productive person to wear a brooch, but it just felt
22:34
so ridiculous that it made my Thursdays have a little more of
22:37
a sparkle. I feel like it made winter a lot more enjoyable. So
22:37
I'm looking forward to it.
22:39
Emily: I feel like, especially in winter, it's nice to have
22:44
these, but I mean, at any time, I think it's good, and whimsy is
22:47
my word of the year, so I was already looking for ways to add
22:50
whimsy to my life. So this, like, has just worked out to be
22:53
perfect. And you can just do whatever merit badges you want.
22:56
You don't have to do any that don't speak to you.
22:58
Heidi: Yes, like, there's one that was like, spend 50 hours
23:01
outside or something.
23:02
Emily: No, it was 100.
23:02
Heidi: Oh my gosh, yeah, we're not doing that.
23:03
Emily: In winter?
23:03
Heidi: I did not even give it a second thought.
23:03
Emily: No, and I'm also not going to learn how to make Beef
23:11
Wellington. Like, I'm just not. But there are plenty of things
23:15
on here that, like, maybe I wouldn't have necessarily
23:18
thought, like, oh, I want to do that. But it was just
23:25
interesting enough that I'm like, I'm going to try that. And
23:25
then, and then it was so fun. Like, when we made the, we did
23:25
foil embossing for Valentine's Day decorations, and I had never
23:29
even thought about that before, but it was so much fun.
23:31
And the kids did it with us.
23:33
Yeah, it was great.
23:34
Heidi: We went to a fountain after dark and threw in a coin.
23:36
Emily: Yeah, we've had tons of fun.
23:38
Heidi: Yeah, learning about Victorian poets and composers
23:41
and all kinds of things.
23:42
Emily: Memorizing Queen Victoria's children.
23:45
Heidi: I got cards to make flashcards, so I can still get
23:47
that one. We do not have a discount code if you want to
23:51
sign up for this, but I know there are some out there, so if
23:54
you do want to sign up for this, definitely look around for a
23:56
discount before you join.
23:58
Emily: If I see any for the spring season, I will put them
24:01
in our stories on Instagram.
24:03
Heidi: Smart, perfect.
24:04
Emily: And if you like earning merit badges, I just have to put
24:07
a little plug. And this idea came to me before we did this
24:11
club. You're going to really like the Summer Teacher Summer
24:13
Talk Session.
24:16
Heidi: So we're already hard at work on it.
24:17
Emily: Yes, yes, it's going to be so fun this summer.
24:21
Heidi: That is it for today's episode. Pick one thing from
24:24
today's list and use it not only to make March a little easier,
24:28
but to make back to school a little easier as well.
24:30
Emily: And if you want to join us for the Quiet Your Chatty
24:33
Class Challenge, the link to start your free trial of the
24:36
Teacher Approved Club is in the show notes, and we would love to
24:39
have you there.
24:41
Heidi: We hope you enjoyed this episode of Teacher Approved. I'm
24:44
Heidi.
24:44
Emily: And I'm Emily. Thank you for listening. Be sure to follow
24:48
or subscribe in your podcast app so that you never miss an
24:50
episode.
24:51
Heidi: You can connect with us and other teachers in the
24:53
Teacher Approved Facebook group. We'll see you here next week.
24:57
Bye for now.
24:58
Emily: Bye.