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Classroom organization is really important for elementary teachers. Solid organization can help you plan and prep more efficiently. As teachers, we have tons of options for how to organize our classrooms. But what are the best options that will make keeping up with classroom organization easy? In this episode, I’m sharing 3 of my favorite tools for teacher organization.  What’s Covered In This Episode: My favorite tool for digital organization - Google Drive - plus how to keep it organized. The best bins to organize your teacher resources Why drawers are a versatile tool for classroom organization and how to use them in your classroom. Links Mentioned: Monthly Bin Labels 10 Drawer Cart Free Download: 5 Simple Tools to Organize Your Classroom Ready to be more productive during your limited prep? Take my FREE Quiz for Elementary Teachers to find out “How YOU Can Get More Done During Your Planning Time” Send me a DM on Instagram - I love chatting with elementary teachers like you! Send me a message with your thoughts and questions about teacher time management

Teacher moms, this one’s for you! During the school year, we have a routine every single day. Then summer comes… and while the break is much needed, this big shift in routine can be challenging, especially with kids. In this episode, I’m sharing the very flexible daily routine that I follow as a teacher mom on summer break.  What’s Covered In This Episode:  Why having a general routine for summer break is helpful  How I break up our day Examples of activities we do during each part of our day Links Mentioned: College 2 Classroom Summit is happening TODAY: June 27th. Grab your ticket here!  Free Self Care Summer Planner  Loving the podcast? Leave a review on Apple Podcasts. I'll give you a shout out on an upcoming episode, and you'll be helping other teachers decide if The Teacher Time Podcast is going to be their next listen. You can leave your review HERE. Thank you for your support, teacher friend!

If I could go back in time and tell my first year teacher self anything … these would be the first two pieces of advice I would give. And since I can’t go back in time, I’m just recording myself sharing this advice with all of you. Whether you’re a new teacher, seasoned teacher, or somewhere in between, this episode has advice everyone can use!  What’s Covered In this Episode: What makes teaching so hard during the first year (my personal experience) The one thing you absolutely must be clear on before students step foot in your classroom  How to make teaching sustainable from the beginning  Links Mentioned:  Grab your ticket to the College 2 Classroom Virtual Summit! I’ll be guest speaking on today’s topic. You’ll gain access to all presentations from experienced educators who are ready to help you be the best teacher you can be!  Editable Classroom Handbook

Your school year has been busy and you are ready for summer break. But shutting your teacher brain off is easier said than done. How can you decompress after a busy school year so that you’re able to truly relax this summer? We’ll answer that question in this episode.   The rule that will help you actually take a break  How routines can be helpful tools for teachers on summer break  Ideas that will get your mind off your classroom  Links Mentioned: End of Year Teacher Guide

There's so much to do at the end of the school year. You have report cards to complete and a classroom to pack up. But what about your students? Maybe you feel the pressure to plan some extra fancy activities. Maybe you're so overwhelmed by everything else on your to-do list that you have no idea what to plan. I have good news - You can keep your last week plans simple, but meaningful. What's Covered in this Episode: Easy activity ideas for the end of the school year Tips that will save you time and energy Simple end-of-year gift ideas Links Mentioned: End of Year Series Playlist End of Year Checklists and Guide End of Year Slideshow Template

It's time for a replay! This week, we're republishing a highly requested episode from our End of Year Teacher Series that went live in 2022. This episode is the second of four in our End of Year Teacher Series. In this episode, we talk all about one thing you should be doing at the end of the school year to make your life easier later. What is it? Decluttering your classroom. Inside the episode, I'll go through 3 steps to make sure you're tidying your classroom so you're scrambling to do it during the back to school season. You can find the full website show notes here. What's Covered In This Episode: The importance of decluttering A rule of thumb for deciding what to keep and what to get rid of Why you should be taking inventory of what you have How to put things back so you're not kicking yourself later

It’s about that time in the school year where you’re going to be packing up your classroom. Maybe you're decluttering a little bit and thinking about what you want to change for the upcoming year. Whether you're making updates to your classroom set up, classroom organization, planning, or even classroom management. In this episode, I'm sharing a big picture of the 4 ways you can make sure to be packed and organized before leaving your classroom for summer break! What's Covered in this Episode: What to include in your pack up steps A rule of thumb that will help you declutter The main things to organize at the end of the year What you actually want to prep now Download the Free End of Year Guide for checklists, tips, and a podcast playlist that will help you leave work at work over the summer.

Does writing report card comments take hours because you’re just not sure what to write? If you dread report card season every quarter and desperately want writing comments to be easier, you’ve come to the right place. In today’s episode, we’re breaking down how to make writing report card comments easy in 3 steps.  In This Episode About Report Card Comment Tips, You’ll Learn: How to make sure you're not writing comments at the very last minute The easiest hack to remember what you've written for students each quarter The best tip that will save you HOURS on comment writing Links Mentioned in the Episode: Get Done for You Report Card Comment Templates, including editable resources for you to write/save comments and go-to phrases for when you get stuck! Listen to Episode 95 for report card mistakes to avoid Send me a DM on Instagram - I love chatting with elementary teachers like you! Send me a message with your thoughts and questions about teacher time management

Report cards can be a hefty task, I get it. If report cards have been taking you hours upon hours to do, then you are going to love this episode! I’m sharing 3 mistakes that I’ve made when it comes to writing report cards to help you with what not to do so you can write accurate and objective report cards for your students in less than 2 hours.  What's Covered in This Episode: A quick fix to make sure you're not super stressed during report card season How I always know what to write in report card comments (and you can too) One thing you need to make grading easier Links Mentioned: Report Card Comment Templates + Guide If you're loving the podcast, leave a review on Apple Podcasts HERE.

We're nearing the end of the year and your students are tired, you're tired, but learning still has to happen. How are you going to keep your students engaged? Today I'm sharing 3 engagement strategies that you can use with your students right away. Not just at the end of the year, but all the time! The best thing about these strategies is they are absolutely no-prep. The only thing you need is yourself and your students! What's Covered In This Episode: Why easy engagement strategies are the way to go 3 super simple ways you can engage your students and make learning fun How these engagement strategies help students practice active listening skills Links Mentioned In This Episode: What's Your Secret to Weekend Freedom as a Teacher? Take the Free Quiz to find out! Send me a DM on Instagram - I love chatting with elementary teachers like you! Send me a message with your thoughts and questions about teacher time management

This month we’ve been covering topics around teacher burnout and stress management. And I cannot think of a better way to wrap up this month’s episode than with this conversation I had with Jen Rafferty. Talking with Jen truly felt like talking with a friend who just gets it and who understands the importance of teachers taking care of themselves so they cna show up as their best selves, not only in the classroom but outside of the classroom too. There is so much to take away from thos conversation, from how to aim for a work life BLEND, not balance, what’s keeping teachers from true work satisfaction, and so much more.  Presenter and author Jen Rafferty started her teaching career as a middle school teacher in Central New York for 15 years. She founded Empowered Educator in 2020 as a response to teacher burnout during the pandemic. Jen is known for bringing her energy, humor and expertise in her presentations while inspiring educators to stay connected to their "why." Jen is a certified Emotional Intelligence Practitioner and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology. Since its inception, the Empowered Educator has reached teachers and school leaders all over the world. Jen has been featured in Authority Magazine, Medium, Thrive Global, and VoyageMIA. She is the author of the Amazon bestseller, A Place in the Staff: Finding Your Way as a Music Teacher. Jen's insatiable curiosity continues to make the Empowered Educator programs relevant and reflective of the most up-to-date research in mindset, leadership, and cognitive neuroscience. She is committed to inspiring teachers and school leaders to discover their voice and maintain a healthy longevity throughout their careers. In This Episode, You’ll Learn: What your sacrifice/renewal cycle is and how it’s both the problem & the solution for burnout. Why Work/life balance is a lie The difference between positive psychology and toxic positivity. The impact that "Shoulds" and "supposed-to's" have on your work satisfaction Links Mentioned in the Episode: https://empowerededucator.com/resources Ready to be more productive during your limited prep? Take my FREE Quiz for Elementary Teachers to find out “How YOU Can Get More Done During Your Planning Time”

Do you experience the Sunday Scaries as a teacher? Unfortunately, this can be a common experience, but it doesn't have to be your "normal." In this episode, we're talking about understanding what the Sunday Scaries are, why they happen, and some really simple things you can do to help eliminate those feelings. In this Episode, You'll Learn: What causes you to experience the Sunday Scaries How proactive planning during the week can help on Sunday Simple mindset shifts to decrease feelings of anxiety at the start of a new week Why routine is important Links Mentioned: Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle Download this Free To-Do List for Teachers Shop my TPT Store: Teaching Little Leaders for time-saving templates + activities Ready to be more productive during your limited prep? Take my FREE Quiz for Elementary Teachers to find out “How YOU Can Get More Done During Your Planning Time” Send me a DM on Instagram - I love chatting with elementary teachers like you! Send me a message with your thoughts and questions about teacher time management