6 Teacher Traps We’re Saying No to This Back-To-School [Episode 203]

Heidi  0:00

This is episode 203 of Teacher Approved.

 

Heidi  0:04

You’re listening to Teacher Approved, the podcast helping educators elevate what matters and simplify the rest. I’m Heidi.

 

Emily  0:13

And I’m Emily. We’re the creators behind Second Story Window, where we give research based and teacher approved strategies that make teaching less stressful and more effective. You can check out the show notes and resources from each episode at secondstorywindow.net.

 

Heidi  0:27

We’re so glad you’re tuning in today. Let’s get to the show.

 

Emily  0:35

Hey there. Thanks for joining us today. In today’s episode, we are discussing six pressures that we are just saying no to this summer, and sharing a teacher approved tip for adding a little delight to your school day.

 

Heidi  0:48

But first, it’s time for Try It Tomorrow, a favorite quick win that you can try in your life right away. Emily, what is our suggestion for this week?

 

Emily  0:56

Well, for this week, why not try listing your wins for the day? At the end of the day, or before you’re up and going the next morning, make a list of all the things you got done in the day. If you’re feeling the pressure that you’re not doing enough, seeing a list of everything you are doing can be very freeing.

 

Heidi  1:13

And don’t feel like you have to limit yourself to just the big stuff. Putting away the cereal that was left out or remembering to send an email, these are all accomplishments we’re celebrating. You are doing better than you think you are.

 

Emily  1:24

I used to do a wins journal, and it really helped me. I should get back to that.

 

Heidi  1:28

I know I was thinking, I need to do that too.

 

Emily  1:30

I have some good wins for today. I’m gonna get on a notebook. If you like this idea or anything else we share here on the podcast, would you take a second and give us a five star rating and review on Apple podcasts? Ratings and reviews are one way that new listeners find us, so every rating and review is a huge help to us.

 

Heidi  1:49

Over the years, Emily and I have created an extensive library of back to school products. To help you find the tools that will make the start of your new year easier, today we are spotlighting our first day and first week of school planning guide.

 

Emily  2:02

We’re really focused on helping teachers prep intentionally and not haphazardly. So we put together this guide to walk you step by step through how to create thoughtful, effective plans for your first week of school.

 

Heidi  2:15

A successful first day of school builds a powerful momentum that will carry you through the following weeks and months. This guide will help you create your own perfect plan for the first day of school, and also show you how to extend that plan into the first week.

 

Emily  2:28

Just think how awesome it will feel knowing that your first week is already planned, prepared and ready to roll.

 

Heidi  2:34

So check out the show notes for a link to our first day of school lesson plan and planning guide.

 

Emily  2:39

Now I don’t want to alarm anyone, but we are tiptoeing into July now.

 

Heidi  2:46

And that means, if it hasn’t already started, the BTS buzz is going to ramp up big time.

 

Emily  2:52

Even as we speak, stores are stocking shelves full of notebooks and glue sticks and the cheap pencil boxes that will fall apart by October, you know the ones I mean. But we’re not saying this to scare you. We want to prepare you.

 

Heidi  3:04

Right. We want you to have a plan so when the ads pop up on TV, or you turn the corner at the store and find yourselves in front of the back to school aisles, you are prepared to face down the beast without panic.

 

Emily  3:16

So in that moment when it’s hard to breathe and it feels like your stomach might drop out of your body, you need to calm the part of your brain that thinks you’re in danger. Your eyes see notebooks, but your brain sees hungry tigers. Those notebooks are a threat to your safety, so your brain launches your survival reflexes.

 

Heidi  3:35

Now, obviously, logically, we know we are not in danger, but our brains are wired to perceive threats, and thinking about school in July can feel very threatening. So take back some control by breathing deeply. This signals to your brain that you are not, in fact, about to be devoured by an ambush of tigers. And I think that is an awesome collective noun for the way that the back to school display might actually make you feel.

 

Emily  4:02

I just learned something new today. I think that is a collective noun that I did not know, an ambush of tigers. I love it. But then you need to choose a loving phrase you can repeat to yourself. So maybe something like this feels threatening and urgent, but it’s not. Or, I am on track. I have all the time I need to get ready.

 

Heidi  4:20

Because we know this moment is coming, we can make a plan for how to respond when it inevitably happens, and we can also prepare for how to react to the other front of this back to school battle—social media pressure.

 

Emily  4:34

Yes, if you follow any teacher accounts, lots of classroom content is headed your way soon. Not only might that trigger your fight or flight response, but in order to counter that panicky feeling, you might be tempted to do whatever you see that other teacher is sharing.

 

Heidi  4:49

Now, whatever you’re seeing online might be a totally great idea, but when you jump into something because you feel alarmed, you’re not choosing it because it is great. You’re choosing it because any kind of action feels like an antidote to panic.

 

Emily  5:03

It makes sense why we do this. The obvious answer to feeling out of control is to do something within your control, right? But this is where we run into problems. We see the teachers on our screens who seem prepared, who seem calm and ready to go. That is exactly how I want to feel. So surely if I just do what they’re doing, I will also be prepared and calm and ready to go.

 

Heidi  5:23

And that sense of panic is so strong, it’s so urgent, we don’t always stop to think if doing those things will actually be the things that make us prepared. Then we spend lots of time and energy and money on projects that are not moving the needle.

 

Emily  5:38

And guess what that does to your sense of panic once school is closer. It’s not good. And that’s how some of us end up in the doctor with rashes and ulcers and dislocated jaws. But not me, that one’s you. Heidi.

 

Heidi  5:50

Well, thankfully I did not do all of that in the same year. I just, I like to spread out my stress injuries.

 

Emily  5:56

Well, our hope for all of you is zero doctor visits this back to school season. I mean, that is really just a good goal in general, but especially good during back to school season. So we’re going to avoid that by handling our stress in more meaningful ways. One way we can do that is by recognizing that just because something looks amazing on social media doesn’t mean it is fit for our classrooms.

 

Heidi  6:18

Okay. So we are going to channel all of the messaging we were taught in the 90s, and we’re going to just say no to these six social media pressures.

 

Emily  6:25

Let’s start with the big one, the elaborate classroom theme. You know, the ones, rainforest retreat, outer space odyssey, 1950s diner or whatever the latest trend Tiktok has dreamed up.

 

Heidi  6:37

Themes like these can be incredibly fun. There’s a huge wow factor at meet the teacher night, when everyone wants to poke their head in and see all of the fun decor. But decking out a classroom is also incredibly expensive, time consuming, and often not sustainable.

 

Emily  6:53

Yeah, a decked out room makes a big splash on day one, but by October, your students won’t even notice the palm leaves or the Galaxy backdrop anymore. What will matter is how they feel in your classroom, safe, welcome and known. If a theme helps you get there and you love it, go for it. We would never tell you not to.

 

Heidi  7:10

But if it feels like something you have to do in order to keep up, give yourself permission to say no, even if the teacher across the hall has literal vines hanging from the ceiling and your students ooh and ah as they walk past. You do not have to deck out your room. Your classroom is not a performance space. It’s a place for real learning, real kids and a real human teacher.

 

Emily  7:31

And if you do feel guilty for keeping it simple, remind yourself that science actually backs you up on this. Studies have demonstrated that overly decorated spaces detract from student learning.

 

Heidi  7:42

Yeah, those elaborate themes can actually keep students from focusing on academic content, and they create an environment where the decorations are competing with learning objectives, so you can feel confident in saying no to this with zero guilt.

 

Emily  7:56

So the second pressure that we are saying no to is the pressure to laminate all the things. And we get the appeal because we love a laminator. We each own our own personal laminators. But the key to being the queen of lamination is knowing what is lamination worthy.

 

Heidi  8:12

Yeah, lamination takes a lot of work, and it can be expensive if you’re the one footing the bill. At my school, we were literally charged by the foot for that. So save your laminating for what really matters.

 

Emily  8:23

In order for laminating to be worthwhile, the pros of doing it have to outweigh the cons. So Heidi, tell us what some of the cons of laminating are.

 

Heidi  8:32

Well, first of all, laminating is permanent. If you decide you need to change something, there’s not an easy fix once it’s all encased in plastic. Second, it can make it hard for students to read. If you decide to laminate a chart, for example, you will also have to spray it with that clear, matte spray paint so that the kids can read it. Third, it takes a lot of time to feed everything through the machine and then cut it all out. And fourth, once paper is laminated, it is probably not recyclable.

 

Emily  8:58

And don’t forget that some teachers are cut, laminate, cut kind of teachers, so that is, like, twice the amount. So that is a big time commitment. Now, if it’s something that your kids will be handling all the time, then you probably do want to laminate. But otherwise, save your time, save your money, save your sanity, and just say no to over laminating.

 

Emily  9:19

Okay, what is the third pressure we’re saying no to, Heidi?

 

Heidi  9:22

This is the pressure to jump on the current trend. Every year, a new must have or must do explodes across teacher Instagram or Tiktok. I haven’t quite spotted the one for this year yet, but I’m sure it will show up soon. Do you remember not too long ago the summer of brag tags, Emily?

 

Emily  9:37

Oh yes.

 

Heidi  9:39

Or sticker stores or elaborate reward menus, or investing in every conceivable form of flexible seating. It is easy to think, if I don’t do this, my classroom won’t be good enough, but the truth is that a lot of these trends are band aids.

 

Emily  9:54

Yeah, these fun ideas look like solutions, but they don’t always solve any problems. Sometimes they just create more problems. So if you’re already overwhelmed, ask yourself, will this new idea actually meet a need in my classroom, or does it just give me something to control while I feel panicky? Just remember, new is not always better. Sustainable, simple and meaningful will always win in the long run.

 

Heidi  10:17

Well, moving on, let’s talk money. Social media loves a color coordinated classroom—matching bins, personalized water bottles, rainbow carts, charming lamps, boho chic supply caddies, and adorable first day of school gift bags for every student. But none of this is required. You do not need to spend hundreds of dollars for your classroom to be warm and welcoming.

 

Emily  10:39

And of course, those perfectly coordinated shelves do look so cute in an Instagram reel. I definitely understand the appeal. But you know what’s even more valuable? A calm, healthy teacher who still has enough money in the bank account to pay for groceries. Connection doesn’t come from fancy fonts and Pinterest worthy baskets. It comes from you, the teacher, your presence, your attention and your care.

 

Heidi  11:03

There’s another kind of pressure that creeps in when you see other classrooms online looking finished and polished before August even begins. It’s the sort of thing that social media is famous for, and this is the pressure to make everything picture perfect before the first day.

 

Emily  11:18

You have seen these classrooms online, I’m sure. Every bulletin board is styled, every space is labeled, every inch of the walls are covered. But here’s your permission slip. It is okay to leave your walls blank. In fact, it can be better. When your students walk in on the first day, they’ll see a space with room to grow. They’ll see that their work will matter, because it’s going to fill the walls.

 

Heidi  11:41

If you’re worried that leaving empty space will make your room look unready, just add a little touch. All you have to do is print a sign that says, brilliant work coming soon. Or watch this space for amazing ideas. This lets your students know that this is our classroom, not just yours, and you’re so confident that they have great things ahead that you are intentionally leaving room for that greatness.

 

Emily  12:02

And that brings us to the last pressure that we are saying no to this one is the sneakiest, because it doesn’t show up as a to do list. It shows up as a feeling. And this is the pressure to compare yourself.

 

Heidi  12:16

Oh, we all know that feeling so well. You see another teacher’s classroom or lesson plan or first week schedule, and you think, I’m already behind, but you are not. What you’re seeing is a moment, not the full story.

 

Emily  12:29

Right. Social media doesn’t show the extra help that teachers might have or the extra time they might have because they’re in a different season of life. You don’t see their doubts or their debt or their burnout, you just see the highlight reel. So instead of comparing, connect and remind yourself that your journey is valid, your timeline is okay. You are not behind. You are building something real.

 

Heidi  12:50

So let’s sum it up this way. You don’t have to perform your teaching for anyone else. Your classroom doesn’t need to look like an Instagram post to be effective. You don’t need to do it all. You just need to do what matters for your kids and for yourself.

 

Emily  13:05

So let’s recap the six pressures that we are absolutely saying no to this summer. Elaborate classroom themes that you do not enjoy doing, laminating everything, whatever the latest trend is that will take a lot of work and not solve any real problems, spending lots on classroom setup, making your classroom picture perfect, and comparing yourself.

 

Heidi  13:27

The most prepared teachers focus on the invisible work—understanding their students, planning meaningful instruction and creating simple systems that support learning. Social media makes the decorative work visible, but it’s the foundational work that actually serves students.

 

Emily  13:43

Your back to school prep should make the transition easier, not heavier. If a task feels like it’s for social media, it probably is not essential. If it feels like it’s for your students or your own sanity, that is your compass. Put your energy there and let the rest fade away. Now we would love to hear what you are saying no to this summer. Come join the conversation in our Teacher Approved Facebook group.

 

Emily  14:08

Now for our Teacher Approved Tip of the Week, where we share an actionable tip to help you elevate what matters and simplify the rest. This week’s teacher approved tip is bring back the lucky duck for some surprise and delight. So tell us about this one, Heidi.

 

Heidi  14:21

I love this idea so much. We first talked about this back in episode 114 and it’s one of those tips that’s so simple but so effective. So this idea comes from crafttaycorner on Instagram. The idea is that each day, you put a rubber duck on one student’s desk, and that student becomes the lucky duck for the day.

 

Emily  14:21

And we brought it up again in Episode 158 when we were talking about surprise and delight for team building. The lucky duck gets special privileges and responsibilities for that day. Maybe they’re the line leader. They get to choose centers first, or they get extra technology time.

 

Heidi  14:56

What I love about this is that it’s not something that your kids are earning or working toward, it’s just pure surprise and delight. You’re just choosing someone to make their day a little more special. And that kind of unexpected joy does wonders for classroom morale.

 

Emily  15:10

And you can totally adapt this to fit your classroom. Instead of set jobs, maybe the lucky duck gets to sit in a special chair or spin a prize wheel. If this is the excuse you needed to buy a prize wheel, you could do it for this. Or choose the transition song. Really, anything that makes the child feel special for the day is going to be such a morale boost. And crafttaycorner  does this all year long. We think it might be even more impactful if you use it for just a few weeks here and there. Makes it so special and unexpected.

 

Heidi  15:40

Yeah, just makes sure everyone gets a turn before you retire it, or you’re gonna have some very disappointed kids. Now, the reason we are bringing this up in the middle of summer, and okay, we’re not saying this is vital, but if you have been to Michael’s Crafts lately, you may have seen their wall of rubber ducks. There are itty bitty, tiny ducks and giant ducks and lots of regular sized ducks in cute and clever costumes. Now there’s absolutely no pressure. Remember, we are saying no to things that don’t serve us, but if you wanted an excuse to buy those adorable ducks, you know this might be your answer.

 

Emily  16:15

Yes, if this would serve you in your classroom, if not, ignore us completely. But if it would, do this, okay. If we haven’t sold you yet on the lucky duck surprise and delight, we’ve got some more duck based suggestions that you could use your ducks for.

 

Heidi  16:30

I don’t know if anyone’s ever said duck based suggestions before.

 

Emily  16:35

Well, I did just have baby ducks in my yard, so this is like perfect time for all the duck discussion. So if a student gives a clever response, you could let them put a duck on their desk as the, and I’m going to try and say this without laughing, Waddle Great Idea Award.

 

Heidi  16:52

Only thing better than a rubber duck is a duck pun.

 

Emily  16:56

So now their job would be to listen to other students responses during the lesson, and pass the duck on to them. Just make sure the duck is supporting good discussion and not distracting from it. You’d have to be careful with this one.

 

Heidi  17:09

Another slightly unhinged idea is to save a duck for when the day is just falling apart. You know, when three kids are melting down and someone spilled their entire water bottle and you are questioning all of your life choices. Pull out a rubber duck, hold it up, and then say something completely ridiculous, like time for a quackitude adjustment, or according to duck law, we all get to try again, and then you can shake things up to reset the day.

 

Emily  17:39

That’s amazing, hitting a reset button, but like, with 100% more silliness, and so that’s just bound to turn everybody’s mood around. And sometimes we just need to acknowledge that teaching is weird and wonderful, and a rubber duck is the perfect mascot for that.

 

Heidi  17:53

It’s really such a small, pointless thing, but sometimes the smallest gestures make the biggest difference in how kids feel about being in your classroom. And also, if you ever find yourself in a situation where you need someone to help you justify a purchase, please reach out, because we are your girls.

 

Emily  18:10

It’s like the dad from my big frat Greek wedding, and everybody can ask him about a word and say, How does this come from Greek? Well, we are that person for weird ideas. Tell us an idea, and we will connect it to how you can use it in the classroom. I promise, we can come up with it. Bring it to the Teacher Approved Facebook group. We got you.

 

Heidi  18:30

To wrap up the show, we’re sharing what we’re giving extra credit to this week. Emily, what gets you extra credit?

 

Emily  18:33

I’m giving extra credit to the book Colton Gentry’s Third Act by Jeff Zenter, wait, Zentner, maybe that’s how you say it. Zentner?

 

Heidi  18:43

That’s a mouthful.

 

Emily  18:43

Yeah, a lot of consonants. It’s about a former country music star who loses everything after speaking out about gun violence, and he ends up back in his hometown, just like trying to figure out what to do next after he’s basically been kicked out of country music. And this book has heartbreak and humor and second chances, and just like a lot of heart. I think you could probably consider this a rom com read, but it’s from the male main character’s perspective, which is unique, and honestly, probably not something I would usually go for, but I loved it. It felt really fresh and fun. And I’m still thinking about it, which is very rare. I usually finish a book, and a week later I can’t even remember what it was about.

 

Emily  18:44

Well, that’s a good recommendation. I have not even heard of this book.

 

Emily  18:58

I think it just came out earlier this year, so it’s newish.

 

Heidi  19:11

Okay, well I’ll have to give it a shot.

 

Emily  19:15

What are you giving extra credit to, Heidi?

 

Heidi  19:24

I am giving extra credit to myself. I’ve ever done that. I solved the stupidest problem, and I know it’s really dumb, but I’m so tickled with myself about this.

 

Emily  19:43

Okay, tell me.

 

Heidi  19:44

So I have been doing this thing the past few weeks where an hour after I go to bed, I wake up like dead out of my sleep, like, did I remember to take my bedtime pills? And I cannot remember. So then it’s like, did I, uh… Now you’re probably thinking like, oh, Heidi, they have pill cases exactly for this, which I do use at bedtime, for the pills that I take every night. But then sometimes I have to take, like, my allergy pills I have to take, depending on what the allergy situation is. So it’s very much like, I can’t, I can’t just have a set plan. I have tried to think this through.

 

Emily  20:20

You need a plan, but it needs to be flexible.

 

Heidi  20:23

Yes. So what I decided was, like, I needed something random. Remember, we love a random thing here. I could have got a rubber duck, that would have been perfect. So I I count out my little pills every night into a ceramic dish, like I bought a little trinket dish for it, because I’ve been using a pill lid. And I thought, let’s elevate this moment. Anyway. So I got this little ceramic dish, and for my birthday, I took, this is the stupidest thing, but I, we’re going on this journey. For my birthday a couple months ago, a lovely neighbor gifted me a like, three inch quartz crystal necklace.

 

Emily  20:55

Oh, my.

 

Heidi  20:56

And I’m sure there are women my age who could wear such a thing, but I am not one of them. So I’ve been like, what do I do with this giant pink quartz crystal necklace? So what I did is I took it off the, I took the crystal off the chain, and I put that so when I count my pills at night, I put the crystal in the dish, and then after I take my pills, I put the crystal away so I can remember. But this has worked out so well because it’s turned into this whole like sensory, weird moment of, like, the crystals cold, so I have that like input for my brain, and it makes a sound when it goes in the ceramic dish. I have that other input, so I’m having all the sensory input so I can remember that I did, in fact, take these dumb pills. So all of that is to say, if you have something that you are struggling to remember, give yourself a weird sensory cue that goes with it so that you can remember if you’ve done it or not. And you know, I’ve slept through the night, so I hope everyone else can too.

 

Emily  21:52

Okay, so wait, so do you put it in the dish, then take your pills, then take it out of the dish?

 

Heidi  21:52

Yes. So I put it in the dish when I take the pills, and it makes a little clink when it goes in. So it’s like my so it’s like, my key to my brain. Sometimes you get on autopilot, you know.

 

Emily  22:05

Oh yeah, constantly.

 

Heidi  22:07

So that little clink has been a good little help. And then I take the pills and I put the crystal away. So it’s like, if I, if the crystal was still in the dish, I could leave the crystal there.

 

Emily  22:17

I think that’s what I was wondering, of like, the how do you…

 

Heidi  22:20

But then I take the crystal away so that the next day I have to put it back out so I remember, like, Yes, I did count the pills out for that night.

 

Emily  22:29

Okay. So what if, what if, then you were, like, an hour later, like, I think I remember the clink in the dish. But was that yesterday or today? Or does that just not happen? Because it feels like it just happened.

 

Heidi  22:40

It hasn’t happened so far, because, I think, because that crystal is just so sensory, like it’s heavy, it’s cold, it makes this separate sound. It’s so big I can’t miss it. It really would make a statement as a necklace. So that has just helped my brain shake up its autopilot a little bit.

 

Emily  22:58

Well, I think it’s, our old lady is showing but it’s okay, because I have to take iron, but only every other day. And so I struggle sometimes to be like, wait, what day did I, did I take it yesterday or two days ago? And it sometimes helps, because I keep it on a different shelf, so I have to, like, remember the feeling of like, oh, yesterday did I get that down? But maybe I can come up with something to help with this. But every other day just makes it even more confusing.

 

Heidi  23:23

Well, I’d be happy to buy you a crystal if you need one.

 

Emily  23:28

I think I’d rather have a duck, real or rubber. I don’t know that a real duck would help me.

 

Heidi  23:39

No probably not.

 

Emily  23:44

Well that is an interesting point at the end of this episode, there’s the period on this.

 

Heidi  23:49

We’re just 200 episodes in, you know us too well by now.

 

Heidi  23:52

Well, that is it for today’s weird episode. Remember to just say no to social media pressures as you’re getting ready for the school year, and you have our permission to buy all of the silly rubber ducks you want, keep that in mind.

 

Emily  24:06

Snd crystal necklaces, apparently.

 

Heidi  24:12

We hope you enjoyed this episode of Teacher Approved. I’m Heidi.

 

Emily  24:16

And I’m Emily. Thank you for listening. Be sure to follow or subscribe in your podcast app so that you never miss an episode.

 

Heidi  24:22

You can connect with us and other teachers in the Teacher Approved Facebook group. We’ll see you here next week. Bye for now.

 

Emily  24:29

Bye.