What’s Not Working in Your Classroom? Time to KISS Those Problems Goodbye! [Episode 231]

Heidi  0:00

This is episode 231 of Teacher Approved.

 

Heidi  0:06

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  0:28

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

 

Emily  0:36

Hey there. Thanks for joining us today. In today’s episode, we are pausing to take stock of where we are as we head into term two, and we’re sharing a teacher approved tip for getting things back on track.

 

Heidi  0:48

But first, let’s start with a try it tomorrow, where we share a quick win that you can try in your classroom right away. Emily, what is our suggestion for this week?

 

Emily  0:56

This week, add some art time to your vocabulary practice. Call out a vocabulary word and have students sketch it in 30 seconds, then have them compare drawings with a partner.

 

Heidi  1:07

This is quick, it’s fun, and it is surprisingly helpful for retention. Studies show that having students draw vocabulary words is one of the most effective ways to make them stick.

 

Emily  1:18

I love that, and it makes sense, because visualizing a word and putting it on paper makes you process it in a completely different way than just writing a definition.

 

Heidi  1:28

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 in your podcast player? Ratings and reviews really are so helpful to podcasts, and we would be very, very, very, very grateful.

 

Emily  1:42

Thank you so much for sticking with us last week as we were wrapping up our book.

 

Heidi  1:47

Now, are we done yet? No, we are not, but we’re at least in the editing stage as opposed to the writing stage, and it turns out that is a much easier process.

 

Emily  1:57

Oh, and much more fun, and that’s why we had enough time this week to prepare a new episode, and we are all set to dive into a KISS retrospective.

 

Heidi  2:07

Yes, I’m so excited to talk about this. Now, I know it’s cliche, but I think my favorite Kiss song is probably Rock and Roll all night. What about you, Emily?

 

Emily  2:16

Well, that is not the KISS retrospective that I had in mind, this is a framework from the business world that’s used to evaluate progress and make plans for moving forward.

 

Heidi  2:29

Well, I sure wish you had explained that before I put on the Gene Simmons makeup.

 

Emily  2:33

Well, it suits you. It looks so nice. Good thing this isn’t a video podcast.

 

Heidi  2:39

Well, lesson learned, I guess, always double check before covering yourself in black and white stage makeup, and hopefully none of you have made that same mistake in the last 30 seconds. Now, if you are listening to this episode the week it comes out, you are probably about to wrap up your first term, or even starting your second term of the school year.

 

Emily  2:58

And that is such a weird spot to be in, because September feels like it was five years ago. But you’re also looking at the calendar thinking, Wait, it’s only November?

 

Heidi  3:09

And at this point, you’re starting to notice things like that morning routine that worked so great a few weeks ago is starting to fray around the edges. Or that student you thought would settle down by now is still struggling.

 

Emily  3:23

Yeah, those patterns are becoming clear, and that is why now is the best time to pause and take stock. Because if you wait until January, when you’re really exhausted, some of these issues are going to feel impossible to fix, but right now, you’ve still got time on your side, and hopefully you’ve still got a little bit of energy.

 

Heidi  3:40

So today, we want to help you figure out what’s actually working in your classroom right now and what needs to change.

 

Emily  3:47

And to do that, we’re going to walk you through four questions that can help you evaluate what’s working and what’s not. And then we’re going to apply those questions to five different areas in your classroom.

 

Heidi  3:58

As we mentioned earlier, this is called the KISS retrospective. Keep, Improve, Stop, Start. It’s basically asking yourself, what’s working that I should protect, what’s kind of working that needs tweaking, what should I just let go of, and what do I want to add?

 

Emily  4:15

To help you get clarity on where you are, we’re going to apply the KISS approach to five areas: classroom routines and procedures, of course, student behavior and classroom culture, student needs, teacher workload, and motivation. So let’s dive in.

 

Heidi  4:28

Okay, first up, we’ve got classroom routines and procedures. This is the stuff that either makes your day run smoothly or makes you feel like you’re herding cats from bell to bell.

 

Emily  4:37

And what worked in September might not be working now, because the kids have gotten comfortable, they have you totally figured out by now, and they know which procedures you’ll actually enforce and which ones you will probably let slide.

 

Heidi  4:51

Oh, they absolutely know.

 

Emily  4:54

Stinkers. So let’s start with the first question, what should you keep? What’s actually working?

 

Heidi  5:00

Think about the routines that feel smooth, the ones that you don’t even have to think about anymore, because they just happen.

 

Emily  5:06

For me, my morning meeting routine was always really solid. That was the one thing that I would not compromise on, even on the craziest days, because I could feel the difference in my classroom when we didn’t do it.

 

Heidi  5:17

In your classroom, it might be something really small, like how you dismiss kids to line up, maybe you’ve started calling kids by table instead of all at once, and it’s made lining up so much quicker.

 

Emily  5:29

So that’s why we want to start by looking at what’s going well. If something’s working, you want to protect it. Name it, so you don’t overlook it, and make sure that you keep doing it.

 

Heidi  5:37

The second question for procedures is what needs to improve? What’s kind of working, but feels clunky?

 

Emily  5:43

This is the stuff that you’re spending way too much mental energy managing. So like, maybe your kids are working great during center time, but rotating between them is bedlam, or your end of day routine technically exists, but it’s 10 minutes of you shouting over backpacks flying everywhere, while the kids ask you the same 17 questions.

 

Heidi  6:04

Yeah, I’ve been there, and probably some of you are there too. The structure is there. It just needs tightening up. And honestly, this really is the easiest category to fix, because you aren’t starting from scratch, you’re just smoothing out the rough edges.

 

Emily  6:20

And once you have this list of procedures to improve, schedule time to tell, try tally, talk those bad boys. If you set up slides at the beginning of the year, kudos to you, because you can bust them out now. Anytime is a good time for reteaching.

 

Heidi  6:35

Okay, our third question, what should you stop? No, don’t get too in your head about this, you are allowed to stop doing things that aren’t working.

 

Emily  6:44

If you have an elaborate folder system for turning in work that kids just aren’t maintaining, maybe it’s time to switch to a simple inbox.

 

Heidi  6:52

Knowing what to stop can feel tricky, because once you have gone to all of the work to set up something, you kind of feel obligated to keep with it. But consider what you gain by letting it go.

 

Emily  7:03

Yeah, if something isn’t serving you or your kids, just you can stop. We’re giving you permission because you tried it, it didn’t stick, and that’s fine.

 

Heidi  7:11

Yeah, that’s not failure, it’s feedback. Use it to make your next step more strategic.

 

Emily  7:16

Oh, I love that. That’s so good. It’s not failure, it’s feedback.

 

Heidi  7:21

Thank you very much. I said that on threads the other day, and it got like 1000 likes, so I figured I should try it on the podcast.

 

Emily  7:27

Oh my gosh. Your thread’s famous. This is your new tagline. You gotta trademark it.

 

Heidi  7:32

Yeah, you can basically call me an influencer now.

 

Emily  7:34

I will. Okay, moving on. Fourth question for procedures, what do you want to start? This is your chance to add something intentional. It might be as simple as greeting kids at the door every morning.

 

Heidi  7:46

Or maybe you want to start a Friday afternoon reset. Ten minutes, where everyone cleans their space, organizes materials, so you start Monday morning ready to go.

 

Emily  7:55

The key is to keep it small. One new routine that you’ll actually follow through on is better than five new routines that will fizzle out in two weeks.

 

Heidi  8:03

So think about your routines and procedures. Think about what you want to keep, improve, stop, and start to make your days run smoother.

 

Emily  8:10

Alright. The next area is student behavior and classroom culture. And by now, you know your class. You know the vibe, you know which kids are going to be pushing boundaries, which ones disappear into the background, and whether your classroom feels the way you want it to feel.

 

Heidi  8:25

So let’s think through those same four questions. First, what should you keep? What’s working when it comes to how your class functions? Maybe you have built a culture where kids feel safe taking risks, or you’re helping kids learn how to cooperate when working as a group.

 

Emily  8:39

Whatever is working with your classroom culture, protect it, and then consider what needs to improve. Where are the hotspots that could use a tweak? This might be the way your students treat each other. Maybe they’re respectful to you, but you’ve noticed a few sarcastic comments creeping in when they talk to each other.

 

Heidi  8:55

Or maybe they’re willing to try things, but they give up the second it gets hard. Those are things that you can improve without starting over. It’s about being more intentional with what you’re already doing.

 

Emily  9:06

And then comes the hard question, what should you stop? And this one you may not want to admit.

 

Heidi  9:12

Yeah, sometimes we’re doing things that we think are helping, but they’re actually making behavior worse.

 

Emily  9:19

Yeah, like, maybe you’re giving too many warnings. This is such a problem for me, I would give a warning, then another warning, then a final warning, and kids learned real fast that they had at least three chances before anything happened.

 

Heidi  9:32

Well, what did you do instead?

 

Emily  9:34

Well, you just have to get clear, right? So this is the expectation, if you choose not to meet it, here’s the consequence. And then I had to follow through with it the first time. Once the kids could trust that I meant what I said, then things turned around.

 

Heidi  9:48

In your classroom, maybe it’s a reward system that has turned into a negotiation every day. Kids are asking what they get for doing what they are supposed to be doing anyway. If something’s creating more problems than it’s solving, you are allowed to stop doing it.

 

Emily  10:02

And finally, what do we want to start? What’s one thing you could add? Maybe you want to start doing class meetings once a week, or positive phone calls home, or maybe you want to be more intentional about celebrating positive behavior, like I noticed you helped her pick up those pencils without being asked. That’s the kind of community we’re building here.

 

Heidi  10:21

It may feel like small stuff, but it’s the small stuff that shifts your culture.

 

Emily  10:25

Okay, let’s take a look at our third area, student needs and differentiation. In September, you’re still getting to know everyone, but now you know exactly who’s struggling. You know who’s coasting, you know who needs a nudge, and who needs some hand holding.

 

Heidi  10:40

So let’s take a look at what you should keep. What’s working when it comes to meeting student needs? Maybe your small group instruction is solid. You’ve got your groups, you’ve got your rhythm, and you’re seeing your kids make progress.

 

Emily  10:51

Or maybe you’ve been good about checking in with certain students, and you can tell it’s making a difference. Those 30 second conversations at the start of the day are helping your students feel seen.

 

Heidi  11:00

Whatever’s working, keep doing it, because differentiation is exhausting, and when you find something that’s actually helping, you don’t want to mess with it.

 

Emily  11:09

The second question is, what needs to improve? Maybe when you poll small groups, the rest of the class loses it, or your groups haven’t changed since September, and some kids have outgrown them.

 

Heidi  11:19

This can be such a challenge to stay on top of, I would set my groups in week three, and then get to December and realize that I hadn’t moved anyone. But as you know, kids change, and what they needed in September is not what they need right now.

 

Emily  11:33

Right, exactly. So improving might just mean looking at your current data and asking, do these groups still make sense? Also consider where you’re seeing students slip through the cracks.

 

Heidi  11:44

Now there are likely issues, maybe even a lot of issues, with your students that you are not equipped to handle on your own. Consider if you need to reach out to your special ed teachers for advice.

 

Emily  11:55

Okay, our third question, what should you stop? And with differentiation, this might be the most important question.

 

Heidi  12:01

It’s really easy to feel like you need to take on too much when it comes to differentiation. You likely don’t need to make three versions of everything. Modify the assignment for kids who really need it, but for most kids, you can likely differentiate how you support them during the actual work time.

 

Emily  12:17

Yeah, which is way more sustainable.

 

Heidi  12:19

And, honestly, probably more effective.

 

Emily  12:22

Also stop expecting yourself to fix everything at once. Use your data to identify holes in basic understanding, whether that’s number sense, phonics skills or other areas, and prioritize building understanding one skill at a time.

 

Heidi  12:35

And then let’s think about what to start. What is one thing you could do that would better meet your students’ needs?

 

Emily  12:42

Maybe you’ve been meaning to start progress monitoring more consistently, that’s a hard one to keep up with, so that you actually know if what you’re doing is working, or maybe you want to start regrouping based on current data, instead of sticking with your September groups.

 

Heidi  12:56

But this could be even simpler, like doing more formative assessments, like exit tickets, no stakes quizzes or self assessments, so that you’re catching students before they fall too far behind.

 

Emily  13:06

Yeah, and the key is to be strategic, put in the effort where it can do the most good and let the rest go.

 

Heidi  13:12

Okay, let’s look at the biggie, teacher workload and energy, because none of the other stuff matters if you are completely burned out.

 

Emily  13:20

Yeah, by early November, you are tired. You’ve been going so hard since August, the newness has worn off, and if you’re not careful, you’re going to white knuckle your way through the next seven months, and we do not want that for you.

 

Heidi  13:32

No. So let’s think about what’s worth preserving. What should you keep? What’s actually making your life easier?

 

Emily  13:39

Maybe you’ve been good about leaving school by a certain time most days, and you can tell it’s helping you show up better the next morning.

 

Heidi  13:46

If that is you, please keep that boundary. Don’t let it slide just because you feel guilty. Heading home at a decent hour is really one of the best things you can do for your students.

 

Emily  13:56

Or maybe you simplified your grading. You’re not putting a score on every single paper anymore, or you’re not grading every question on every page. Shifting how much you grade can free up hours, and it’s not hurting your kids learning.

 

Heidi  14:08

And then it’s time for improve. Which parts of your week feel most stressful, and what small change could lighten that load?

 

Emily  14:15

Maybe you’re trying to create everything from scratch and it’s taking forever. You can improve that by finding a curriculum or buying resources that do some of the work for you, like maybe from a little shop called Second Story Window.

 

Heidi  14:27

Yeah, maybe. Or maybe you need to be more intentional about how you’re using your planning time. Perhaps a block schedule where you focus on one type of task each day of the week would be helpful.

 

Emily  14:39

The third question is, what should you stop, and be honest with yourself here. What are you doing that you don’t actually have to do?

 

Heidi  14:46

I think with teachers, extra committees and bulletin boards are two of the biggest culprits. If something doesn’t light you up and it doesn’t improve your students learning, let it go.

 

Emily  14:56

Yeah, let it go, if you can. We know there are schools out there where the administration insists on teachers completing worthless tasks like changing your bulletin boards every month or posting your standards for every lesson, and we are so sorry if you are in that boat.

 

Heidi  15:09

I know that’s so ridiculous, and unfortunately, right, teachers just don’t always get to decide what they can and can’t drop. But if a task is mandated and it does not impact learning, do the bare minimum and call it good. It’s not like you’re gonna get a raise if you go above and beyond.

 

Emily  15:27

Yeah, if only, if only your beautiful bulletin board would earn you a bonus this month.

 

Heidi  15:33

No joke.

 

Emily  15:34

So here’s your permission if it’s draining you and not helping anyone, stop doing it or do the bare minimum.

 

Heidi  15:39

But also think about what you want to start. This might sound backwards like, why would you add something when you’re already overwhelmed, but sometimes adding the right thing makes everything else easier.

 

Emily  15:50

Maybe it’s a Friday afternoon routine where you get everything ready for Monday so you can actually relax the rest of the weekend. Or maybe it’s batching similar tasks, like doing all of your planning one day, all of your copying the next, that way you can get more done without having to work harder.

 

Heidi  16:06

Think about one thing you could start that would make your week feel more manageable. And then let’s look at our last area, recentering joy and motivation.

 

Emily  16:15

By this point in the year, it’s really easy to slip into get it done mode. You’ve got units to finish, assessments to prep parent conferences coming up. Somewhere along the way, those little moments of joy that make teaching fun get buried under the to do list.

 

Heidi  16:28

Right. It is so common to think, oh, once I catch up on grading, once I get through this unit, once the behavior settles down, then I will make time for the stuff I like about teaching. But the truth is, joy is not an add on.

 

Emily  16:42

No. Joy is the fuel for your teaching. It keeps your classroom running. When you and your students enjoy being there, everything else flows more smoothly.

 

Heidi  16:51

That’s why it’s so helpful to use the KISS method here too as a way to check in on classroom joy and motivation. So let’s start with Keep. What’s already bringing you and your students joy?

 

Emily  17:02

Maybe it’s your morning meeting routine, your daily read aloud time, or those silly Friday dance parties. Whatever it is, celebrate it and keep it going. Those are your classroom’s bright spots, and it’s worth protecting them.

 

Heidi  17:15

Now for Improve. Ask yourself which parts of the day feel flat or uninspired? Could a touch of creativity or student choice bring those moments back to life? Even a small change, like adding a class playlist or letting students vote on a brain break, can make a big difference.

 

Emily  17:32

Then there’s Stop. Stop waiting for things to calm down before you start enjoying your job. There will always be more to do, but fun and connection are what sustain both you and your students. Make space for it now, even five minutes can shift the tone of the day.

 

Heidi  17:46

And then we’re going to start, but we’re going to start small. What’s one small joy builder that you could add this week? It does not have to be elaborate. Try a gratitude share at the end of the day, a two minute game, or a Friday Fun Fact ritual. Simple ideas can create powerful moments of connection.

 

Emily  18:05

So this week, take a moment to jot down one thing you want to keep, improve, start and stop when it comes to classroom joy. Because joy isn’t something to earn once you’ve caught up, it’s what helps you and your students thrive right now.

 

Heidi  18:19

And as you KISS your term one goodbye, be patient with yourself. The goal isn’t to fix everything. It’s just to make one intentional choice that helps you get through the rest of the year with a little more sanity.

 

Emily  18:31

If you sit down and work through one of these areas, we would love to hear about it. You can join the conversation in the Teacher Approved Facebook group.

 

Emily  18:39

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. And this one ties in perfectly with what we’re talking about. This week’s teacher approved tip is schedule time to revisit your procedures. Tell us about this, Heidi.

 

Heidi  18:55

Well, since we are in the bridge between terms, this is the perfect time to have your students reflect on and rate how well they’re meeting your expectations. The kids are getting lazy, you are tired of reminding them about the same things over and over, and it feels easier to just let stuff slide.

 

Emily  19:14

But stop letting close enough be good enough. Hold students accountable for meeting the standards you set. If you tighten things up now, you’re going to save yourself so much frustration later. And we have made this so easy for you, all you need is a list of your main procedures and our review slide decks. Look over your list and identify which procedures are going well and which are causing headaches, and then add one procedure to each slide.

 

Heidi  19:37

You don’t have to cover each of your procedures unless you’ve got the time, but include all of the sticky ones, and then throw in a few procedures that actually are going smoothly.

 

Emily  19:47

Then you gather your students and have them rate how well they think they’re doing with each procedure. Show them the name of the procedure, and have them hold up fingers from one to five. Five means we have got this down, one means we are really struggling with this.

 

Heidi  20:00

Now, obviously you could do this purely as discussion without our slide deck, but the slides do have a fun feature. Once you have looked around to see how most of your students are rating the procedure, or, you know, more likely, how you think they should be rating the procedure, you click the slide that many times and then that many stars appear, so students can see right away where they need to improve.

 

Emily  20:23

Once you’ve got the ratings, talk about what needs to change. This is so powerful, because when kids are the ones identifying what’s not working, they are much more likely to actually fix it.

 

Heidi  20:32

And then the hard part, you follow through. You reteach if you need to, go back to tell, try, tally, talk like it’s the first week of school, hold them to your standard.

 

Emily  20:43

So take 10 minutes this week and rate your procedures with your class and add it to your plan book for the beginning of term three. Honestly, it’s going to save you hours of frustration in the weeks ahead.

 

Heidi  20:54

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

 

Emily  20:58

I’m giving extra credit to the book If It Makes You Happy, by Julie Olivia.

 

Heidi  21:03

Oh no, the song’s in my head again.

 

Emily  21:05

I’m sorry. This is like all the fall tropes that you’re looking for in one. Like, it’s, it’s cozy, she’s like, moving to a small town to take over her mom’s Bed and Breakfast after she passes away. And handsome dad, single dad next door, and he’s a baker, of course.

 

Heidi  21:30

Of course, he’s a baker!

 

Emily  21:32

And I should mention, I’m pretty sure this is set in like September 1997 through like, through the end of the year, or something like that. So it’s like September to Christmas, and so it’s like exactly what you want this time of year. I am 100% a mood reader, and this checked all of the boxes for me. It had all of the cute, predictable tropes, but I didn’t find it tedious. Like, sometimes you got to be careful with the tropes. Sometimes they just get boring, because, you know, like this, I felt like had enough to it that I was interested, and it just was so fun and cozy. Oh, and at the beginning of the book, she lists out a playlist of these, like 90s bangers, if you also were alive in the 90s, listening to music that wasn’t Barney, if you’re old enough for that.

 

Heidi  22:21

Yeah, September 1997 was my freshman year of college.

 

Emily  22:24

Yeah, I was in junior high, so I was still I was young. I was still young and fresh.

 

Heidi  22:29

Just a baby.

 

Emily  22:30

Yes. But anyway, you can find that playlist on Spotify. Someone has put the songs onto a playlist, so I’ve actually been listening to that playlist, and it’s been a really fun walk down memory lane with The Cardigans and The Cranberries, all of it. Yes, so good. I will say it is a wee bit spicy.

 

Heidi  22:48

Oh, okay.

 

Emily  22:49

It’s just got a couple spicy scenes, but they’re real spicy. So just, just keep that in mind. Because sometimes, when you go into something cozy, you sometimes don’t know what to expect. And I was a little like, Oh, we’re going cozy and spicy. So just be prepared. Just be prepared. What are you giving extra credit to, Heidi?

 

Heidi  23:06

Well, I’m also giving extra credit to a book. This is the book A Witch’s Guide to Magical Inn Keeping by Sangu Mandana, I think is how you say her name. And this is so sweet. It’s, so as a teenager, Sara accidentally used up all of her magic, resurrecting her recently deceased aunt and an unfortunate rooster who happened to be in the vicinity. The rooster, such a nice touch, I loved it so much. And now Sara is on a quest to restore her magic while trying to manage the coziest, rickettiest inn that you know, rains tea on Sunday afternoons. She has to take care of a quirky but lovable cast of characters, and, you know, maybe find love along the way. I love love loved The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches, if you read that by the same author, and this is right up there. I thought it was so charming and so cozy. And also takes place in the fall. So perfect mood read.

 

Emily  24:00

Yes, such a good mood read. I loved both of those books by her. Definitely check those out.

 

Heidi  24:06

Alright, that is it for episode 231. This week, reflect on what you want to keep, improve, stop, and start for term two, and schedule some time to review procedures with your students.

 

Heidi  24:18

And if you haven’t subscribed yet, go ahead and do that so that you don’t miss an episode. And if this episode was helpful, please share it with another teacher who might need to hear it.

 

Heidi  24:28

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

 

Emily  24:32

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  24:38

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  24:45

Bye.