The October Reset Every Teacher Needs [Episode 226]

Heidi 0:00
This is episode 226 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 talking about the October reset, how to transition from back to school survival mode to sustainable teaching that actually feels good. Plus we’re sharing a teacher approved tip for recharging your energy bank.

Heidi 0:52
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’s our suggestion for this week?

Emily 1:00
Well, this week, try the one minute check in with yourself right before students arrive. You just set a timer on your phone and spend 60 seconds just noticing how you’re feeling—tired, excited, overwhelmed, ready. You don’t have to fix anything or change anything. It’s just a good moment to acknowledge however you’re feeling.

Heidi 1:19
I love this. I think this is so helpful, because sometimes we are so busy running on autopilot, especially as teachers, that we don’t even realize we’re exhausted until we have reached a point where we’re completely depleted. Taking a minute to just pause and think about how you’re handling things can really help you make better choices about your energy throughout the day, and hopefully save you from reaching that depleted point.

Emily 1:41
Yes, love that. If you like this idea or anything else we share here on the podcast, we would love it if you would take a second and give us a five star rating and review in your podcast app.

Heidi 1:51
Well, Emily, can you believe it? September is almost over.

Emily 1:55
I don’t know how the months just get faster as the year goes on, like January never ends, and then once we’re hitting September, it’s just like, zoom, zoom, zoom. But I’m hoping I can get my feet under me now that it feels like we’re settling back into the old routine.

Heidi 2:10
Oh, yes, totally the same. I swear the Fourth of July was, should have just been last week. And now we’re talking about October.

Emily 2:19
I know it’s basically Christmas.

Heidi 2:20
Yes, I’ve definitely got whiplash. I don’t know what’s going on. And I guess it makes sense, because we spend all summer prepping for back to school, and we have all the effort of trying to get the year off the ground, and that by the time we finally get through those weeks, we’re just wiped out.

Emily 2:36
Yeah, so tired. And unfortunately, at that point, there’s not a break in sight, at least not in the near sight. That can feel pretty overwhelming. It’s like trying to nap while pedaling a bike. The house projects, the family needs, the personal goals that you put on pause, they’re all now clamoring for your attention all at once.

Heidi 2:56
Not to mention that all of the school demands aren’t going anywhere. So if no one is going to give us a break, we’re going to have to manufacture one. And October is actually the perfect time for what Emily and I are calling the October reset.

Emily 3:10
Everything’s better with a title.

Heidi 3:12
Yes.

Emily 3:13
So if you think of it like gardening, September was the planting season. You’re doing all that intensive back breaking work of getting everything established.

Heidi 3:23
Right. There was all your room prep, procedure teaching, so much procedure teaching, relationship building. That was like preparing the soil and getting all your little seeds in the ground.

Emily 3:33
And now you’re in a different season, the intensive planting is done, but that doesn’t mean the work stops. You’re just in a different phase, the tending phase, and tending requires a completely different kind of energy.

Heidi 3:44
Which this is actually good news, because you cannot sustain planting season energy for another eight months, you would just completely burn out. Oh, for sure.

Emily 3:53
Even if you love your students and your work, teaching is super demanding. It takes energy and time every single day. So it’s natural to feel a little drained and wonder, how am I going to sustain this?

Heidi 4:05
That is the question. So today we’re going to help you figure out how to shift from planting mode to tending mode, and we’ve got five strategies for making this transition effective so that you can build something sustainable instead of just white knuckling your way to June.

Emily 4:21
Our first strategy is to give yourself permission to feel the crash, and by crash I mean that drained battery feeling that shows up in October. This has a little different flavor than that end of school year exhaustion that I’m sure you’re familiar with. Maybe it’s pumpkin spice, or maybe it’s knowing that there are still eight months to summer break. But either way, it is something we all face.

Heidi 4:44
Oh, this is so important. When you are high on September adrenaline, running on four hours of sleep and still getting 200 task cards laminated, just feels like a normal Tuesday afternoon. But October comes in with a hard dose of reality.

Emily 4:59
I used to think something was wrong with me when I felt tired and kind of flat after the excitement of the new year wore off, because I’d started so strong. Why couldn’t I just keep going that way?

Heidi 5:09
Right. And when we tell ourselves that operating at level 10 every day is normal, but all we can muster today is level 6 energy, it kind of feels like a failure. But the truth is that running on back to school adrenaline is not sustainable. Your body is actually doing exactly what it’s supposed to by slowing down now.

Emily 5:29
It’s like how marathon runners don’t try to maintain their sprint pace for all 26 miles. September was a sprint, and of course, you’re tired now.

Heidi 5:38
Yes, and the worst part is that while you are recovering from that sprint, you suddenly notice all of the plates that you dropped while you were in survival mode. Maybe your friends all think you’re mad at them and you don’t remember the last time you exercised.

Emily 5:51
And there’s a good chance all that produce you bought back when you were so sure that this was the year you were gonna pack a salad for lunch every day has just turned into a lovely science experiment in your fridge. All that to say, there’s probably a lot that needs your attention.

Heidi 6:06
Oh, all of the poor, poor lettuce that is lost in the name of back to school stress. It has lived its whole life just to end up as mush in the back of my fridge. For me, this was the most disheartening part. Well, not the lettuce part. But, although, that is sad, RIP lettuce, but the way that life just fell apart when school started. Honestly, as we were working on the notes for this episode, I got a little teary just thinking about it. When you’re pushing through the exhaustion to try to maintain good momentum at school, and when you finally get a second to come up for air, and then the first thing you see is the laundry pile that’s overtaking the bed. And once you see that, every other ignored task starts clamoring for attention, and that moment can feel so overwhelming, to say the least.

Emily 6:52
But since you know that that rough moment of wake up is coming, you can plan for it. Decide now on a simple reminder you can repeat to pull yourself out of that spiral. So try something like, this is a normal part of the process. I’ve figured this out before, and I will do it again, or, it’s okay to rest before I restore.

Heidi 7:11
The chaos of regular life at the start of October is not a reflection of your worth or your competence. It’s just the natural result of spending your energy on a very demanding season. Don’t put pressure on yourself to have everything back to normal all at once.

Emily 7:26
You will be much happier if you start small with just one or two neglected tasks and take it from there. So remember, you’re not behind, you’re not stuck, and you’re definitely not alone.

Heidi 7:36
Yeah, I think most teachers feel this way in October, even the veterans who’ve been around the block a few times. The difference is whether you beat yourself up about it or you use it as information to make better choices going forward.

Emily 7:49
And that’s what we want to help you do today, use this awareness to build something better.

Heidi 7:54
So that sets us up for our second strategy for October, and that is to identify what’s growing and identify what’s just taking up space. So going back to our garden metaphor, by October, you can see which plants are thriving and which ones are struggling.

Emily 8:09
And what does that mean in your classroom? Well, that means looking at your systems and routines and asking, what’s working what’s making my life easier, and what’s just creating more work without any real benefit.

Heidi 8:20
I love this, because it’s not about throwing everything out and starting over, please don’t do that, but it’s about being strategic with your energy. Maybe your morning routine is running smoothly. That is so great. Keep watering that.

Emily 8:32
But maybe your homework system is causing you more stress than it’s worth. Maybe you’re stressing over those anchor charts that none of your students even bother to reference, those might be weeds you need to pull.

Heidi 8:43
Another place where weeds sneak in is with technology. If you have got a new tech tool or a program that seemed like the answer to all of your prayers but isn’t living up to the hype, see if that’s something you can shelf for now.

Emily 8:55
Oh yeah, that shiny new app that was going to revolutionize everything, but is actually a daily headache. This is actually easier to see in October than it was in September, because now you have some real data. So you’ve lived with these systems for a few weeks now.

Heidi 9:10
Right, in September, everything feels urgent and important, but now you can step back and ask yourself, Is this actually helping my students learn, or is it just something I think I should be doing?

Emily 9:21
You can apply this same filter at home too. Look at what was truly essential for keeping your household running in September, and put time and effort into making those systems as supportive as possible.

Heidi 9:32
And then take a good look at the rest of the demands on your time. Use the major life derailment that came with the start of the school year to get perspective on what is worth preserving and maybe what needs to go.

Emily 9:45
The third strategy for your October reset is to build in micro recoveries. Think of these as little moments throughout your day where you can reset your energy instead of just pushing through until you collapse.

Heidi 9:57
This approach is so different from the I’m just going to wait till winter break mentality. We are talking about tiny breaks that you can actually take during your regular school day.

Emily 10:07
Even two or three minutes really can make a difference. So maybe it’s drinking your coffee while looking out the window instead of grading papers, or taking three deep breaths before you pick up your students from specialty classes.

Heidi 10:19
You might actually do a form of this naturally. Do you ever just sit in your car for a few minutes when you get home, no phone, no to do list, just sitting? Maybe, if you’re like me, you might beat yourself up a bit about taking this pause in the car, because there is a perfectly good, much more comfortable couch waiting inside. But sometimes having the space to breathe is the bridge we need between demands.

Emily 10:42
I know I feel like the car is like this zone in between responsibilities, and so if you’re sitting in your car with it not on, somehow you’re like hidden from the responsibilities of your life if you’re just in that secret space in your car.

Heidi 11:00
Especially if you’ve got kids waiting inside who are going to want things from you.

Emily 11:03
Oh, amen. I usually just stay there until someone comes looking for me. So this is creating little buffer zones in your day, instead of going from zero to 60 and then back again all day long.

Heidi 11:15
Yeah, that is a sure fire recipe for exhaustion. The key is that these micro recoveries have to be realistic. As restorative as it would be to spend your planning time meditating.

Emily 11:27
I almost laughed out loud.

Heidi 11:29
Yeah, it’s not very practical. So look for opportunities that fit in a real classroom with real constraints.

Emily 11:38
Although if you do manage to meditate during your prep time, tell us your secret. So maybe you’re going to do a 30 second desk tidy at the end of the day as a micro recovery that can help you switch from teaching mode to prepare for tomorrow mode. Or you can try giving yourself a soft landing routine once you’re home from school. Let your kids have 15 minutes of screen time so you can reset before diving into making dinner. Transitions take work, so look for ways to make them a little gentler. And before I had kids, when I got home from school, I would lay on the couch and watch a rerun of The OC.

Heidi 12:15
I love that as a reset.

Heidi 12:19
Our fourth strategy for your October reset is to protect your energy. This is about recognizing that your energy is not unlimited, and being strategic about where you spend it.

Emily 12:29
I think teachers are really bad at this, because we just care so much. We want to give everything to everyone, and even if we just give the bare minimum, the list of demands is never ending. But it’s also not sustainable to live like that.

Heidi 12:43
Oh, right, so this is where you have to make some hard choices about where your energy goes. Maybe you spend less time on bulletin boards and more time on planning engaging lessons, or maybe you simplify your grading system so you have more energy for relationship building.

Emily 12:59
One question I find useful is what are two or three things that will have the biggest impact on my students learning? Those are the things worth spending your energy on.

Heidi 13:08
One way to make this more doable is to make it visual, and you can do this with a list. Write down your to do list for the week and circle the two or three tasks that have the largest impact on student learning. Those are your non negotiables. Everything else can bend, flex, or wait.

Emily 13:24
We really can’t give equally to every expectation, so we have to be strategic about identifying what truly matters, even if that might mean disappointing other people. Your principal might want you to volunteer for multiple committees. Your grade level team might want you to do the bulk of the planning, but you have to protect your core energy for what matters most.

Heidi 13:42
I want to recognize that I understand that disappointing people does not come naturally to a lot of people, and by people, I mean women.

Emily 13:49
Yeah.

Heidi 13:50
It will probably feel uncomfortable, but try reminding yourself that saying no to an outside expectation means you get to say yes to your students needs and your own well being. Every time, good enough is still good.

Emily 14:05
Which brings us to our final strategy for your October reset, and that is to focus on consistency over perfection. Going back to our gardening metaphor, plants don’t need fireworks to grow. In fact, that sounds like a hazard.

Heidi 14:18
Yes.

Emily 14:18
They need steady sunlight and water, and classrooms are the same.

Heidi 14:23
This is huge for teachers, because we tend to have grand visions, and social media definitely hasn’t helped this. But putting too much effort into having Instagram-worthy organization and perfectly optimized routines and lessons that have students hanging on every word is how teachers burn out.

Emily 14:40
So instead of striving for the most beautiful classroom, maximizing every moment or orchestrating a daily dog and pony show, just show up consistently where it matters. Make sure students have what they need, leave space for connection and reset, and teach the standards in engaging but low prep ways. That’s what makes the difference for you and your students.

Heidi 15:00
I think about this with things like grading. I know the expectation from your administration might be that you grade every assignment, but it’s better for everyone if you’re consistent about only assessing the work that can inform your teaching, and you can give everything else a pass or a fail and call that graded.

Emily 15:17
Yeah, your students benefit more from steady, consistent effort than from extraordinary, sporadic effort.

Heidi 15:24
The nice thing is that you are the one who gets to decide what works for your classroom and your life. That doesn’t mean you have to cut everything down to bare bones and just do the minimum, but rather look at this as an opportunity to clear out what doesn’t serve you so you have room to inject more joy into your day.

Emily 15:41
A sustainable teacher life isn’t just about doing less work, it’s about adding fuel to what lights you up. Think about the things you love about teaching. Maybe that is the perfectly coordinated bins or big over the top lessons. If that’s for you, then find ways to make that manageable.

Heidi 15:57
But if what you love about teaching is quiet moments with your students, sharing a funny new book, or watching a student learn something new, find ways to slow down and be present in those experiences.

Emily 16:08
Sometimes it’s not about adding something new, it’s about making sure we recognize the good stuff that’s already happening.

Heidi 16:14
And there is so much good stuff. Ultimately, the goal is to create something you can maintain, a happy little garden that you can tend without burning yourself out.

Emily 16:25
Okay, so I’m going to recap our five strategies for the October reset. First, give yourself permission to feel the crash. Second, identify what’s growing and what’s just taking up space. Third, build in micro recoveries. Fourth, protect your energy, and finally, focus on consistency over perfection.

Heidi 16:44
The beautiful thing about October is that you still have time to adjust. Your classroom routines aren’t set in stone yet, your students are still learning what to expect from you. So this is actually the perfect time to make changes.

Emily 16:57
And remember, this isn’t about doing less or caring less. It’s about doing things in a way that is sustainable, so you can actually make it to June feeling good about your year.

Heidi 17:06
We would love to hear all about how you are handling your October reset. Come share with us in the Teacher Approved Facebook group.

Emily 17:14
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 to create your October energy trio. Tell us more about it, Heidi.

Heidi 17:27
Well, I love this tip. First of all, it sounds like an appetizer sampler, which everyone loves those.

Emily 17:33
They’d probably be all pumpkin based if it’s October.

Heidi 17:37
But the good thing about this tip is it’s creating your own personal energy management system, and it only takes about 10 minutes to set up, but it can make a real difference in how sustainable your days feel. Think of it like having a toolkit ready to go when you need it most. So here’s how it works. First, choose one energy gainer, something that actually brings life back into your day. We’re looking for something that genuinely makes you feel more alive or connected to why you love teaching.

Emily 18:04
That could be something like reading aloud to your students, playing music during transitions, or buying yourself fresh flowers once a week. The key is that it has to be something that taps into what truly energizes you, not just something you think you should enjoy.

Heidi 18:18
After you choose your energy gainer, choose one energy saver, something that you’re going to streamline or let go for now, maybe it’s switching from elaborate bulletin board displays to simple functional ones. Or maybe it’s giving yourself permission to use the same math warm up routine for two weeks instead of planning something new every day.

Emily 18:36
This might be something you’ll do every day all year, but if you’re struggling, focus on something to help you through just the next few weeks. The goal is to free up energy during this transition time so you can focus on what matters most. You can always add complexity back later, when you’re feeling more grounded.

Heidi 18:52
And the third part of our energy trio is to choose one energy transformer. This is a simple ritual that helps you soften transitions throughout your day. This could be a mantra you repeat when you unlock your classroom door in the morning, or playing a specific song while you tidy up your desk at the end of the day.

Emily 19:08
That car sitting that we talked about earlier is a perfect example of an energy transformer. Think about a transition that’s draining for you and create a buffer zone that helps you shift from one demand to the next with a little more grace.

Heidi 19:22
Write these down where you’ll see them, because when you’re having a tough day, it’s really easy to forget that you have these tools available. Having them visible reminds you that you have choices about how you spend and restore your energy.

Emily 19:34
And here’s the beautiful part, once you start paying attention to what actually gives you energy versus what drains it, you’ll get better at making those kinds of choices naturally throughout your day.

Heidi 19:43
So here’s your challenge. Take a few minutes this week to identify your energy trio—one thing that fills your tank, one thing you’re going to simplify, and one ritual that helps you transition more smoothly. Your October self will definitely thank you.

Heidi 19:58
Alright, to wrap up the show. We are sharing what we’re giving extra credit to this week. Emily, what gets your extra credit?

Emily 20:03
I’m giving extra credit to the book Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid. So I really knew very little going into this book other than that it was set in the early 1980s space program. But if anybody, if you haven’t heard anything about this, maybe just go into it that way, of just just knowing sort of the setting. And it really did blow me away, like I had heard really good things about it, but I wasn’t sure what I was gonna think. But oh yeah, I loved it so much. And of course, it’s getting tons of buzz. So I will just add my voice to say that everyone should add it to their TBR if they haven’t.

Heidi 20:36
She writes such unique settings, and they’re all so varied.

Emily 20:40
Yes, and I feel like I have no interest in tennis, and I loved Carrie Soto is back, and I maybe have a little more interest in space, but even still, I don’t know that it’s like something I’m super into, but I was completely engrossed in the whole thing. And there’s so much more to the story than just the fact that the main characters are astronauts.

Emily 21:01
Well, I’ll have to add it to my list. What are you giving us credit to this week, Heidi?

Heidi 21:05
Well, I’m also giving extra credit to a book. This is the Ornithologist Field Guide to love by India Holton.

Emily 21:11
Ooh.

Heidi 21:13
It sounds like a dry, dusty textbook, but it is not, it is very funny. So it’s set in, like, 1880s I think London, 1870s, 1880s, something like that. And it follows two rivals to lovers, academics Devin and Beth, who are trying to win the birder of the year competition. It’s normal Victorian London, except they have magical birds, so it’s just kind of a weird little touch. And so the world of birding in this London is cutthroat, to say the least. So they’re having all these hijinks of people out to sabotage them. And of course, they have to go on the road to find this one special bird. And they get to a small town and there’s only one room left at the inn.

Emily 21:56
I love that trope.

Heidi 21:57
And guess what happens.

Emily 21:58
Do they have to share a bed?

Heidi 22:00
Oh no, there are seven beds.

Emily 22:02
Oh!

Heidi 22:04
So if you think that’s funny, you would like this book.

Emily 22:08
I think I’m gonna like it.

Heidi 22:10
It just takes all the little tropes and turns them on their head. It’s very funny. There was a line where she says, like her mind let out a thought she didn’t know it was holding. So it takes all of the normal things and just puts a funny little spin on it. It was very funny.

Emily 22:25
Our romance readers will get those references.

Heidi 22:29
Well, that is it for today’s episode. Try out our strategies for the October reset, and don’t forget our teacher approved tip for recharging your energy.

Emily 22:37
We are cheering you on as you transition from planting season to tending season. And if you enjoyed this episode, please consider giving us a five star rating and review.

Heidi 22:48
We hope you enjoyed this episode of teacher approved. I’m Heidi.

Emily 22:52
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 22:59
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 23:05
Bye.