You don’t need to build your own binder, create cute labels, do elaborate décor,  or spend hours creating or tons of money purchasing décor for your classroom to be organized and ready for the school year.

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Don’t get me wrong, I love decorating a classroom. I do. Having a space I enjoy being in makes going to school just that little bit more enjoyable. But it’s not the most important thing!

Today, let’s take a hot second to talk about some essential pieces I do first(like planning routines for an organized classroom), before all that fun décor, that will make your year so much easier.

Listen in to the full episode to find out:

• What you should be planning long before you plan your classroom layout and decor.
• Why you need a plan and a routine for things like unfinished work.
• Which spaces in my classroom I fully set up FIRST.
• 3 essential routines...

Getting to the end of the school year is hard enough, but navigating the last weeks with grace and organization can be tricky too. Structure and organization are the backbones of your school year and the last days are no different.

So today, let's talk how to survive and thrive with end of the year planning to get you set for a smooth path to the finish line.

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Before you let yourself get overwhelmed with all the "to-dos" for the end of the year, let's put a plan together. 

Then, you can enjoy the last days of school with your students and still get all the things done, on time. Sound like a dream? Maybe it does, but it's a doable dream. I know because I've done it, and I'm here today to share my process with YOU. Let's dive into today's episode to get you organized and ready to run the end of the school year race with grace, joy, and organization. What a concept!

Listen in to the full episode...

When heading back to school in January, it's easy to think that your students know what to do and can just jump right back in. You spent all that time at the beginning of the school year training your students in systems, routines, and all the rules and expectations for your class. Your students have it down, right?! Unfortunately, that is not the case. 

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Getting our students back into the swing of things efficiently and effectively means we have to SLOW DOWN in order to go fast the rest of the year.

Slowing down can be so hard! We have so much to do and testing pressure is beginning in January as well. I know you're yelling at me (maybe just in your head) but take a breath and hear me out for just a minute.

Listen in.

Your students have had 2 weeks off with varying activities, sleep levels, routines, and schedules (or lack thereof).  those kiddos are not going to remember all the rules...

Do you stress over parent teacher conferences?

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There’s so much to prep and keep track of for parent teacher conferences in the midst of your regular teaching. And then there’s the minefield of helping families understand their child’s strengths and weaknesses honestly but with great compassion. It’s a lot, especially in the meager 15 - 20 minutes of time we have per family!

I don’t need to tell you a lot of confidence comes from being prepared. You KNOW that. But WHAT to prepare is the tough stuff. But before we can dive into preparing for the actual conferences, we need to know parents come to parent teacher conferences with a head full of their own worries, stresses, and things they want to know.

THE NOISE IN PARENTS' HEADS: WHAT DO PARENTS REALLY WANT TO KNOW?

Is my child doing well? How does my child compare to others? Do you like my child? Does my child have...

Is your email inbox full? Do you have emails in your inbox that are a month old or older? That's stressful!

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If you look the other way, cringe when you open your inbox, or just avoid your email inbox as much as you can because of how many emails are in there, you have email overload. The good news [and bad news] is, you're not alone!

Having a full email inbox is not only stressful, but it's also inefficient and disorganized. A full inbox is actually one of the most socially acceptable ways to be disorganized. We joke about it. We laugh about it and commiserate over it. And sadly, we accept it as a fact of life when that shouldn't be the case. I'm willing to be that the full inbox is causing you a lot of stress [more than you realize]. We're basically failing at keeping up with our email communication. 

Listen in. 

In this episode, find out: 

• Why your inbox is full.
• How to empty...

Are you tired of classroom organization that doesn't last the whole school year?

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We spend days, even weeks, organizing and setting up our classrooms at the beginning of the school year. But, after back-to-school is in the rearview mirror, that organization can quickly fall apart. Learn how to both GET and STAY ORGANIZED for the long haul in this episode of the Teach Joyfully Podcast with my guest Kelly Jackson from the Simply Organized Teacher.

Obviously, today's episode is all about classroom organization. But, being an organized teacher and having a well-run classroom is really more than just organizing papers, books, and other "stuff." In fact, I think you'll be surprised by all the systems and additional items that need to be addressed in order for your classroom to run smoothly. 

Join me as I chat with Kelly Jackson from The Simply Organized Teacher to talk about all things classroom...

Being able to relax this summer and let school go for a bit can be as simple as getting a few simple things in the works and walking away.

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You'd think relaxing over summer break would be easy. But sometimes, it's hard to let go and wind down. Turning our teacher brains "off" in the summer isn't necessarily automatic. When that happens, I've found that getting a few simple things under control or "in the works" can help me let the rest go and truly rest and recharge over the summer. 

So if this all sounds familiar to you, this episode is for you! I've got 5 simple tricks that will Make back-to-school so much easier and help you let go and relax because you've got a plan in place and a bit of progress toward that plan to boot. #teacherwin

Listen in. 

In this episode, find out: 

• What 2 things you need to schedule that you probably haven't even thought of.
• A one-minute task you can do...

I have a love-hate relationship with to-do lists. Seriously. While I love a good list, I'm picky about them. I don't do just any old list. I only do manageable, REALISTIC lists. Yup, those actually exist and we can control them even when it's that back-to-school "monster" list.

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That back-to-school to-do list is probably already out of control. Here's how you can get that monster reined in and gain peace so you can rest and recharge this summer. And we all know...your summer teacher self-care is ESSENTIAL. 

In today's episode, I am going to give you just one more task before you check out for the summer. I know, I know.  You could not possibly be more "done". I get it. However, this task is not difficult, won't take much time, and it really is essential in order for you to not be the overwhelmed teacher at back-to-school time. You WILL thank me when the...

Are your busy? Overwhelmed? Burnt out? I get it! In fact, I was just there last week. 

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Teacher lives are busier than ever before and as we head into the end of the year, things just seem to speed up, don't they?!  Overwhelm, exhaustion and just general burnout are rampant. Maybe you’re even there right now, friends. If you are, I'm so sorry to hear that. But here's help...

Today's episode is all about helping you take back a bit of control in six simple ways, from email to systems. In fact, I think of these as not only organizational tasks, but self-care. Yup. Self-care. We have to create sustainable day-to-day lives in order to be sane and enjoy our lives. We're not meant to walk around stressed out and overwhelmed ALL THE TIME. You deserve better than that.

Listen in.

In this episode, find out:

• Why NO is your new best friend! 
• How to make dealing with your emails faster than...

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I know it's December and you're working hard to finish strong, but have you even thought about how to successfully restart school with your class again in January? January success doesn't just happen all on it's own!

Raise your hand if you stress out over school at the end of your Christmas Break. Well let me share a crazy idea... We all know it's coming - the January Back-to-School craziness. Let's prepare for it now, so you can enjoy a true break. That's crazy talk, right?! No, it's your new normal.

In this episode, I'm sharing my January back-to-school success plan.  With just a small investment of time now, you can relax, enjoy your break AND be ready for the January back-to-school madness. Listen in here.

In this episode, find out:

• Why you don't have to make yourself nuts at the end of December.
• The details of my plan.
• How simple it is to get started.
• Why you need to...