Teachers Next Door Podcast

This week on Teachers Next Door, we're answering questions straight from our listeners, and things get real quickly. We kick things off with a Halloween recap (candy hangovers and full moons, oh my), then dive into the questions our incredible listeners sent our way. Would we choose teaching in a different decade? Without knowing each other’s answers, we are transported to the 90s, with less tech,...

What do a true crime podcast, a hockey wives podcast, and a book about a giant octopus have in common? They're all on Nicole and Michelle's favorites list! In this "Promote What You Love" episode, the Teachers Next Door share their top podcast picks, must-read books, and go-to social media accounts.  They keep it light with zero gatekeeping and 100% genuine enthusiasm! Whether you're looking for y...

Whether you call them learning conferences, or parent-teacher interviews, one thing's for sure, they can absolutely feel like the Indy 500 of the school year. In this episode of Teachers Next Door, Michelle and Nicole break down what makes learning conferences work, from different formats and school structures to the frameworks that help families leave feeling informed and supported. They share pr...

In this week’s episode, Michelle and Nicole are leaning into gratitude. They chat about the personal morning practices that keep them grounded, the classroom rituals that help students find the good, and the small, everyday moments of connection at school that make the hard days worth it. From sticky notes to saved voicemails to cry-laughing in the hallways, this episode is a reminder that gratitu...

Teaching is rewarding and it's also exhausting, overwhelming, and sometimes just plain ridiculous all at the same time. There are some things you can handle on your own, while other things require a text or a hallway conversation that starts with, "You're never going to believe what just happened." In this episode, Michelle and Nicole are talking about the power of teacher friendships and strong t...

Remember in July when you thought, "This year, I'm going to have it all together"? Welcome to September — where lesson plans are scribbled on sticky notes, to-do lists multiply by the hour, and teachers are running on pure caffeine and survival instincts. In this episode of The Teachers Next Door, Michelle and Nicole get brutally honest about the September overwhelm they promised themselves wouldn...

What happens when two teacher besties decide to share a classroom and a business? We're sitting down with Kaila and Kristi, the duo behind Teachers Tea, to talk about the magic of team teaching, how they strive to keep the joy in this demanding profession and how they have built a business from an Instagram page to a full-fledged brand. We dive into how their three-teacher double classroom actuall...

Every educator carries an emotional backpack into the classroom, filled with the stories, struggles, and life events we may not always see in each other. In this episode, Nicole opens up about navigating her family member's recent cancer diagnosis while returning to the classroom, the guilt of putting work before family, and the hard lessons she's learned about setting boundaries and asking for he...

What if the most powerful thing in your classroom only has a few pages? In this episode, Michelle and Nicole share some of their favorite picture books for the classroom, the ones they return to year after year for building community, supporting social-emotional learning, sparking big conversations, and helping students dream big. From The Circles All Around Us to A Good Thing Happened Today, The...

No matter where you are at with back to school set up, or how many days you have had curious learners in your care, this back to school episode is for you. Nicole is heading back into the classroom. She is teaching grade three for the first time and feeling like a first-year teacher all over again. Michelle is returning to an associate principal role, a position that feels like a homecoming but co...

In the second half of our conversation with teacher, author, and advocate Laurie McIntosh, we dig into the topics educators need to hear most. Laurie shares about her work with the Outside Pin Consulting collective, her upcoming role mentoring student teachers, and why teacher wellness has to be at the center of everything. We explore what it really means to set boundaries as an educator, not as w...

She's our most requested guest, and we were thrilled when she accepted our invite to join us on the Teachers Next Door podcast.  We are incredibly honoured to welcome Laurie McIntosh, aka Mrs. Mac's Kinders, to the show!  Laurie is a kindergarten teacher, author, speaker, and advocate who brings pure heart and relentless joy to education. In this first part of our conversation, Laurie takes us thr...

In this episode, Nicole and Michelle each share their personal, tried-and-true lists of classroom essentials heading into a new school year. From Flair pens to electric pencil sharpeners, magnetic manipulatives to dry-erase pocket sleeves, they're revealing the tools, gadgets, and supplies they genuinely can't teach without. Nicole is heading back into the classroom and Michelle is making the move...

This week, Michelle and Nicole join The Stunt Brothers, Martin and Roy, as guests on the After the Bell podcast for a lively podcast crossover conversation about teaching, podcasting, and the incredible friendships that exist behind both shows. They dive into class sizes, the invisible workload of teaching, favourite classroom moments, and the joy of finding "your people" in this profession.  Funn...

In the final episode of their summer series, Michelle and Nicole explore what it really means to ease back into the school year without losing the peace you worked so hard to find this summer. They chat about who's actually listening to the podcast (surprise: it's not just teachers), why the "all or nothing" approach to back-to-school is overrated, and the small, intentional shifts they're each ma...

You survived another school year and now it's time to thrive this summer without the guilt. In this episode, Michelle and Nicole dive into the real, year-round phenomenon of teacher guilt and why it hits extra hard once the school year ends.  They unpack why teachers struggle to switch off (spoiler: there's no "shutoff valve" built in to the job), how the "back to school" content cycle creeps in w...

Who are you when you're not teaching? Michelle and Nicole take on their toughest challenge yet: a whole conversation with zero talk of school! Trading questions back and forth, they rediscover the people behind the "teacher" label: the yogi, the outdoor enthusiast, the creator, the competitor, and of course, the friend. A candid, joyful look at what fills their cups outside of work, and why reclai...

In this first episode of our four-part Summer Reset Series, Michelle and Nicole dive into the art of the clean break: why it's so hard for educators to switch off after 10 months of go-go-go, and how they're each navigating the transition into summer this year.  From swapping "teachery" wardrobes for shorts and sundresses, to cleaning out classrooms (and teacher bags) for good, to the surprisingly...

Have you ever felt a calling so strong it scared you, but you couldn't stop thinking about it? In this episode of The Teachers Next Door, Michelle and Nicole answer one of their most frequently asked questions: what led them into school administration, and what brought them back to the classroom? Both hosts share their honest, heartfelt journeys from the unexpected paths that drew them into leader...

It's June and if you're a teacher, you already know what that means. Report cards, field trips, end-of-year concerts, and a brain so full it starts leaking into your real life. This week, Nicole and Michelle get real about all the balls they're currently dropping (and the ones they're barely keeping in the air). From tornado nightmares and forgotten permission slips to golf shoes at the ball diamo...

🎉 You're almost there!  Put down the pen, close that computer, and grab your iced coffee — because summer is HERE and we are celebrating YOU. In this episode, Michelle and Nicole are diving into the ultimate teacher summer bucket list, and trust us, it's got a little something for everyone. We're talking total relaxation, rediscovering who you are outside of the classroom, and just a sprinkle of...

June is here, the energy is off the charts, and teachers everywhere are asking the same question: how do we make these last few weeks memorable while keeping everyone sane? In this episode, Michelle and Nicole dive into their favourite end-of-year classroom activities, games, and traditions — the ones that don't break the bank but create memories that stick. From Floor Is Lava days and glow partie...

We're keeping it in the family this week! For our very first guest appearance on Teachers Next Door, we're handing the mic to the men who know us best — our husbands. What did they think they were signing up for when they married a teacher? (Spoiler: lots of vacation time.) What do they actually deal with? (Spoiler: late nights, report card season, and a very organized household.) From the real ho...

This week, Michelle and Nicole are celebrating their 10th episode - with their favourite diet sodas, of course!  Then, they get right into an animated discussion about the hills they will absolutely die on as educators, and the ones they're willing to walk right on past. From the power of relationships and rapport to equitable learning, smaller class sizes, the importance of play and outdoor time,...

Behind every breakthrough and every career choice, there is a teacher who saw our potential before we did.  Teachers don’t just deliver curriculum—they help build people. This week, your Teachers Next Door get personal!  Michelle and Nicole reflect on some of the educators and mentors who shaped who they are today—the ones who provided safety, sparked confidence, and showed up when it mattered mos...