Joyful in Primary Podcast

First, welcome to our podcast's new identity! I'm so excited to have our adventure stated clearly and to go on it with you. Teacher, summer is coming. I used to count the days down until break started and dread every last one of them. But we have time left to make an impact! Let's see this year through with focus and joy. So today, we're talking about purpose. And I don't...

Teacher friend, you are among the best of primary teachers. I know that, because you're here in your spare time. You're dedicating yourself to growing. You're keeping on going. Maybe you don't fully realize it, but I know you have these three positive traits, just because you're here. Too often what we do wrong is pointed out without what we do well being acknowledged. Jus...

Teacher friend, is your prize box an asset to your classroom, or do you feel like it's a high maintenance relationship? I decided years ago it just wasn't working out between us, so I dumped my prize box. If you want more time and money to focus on things that have a big impact, you can do it too! Students really want to be appreciated and recognized for just being themselves. That'...

Teacher friend, does your classroom noise level drive you distracted? Wouldn't it be awesome to have a mute button? The bad news is that there is no mute button. The good news is there is a solution! Today, I'm going to share my strategies to keep your classroom on mute. What you need is a well planned system. We're going to put layers in place to block out that noise! Links in toda...

Primary teacher, your curriculum is not the most important thing in your classroom. You are! So if you have a brand new curriculum that's driving you crazy, or an old one that you just hate, let me share how I'm coping with curriculums I don't love. Maybe you feel like there's no room for YOU in your class. There is! Maybe it seems like you can never beat the curriculum because...

Sweet teacher, I'm so excited for today's episode! I've got a big, happy announcement. Joyful Teacher Academy is LIVE! This has been a project of my teacher heart for months, and I can't believe I can finally share it with you. If you're facing overwhelm, burnout, have lost your teaching joy, or never found the joy in teaching you thought you would, this one's for you...

Teacher, if you're feeling burned out, overwhelmed, constantly tired, and not getting the joy from teaching you expected, let's bust that burnout! Just like engines need fuel to keep going, your teacher heart needs fuel too. So today, we're going to talk about what that fuel is and how you can beat burnout. I know this works, because it's how I was able to pull myself out of bu...

Teacher, do you feel like the wheels on your teacher bus just aren't going 'round and 'round like they should? Is the magic of teaching fading? If you're wondering how you can possibly finish this year, start next year knowing what's coming, or even return to work if you're taking a break, this series will get those wheels rolling again. Just like jets need fuel to ke...

Hey there teacher! Are you already counting down the days until spring break? Summer break? Do you feel like your mind is spinning in a dozen directions at once? Are you just about ready to jump ship to another career? I've been there. The good news is that I'm not now.  The better news is I know what it takes to help you pull out of the pit of burnout, and that's what we're go...

Teacher, the race to Christmas break is on! If your brain feels like it's about to pop from trying to hold all the things inside, this episode is meant for you. Today, let's tackle the idea of closing some of those thoughts and putting them away. We'll either store them or toss them out to make space for what's most important. Links mentioned in today's episode: Today&apos...

Is your primary class' spelling word practice fun and engaging? Do your students ask to practice their spelling words AGAIN? To be completely honest, spelling word practice used to be boring in my classroom. It took up too much time and my kiddos just didn't like it. Literacy is so important, and I want my students to love words. So I put on my thinking cap and cracked the spelling word...

Teacher, are you losing time and maybe a little sanity every time your primary students have to transition from one activity to another? It's no secret that I love classroom management, and this is an area that is often noticed during observations. People are amazed by how well my students transition and how little time they take to do it. Today, I'm going to share five tips for seamless...

The first time I went to the circus, I was fascinated by the tiger tamer. He made it look so easy to keep a wild animal under control. Today, I want to tell you that you do something even more amazing every single day that you walk in your primary classroom. You are a tiny human tamer! Maybe you feel like what you do really isn't that special, but trust me, it is. Most people can't imagi...

People often ask how I'm so joyful all the time. So, I thought I'd share how I find, and keep, my joy in teaching! If you're like me, October was EXHAUSTING. We're looking ahead to Thanksgiving and Christmas break and thinking, "If I can just make it until then..." Does that sound familiar? If so, this episode is definitely for you! Every single day is precious, not j...

Teacher, how are your students doing with their foundational skills? In today's episode, I'm going to share a real teacher struggle moment I had recently. The short version is my students did NOT master CVC words after I taught them with our district's curriculum. So, it was time to go back to my tried and true method: routines. Routines are incredibly powerful. With a little time e...

Teacher, overwhelm is real. It's been at an all time high for me recently, and I know I can't be the only one! Overwhelm comes from having too many things in our brain at once. While I can't tell you we can eliminate deadlines, items on the to-do list, and other responsibilities, I can promise there's a way to manage it. I'm going to share my 2-step process with you that I...

Teacher, are your primary kiddos consumed by the excitement of Halloween? Mine sure are! The good news is, we can harness that excitement and use it to our advantage. Halloween doesn't have to wreck our classroom management, and with these five strategies, you can actually use your students' excitement to motivate positive behaviors and learning. Some of these strategies will require a l...

Teacher, has your class turned chatty? It's that time of year when the newness of everything wears off. Students aren't as engaged and they're talking more to their friends even at inconvenient times. Maybe it leaves you with your head in your hands at the end of the day wondering if you can do it all over again. I'm here to tell you that you can. I've had help from other...

Teacher, do your students begin writing the number 5 from the bottom? Do you seen that brief but disruptive moment of distraction when they are writing down a math problem and have to stop to think about how to actually WRITE the math problem? Number formation is an important link between learning what the numbers are to being able to master using them. Today, I'm going to share a few math ro...

Teacher, if your class ROOM is a distraction, it may be time to give it a quick tidy! Bits of paper on desks and pencils on the floor may not seem like a huge problem, but can you really focus on what's most important if your surroundings are a mess? It takes away our pride in where we are, and it affects our students too! If you're thinking, But Toni, I just don't have time to keep...

Teacher, sight-word practice can be your students' favorite part of the day. My students have told me they love this time! Sight-word instruction does not have to be passive. In fact, it shouldn't be! If you missed the previous episode, let me encourage you to start there. Motivation is so important, so let's place the foundation first. In Part 2 today, I'm going to share four...

Does that notoriously long sight-word list just drain the joy right out of teaching? I've been there, and I solved that problem! Pull up a desk chair and I'll let you in on the secrets. Are you ready? It starts with a motivating system. I'll tell you what's important if you want to make your own, or you can check out the one I designed and use in my classroom. With this system,...

Teacher, I'm going to be super honest for a second. We all have areas of teaching that we know are necessary, but they're not exactly fun for our students. Sentence writing used to be one of those areas for me. But not anymore! After cracking the code, students have actually cheered when it was time for sentence writing practice. Don't take my word for it; that's from a review...

Teacher friend, I know you're working so hard to build parent partnerships. It's vital to having a successful, joyful year! Without nurturing those partnerships though, all the work won't pay off. So today, we're going to go over exactly how to keep those partnerships going strong. I've got five tips for you, everything from office hours to newsletters. Plus, I've got...

If you're looking for one of the keys to a super awesome year, it's not perfect lesson planning or perfect activities or even perfect resources. It comes from parent partnerships. In this episode we're talking about building parent partnerships, and next week we'll learn about nurturing them. Today we'll cover first impressions, how to make first meetings about families sp...