Beginning Teacher Talk: A Podcast for New Elementary Teachers

Before we were educators, we dreamt about our students and how they would love and be engaged in all of the lessons and activities we created. But in reality, it doesn't always happen that way. Sometimes, we have those students who are defiant and refuse to participate. Whether you're a novice teacher, or frankly even a veteran teacher, a student's refusal can stop you in your tracks. In today's e...

Celebrating the 100th day of school is fun! I've found that the best way to make it a success is to plan early, so I want to share some 100th day of school activities that you can use to celebrate this milestone in your classroom. These ideas are engaging, interactive, thought-provoking, can involve movement, and spark creativity. Happy 100th day of school planning! Show Notes: https://www.drlorif...

There are times throughout the school year when you have to be out of your classroom and will have a substitute in your room for the day. When that time comes,  you  may be prepared and leave all the right materials and lesson plans, but have you prepared your  students for a sub? Sometimes that's the missing key to making sure your sub has a good experience and your students' behavior is what you...

Today I'm excited to introduce you to one of my most devoted listeners of the podcast…my husband Keith! I thought it would be a fun episode to not only have him as a guest on the podcast, but to ask him classroom management questions to see how much he has learned just from listening to each of my podcast episodes.  Since my passion resides in helping beginning teachers, I ask Keith questions surr...

Friends, I have so many exciting, new, and fun things I want to share with you! So many big moments have been happening in both my personal and professional life and I finally have the opportunity to share all about them. Most importantly, there's an important message that has been consistent throughout each one of these experiences, which is the power of positivity. Among the many new and excitin...

We should all be able to experience the light, gratitude, imagination, and possibility of this season. It's in this spirit that I want to share a very special project with you. I just know that your students will absolutely love it. It's called "My Sneaky Snowman's Adventure", and it is a narrative writing project that I'll give you step by step directions for in today's episode.  Show Notes:  htt...

As we move into the time of year when students are excited about the upcoming holidays and school breaks, they tend to become more restless and less focused in the classroom. Instead of fighting their restless bodies and minds, why not create opportunities for movement throughout the day? Not only is infusing movement in your classroom fun for students, but it's scientifically proven to improve me...

When getting a teaching job, you prepare for the lessons, activities, classroom management, and setting up your classroom, but knowing how to support students experiencing trauma probably wasn't something you thought about. Speaking to teachers in my  Classroom Management Club , a lot of teachers are struggling with trauma-informed teaching and how to effectively support students academically whil...

Research shows you experience six different phases as first year teachers. These phases can dramatically impact your feeling toward teaching and question your ability to teach. The third phase is disillusionment, which typically happens in the months of November and December. In this episode, I'll share about this phase and give you three strategies to help you navigate the disillusionment phase a...

When I was a young teacher, I believed two things about student engagement: kids would automatically be interested in what I was teaching and the role was on the kids, not the teacher. Well, I turned out to be wrong! I realized that if I wanted my students to be engaged, I needed to ignite their spark of curiosity for learning. In last week's episode, I started this series on sharing ideas for cre...

Getting your students interested in what they're learning is the key to keeping them engaged in a well-managed classroom. I want your students to enjoy what they're learning in fun and creative ways. These next few episodes are going to be an idea dump of all the ways that you can effectively enhance your lesson plans that fosters student engagement. Think of it as a buffet of ideas to choose from...

I want to make sure that you feel supported and have all the information you need to support students with autism in your classroom. By understanding the general idea behind autism, you will be able to identify challenges they face and then make subtle changes that make them feel successful and supported. In this episode, I share several strategies for supporting autistic students in your elementa...

Task cards bring a fresh approach to learning and provide new ways to review concepts as a whole class, small group, or as partners. Additionally, they're easy to differentiate and portable, which also makes them beneficial for teachers. If you haven't used task cards at all or are looking for new ways to utilize them in your classroom, this episode is for you! I'm sharing 15 different and creativ...

Teachers need direct and simple ways on how to use data to drive instruction. In this episode I discuss the three types of data and how they can be used in your classroom, along with three ways to efficiently collect data. It's important to have these tools so you can begin to understand and analyze all of the data you collect. Plus, I share what you should look for in order to adjust and drive yo...

As teachers, we're not responsible for diagnosing a child with ADHD, but sometimes we are the first to notice and identify early warning signs. So if you do notice some of these behaviors or tendencies in your students, there are some strategies you can implement in your classroom. In today's episode, I'm sharing my most effective strategies that help manage and support students with ADHD. Additio...

Raise your hand if you think you're being crystal clear when giving directions, but afterwards find yourself answering multiple questions about the instructions you just gave. If you're like me, I'm raising my hand very, very high!   This was challenging for me when I was in the classroom, and it took me a few years to figure out what I needed to do to fix this issue. In today's episode, I'm shari...

Do you have a chatty class this year? In last week's episode,  episode 261 , I shared 15 troubleshooting strategies to help figure out how you can prevent the chatter when your students need to be focused on the lesson or activities. It's important for students to recognize when their chatter is disruptive, but on the flip side, sometimes students' chatter means engagement and a sign of learning....

Having a chatty class can definitely be a challenge, but also viewed as a blessing. If you have already learned that you have a chatty class, it's best to reframe your thinking to reflect a more positive outlook. In order to do so, implement strategic strategies that redirect their talkative behavior towards productivity. In today's episode, I'm sharing 15 strategies to use with your students that...

If you're a few weeks into the new school year, the harsh realities of teacher responsibilities and a constant overwhelming amount of stress have probably already sunk in. And unfortunately, when that happens, we begin to doubt ourselves which leads to comparing ourselves to more experienced teachers.   Likewise, as new teachers, we're often told that our skills and quality instruction isn't to th...

When you begin a new school year, there's so much that you need to do that you can often feel overwhelmed which can lead to working too much and thoughts of self-doubt. But that mindset is not the way to start school. Instead, there are things you can do, such as gentle reminders and mindset shifts, to reframe your thinking with a positive mindset. I'll walk you through some of these strategies to...

As teachers, we're natural planners, both professionally and personally. That's why it gives us immense stress when aspects of our life aren't planned, so can you imagine what it's like when things don't go as you planned them? That brings us to a whole new level of stress. But what if that unplanned moment brought you clarity? As crazy as that might be, it's true! I believe that the gifts we need...

You've spent four years working towards your degree, completing student teaching, and now you finally have your own classroom. But even with all this excitement you're feeling, thoughts of imposter syndrome can start to creep in.  So in today's episode, I'm sharing some practical tools that help you overcome and get relief from imposter syndrome as a new teacher. These tools take practice and time...

When you take the steps to do what you need to do and make the changes you need to make, you can create a classroom you truly love. New teachers can feel so empowered and confident when they have the support and guidance that they need. Our guest today, Natalie Sanfelippo, has experienced so much growth in her first year teaching and is sharing all about how she gained the confidence she needed to...

Observation lessons are nerve-wracking, especially for new teachers. It can be hard to know exactly what principals are looking for when they're observing, which can lead to additional stress. I know how anxious first year teachers can be before their first observations so I invited Cari Owens, an elementary principal, to join us and share what she looks for during observation lessons. Show Notes:...

Whether you are a new teacher looking to land your first teaching position or a veteran teacher looking to make a change, interviewing can be incredibly nerve-wracking. You may feel like you have no idea what the administrators are looking for or that you don't know how to showcase how much you truly love kids and being a teacher, so every time you walk into an interview, you get anxious and nervo...