The Inspired Classroom

November can be exciting — and exhausting! Between days off, schedule changes, Thanksgiving, and the countdown to winter break, classroom behavior can start to feel harder to manage. In this episode, I’m sharing 5 signs holiday excitement is taking over your classroom and practical classroom management strategies to help you get ahead of it. You’ll learn how to make transitions smoother, help stud...

Have you ever noticed that classroom management feels SO much harder when you're exhausted? When you're running on empty, it's harder to stay patient, think clearly, and bring the creativity that keeps students engaged. And when engagement drops, challenging behaviors can rise. Today I'm sharing why your own energy matters more than you might think, why another behavior chart may not be the answer...

The first time I held a scripted teacher's manual, it felt wrong in every way. (My team and I really did stand in front of our students and read from it.) In this episode, I'm talking about a different cause of teacher burnout: What happens when scripted curriculum, pacing guides, and endless mandates leave no room for your own creativity. If you've been wondering where the creative teacher you us...

What does it really mean to be a trusted adult for your students? In this episode, I’m joined by Brooklyn Raney, author of One Trusted Adult: Building Relationships That Inspire Achievement and Success, for a conversation about one of the most important things we can offer our students: meaningful relationships with trustworthy adults. But being a trusted adult doesn't mean you have to be everyone...

When you're dealing with student behavior all day, it's easy to feel frustrated, depleted, even defeated — and in the middle of all that, it's easy to forget the student in front of you is a human being with something going on underneath. Today, I'm sharing three student stories that I experienced just last week! The one who never speaks up because they're surrounded by classmates who seem to know...

Let's bust five myths about teacher burnout and the recovery from burnout — the myths that keep good, tired teachers stuck including the idea that burnout is simply inevitable. (Spoiler - it's not!) Because after so many years in education, I've learned that recovery isn't just about doing less or removing yourself from the classroom. It's about having protected time to intentionally step away fro...

You set up group work with the best intentions. You create a solid task, explain the directions, assign roles, and maybe even make a rubric. Then five minutes in, one student is doing all the work, another has checked out, and the room is suddenly buzzing with unrelated chatter. If you've ever thought, Why does group work always turn into this?—you're not alone. In this episode, I'm sharing the re...

The first few weeks of school can feel pretty good. Kids are polite, routines are fresh, and everyone is still figuring each other out. Then…the honeymoon ends. If behaviors are starting to pop up, don't panic. It doesn't mean your year is headed in the wrong direction. It means the newness is wearing off—and your real classroom culture is beginning to take shape. In this episode, I’m talking abou...

You’re not trying to get into power struggles with your students. But sometimes, they happen before you even realize what’s going on. In this episode, I’m sharing three common—and often invisible—power struggles that can quietly show up in your classroom. More importantly, we’ll talk about what you can do to step out of the struggle while protecting the relationship. If you’ve ever found yourself...

Most redirection sounds like a warning — and kids can tell. AND that can often backfire, especially when the redirection doesn't even work. If you've ever tried to redirect a student only to have to do it again 5 minutes later, this one is for you! In this episode, I'm giving you the exact four-part redirection script to use for student behavior issues. When I use it in my classroom, it works! (An...

What if the students who challenge us the most aren't asking us to fix their behavior — they're asking us to see past it? In this episode, I'm joined by Dr. Claudia Bertolone-Smith and Marlene Moyer, authors of Tools Not Rules: Developing Self-Regulation for Improved Student Behavior in Grades K–8. Claudia brings 24 years of elementary teaching experience and now trains pre-service teachers as an...

Have you ever had a student who keeps doing the exact thing that gets them in trouble — even after they've told you they don't want to? This episode is about that kind of student behavior. We'll look at why some students need that negative attention and how to bridge those students from seeking negative attention to being a well-regulated student. I'll walk you through exactly how to bridge that g...

I used to think that if I just found the right consequence, my classroom would finally calm down. But in many cases that's actually backwards. In this episode, I'm breaking down the three real reasons consequences keep failing — even when we're consistent and even when we're fair. And I'll share a tool that will help you look at student behaviors in a different way so that consequences don't need...

I'm setting up my classroom this week — in a new, bigger space (with windows!!!) — and it's got me rethinking decisions I've made the same way for years. Setting up your classroom isn't just about deciding where the desks, bookshelves, and supplies will go. Your physical classroom can actually support students' social-emotional learning, regulation, and sense of belonging. So today, I'm sharing 5...

Sometimes, the most powerful thing you can give a student isn't another strategy, intervention, or behavior consequence. Sometimes, it's simply being the adult who sees them, knows them, and is genuinely glad they're there. In this episode, I’m talking about the incredible power of a teacher-student connection—not just for students who struggle with behavior or have challenges at home, but for eve...

Have you ever found yourself typing “I quit teaching” into Google late at night? With the behavior challenges, burnout, increasing demands, and everything else teachers are carrying right now, it’s understandable to wonder: Is teaching still worth it? In this episode, I’m taking a different look at that question. I’ll share a deeply personal story about my mom, a teacher who once tried to talk me...

What if your professional development actually left you feeling inspired, energized, and excited to get back to your classroom? After years of teaching through screens, Zoom meetings, packed schedules, and increasing demands, I’m bringing my Teacher Art Retreats back—and I couldn’t be more excited. In this episode, I’m sharing what the Overnight Teacher Art Retreat actually is, why I decided the t...

We've all done it — scrolled through classroom set up pictures online and felt that mix of inspired and overwhelmed. Well, whether your classroom looks like it could be in a magazine or not, there are some things that can be added to make sure your environment fosters calm and belonging.   So, in this episode, I'm sharing a few specific things I actually put in my own room every year to do just th...

It's the first week of school, and if you're like most teachers, your rules are already created, even if it's just in your mind. You're ready to establish clear expectations, get your students on board and be ready to implement consequences when needed.   But before you do that, listen in. Today, I'm sharing why rules alone might not be enough to get you through the year — and what actually needs...

Many teachers have gotten stuck thinking creativity is something you add when there’s time. Let's flip that — because creativity can actually reduce behavioral escalation, increase student engagement, and help YOU reconnect with your joy. It's not a bonus... it's a foundation.   I’ll walk you through what happens in a student’s nervous system when you bring movement, storytelling, or visual respon...

If you've ever wondered whether student behavior is harder now than it used to be — the data has an answer. In this episode I'm sharing two more findings from 2025 and 2026 that confirm what teachers across the country have been feeling. And these aren't fringe numbers. This is the profession speaking.   I'll walk you through what the data is actually pointing at — and why the answer isn't just mo...

In this episode I’m naming the two things that actually stand between teachers and a classroom that runs smoothly — and neither of them is more information. Because information was never the problem. You know how to teach.  You have the strategies, the activities and the know how.  So... what's missing?? There's a reason why strategies stop working by October.  And a reason why your frustration gr...

What if the research confirmed that you’re losing the equivalent of 14.5 school days every year — not to planning or grading, but to managing disruptive student behavior? In this episode, I’m walking through what the data actually says — including a University of Nebraska-Lincoln study that sent trained observers into real classrooms to measure the time and financial cost of behavior management. T...

The Classroom RESET Challenge starts July 21st, and in this episode I'm walking you through exactly what three days together is going to look like so that you can improve student behavior to eliminate teacher burnout! Come for three days. Leave with more than you came with. And if you want to go further — The Classroom Reset course will be there when you're ready. Save your spot — it's free, PD ho...

If "I don't have time for one more thing" is the thought that keeps you from trying anything new in your classroom, I want you to hear this one before school starts.   In this episode, I'm sharing some of my favorite classroom management tips — not because they're clever or complicated, but because every single one of them fits inside time you already have. We talk about three small, specific move...