OTT 252: Teaching Sanity 101

The back-to-school jitters aren't just for students—teachers face them too! As summer winds down and classrooms beckon, even the most experienced educators find themselves wrestling with familiar questions about those crucial first weeks.

This episode dives into three universal teacher concerns. First, we explore which classroom routines deserve immediate attention during those precious opening days. Beyond just covering the basics of lining up and supply management, you'll discover the game-changing "Three Before Me" strategy that transforms student independence while saving your sanity from endless interruptions. You'll learn practical ways to make routine practice engaging rather than tedious, and why focusing on just a few key procedures initially yields better results than overwhelming students with every classroom rule at once.

Next, we tackle the delicate balance of behavior management. Forget the outdated "don't smile until Christmas" advice—you can establish clear boundaries without becoming the feared disciplinarian. The secret lies in mutual respect and consistent kindness. Students who feel genuinely seen and appreciated naturally rise to meet expectations, creating a classroom culture where learning thrives. Discover specific language and strategies to redirect behaviors while preserving student dignity and strengthening your classroom community.

Finally, for those feeling overwhelmed before the first bell even rings, there's reassuring perspective about classroom readiness. The perfectly decorated, meticulously organized spaces showcased on social media represent an unrealistic standard. Real teaching happens in spaces built with flexibility, authentic connection, and responsiveness to the actual students who walk through your door. Your presence and relationship-building skills matter infinitely more than picture-perfect bulletin boards.

Whether you're stepping into your first classroom or your twenty-first, these honest, practical answers will help you approach the new year with confidence and calm. Remember—you bring the magic that transforms four walls into a place of growth and discovery. Here's to finding joy in the journey!

Chapters

• 0:00 Welcome to One Tired Teacher
• 1:23 Question 1: Essential First Routines
• 5:05 Question 2: Managing Behavior with Respect
• 8:19 Question 3: Dealing with Feeling Behind
• 10:01 Final Thoughts and Encouragement

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

Welcome to One Tired Teacher. Episode 252, three questions every teacher asks at the start of the year and real answers that help. So today we are going to break it down and we're gonna talk about the beginning of the year. We are at the end of July, so back to school is either about to happen for you next week, or it's happening very soon, and now we have no choice. We've got to get into it. So the start of the school year it brings fresh notebooks, new names to learn and a whole bunch of questions that every teacher, new or seasoned, asks. Today we're tackling three of the most common beginning of the year questions and I've got honest, heart-centered answers to help you breathe a little easier. So let's jump in.

Speaker 2: 0:53

Welcome to One Tired Teacher. And even though she may need a nap, this teacher is ready to wake up and speak her truth about the trials and treasures of teaching here. She is wide awake. Wait, she's not asleep right now, is she? She is awake right. Okay, From Trina Devery, Teaching and Learning your host, Trina Devery.

Speaker 1: 1:16

Hey, so we're talking, you got questions, I've got some answers for you, so let's just get right to it. So here's a question that I often hear and I've heard for so many years, and that is what routines should I teach first? Okay, so you want to start with what they need to do every single day, the necessary things, whether it's like how they enter the classroom. You know, what are they doing when they enter the classroom. Are they just coming right in? Are you at the door? Do they come to bell work? Do they start with a soft start? What are they doing when they, when they first come in, what do you want this to look like?

Speaker 1: 1:56

Also, lining up this is a big one for most people, like most principals and schools have the expectation that you're going to walk down the hall quietly in a single file line, and I don't think that's changed much. I feel like they've been doing that for like forever, for hundreds of years. That's what it feels like. I always wonder what it would be like if kids were just walking in a group down the hall. You know, just chatting casually. It would probably be mass chaos, but anyway. So what do you want it to look like for lining up? How about using supplies, like are you going to have team supplies, individual supplies? Is there like a limit to how many times they can get a new pencil or sharpen their pencil, or are they allowed to get up in the middle of you speaking? What about having to go to the bathroom? What's your procedure with the bathroom and getting water and things like that? Like those are the kind of things that you want to focus on right away. And also what's your procedure for them asking a question or for them needing help?

Speaker 1: 2:55

Let me give you one that's one of my favorites and it is three before me. That's what it's called. Three before me. That means that the child who has a question has to ask three other people the question first and they might have the answer, and then it's solved. If they, once they've asked three people and all three of those people don't know the answer, those three people and the child with the people don't know the answer, those three people and the child with the question then can come to you or raise their hands together with the question. This saves you so much aggravation and you don't have to answer every teeny, tiny, ridiculous question all day long. So I think three before me is like a miracle worker. And then I would even say to the child they came to me without the three people. Did you ask three before me? And if they're like but, but, but, did you ask three before me? Or unless it's an absolute, like dire emergency, that would be a little bit different.

Speaker 1: 3:46

But even then they could be like I'm bleeding to three other people and they go okay, let's go. And if you've practiced this procedure it works like a charm. So that's that procedure. It works like a charm. So that's that's one I recommend. But you want to keep it simple and you want to practice often. You want to make practicing fun too, because that way they'll remember it.

Speaker 1: 4:04

I always do like a really specific non example of something like I completely go off the other end of the you know spectrum with my behavior of like this. You know I'm like dragging my feet to the line or I'm talking or yelling or pushing or shoving, like I want them to see a non-example and they also think it's funny when I'm acting like this. And then I want them to see a really good example and then I let kids show a really good example. So practicing is so important. They're not going to be able to remember if they haven't practiced. And if you notice that something is broken down, you can stop, show it again, model it again, teach it again and then allow them to practice again. As many times as it takes Something to remember. Procedures are the glue that holds your day together. Pick your top three and teach them like content, model them, practice them, repeat them. You can always add more later. So that is exactly what I would say to start with.

Speaker 1: 5:04

All right, let's talk about question number two. How do I handle behaviors without feeling like a drill sergeant? Some people will really worry about being or coming across as mean, and I know some people's attitude about that is like I want them to be scared of me at the beginning and I want them to. You know, I want I'm going to come across as as harsh and, you know, disciplined in the beginning, and then I relax a little and if that's your style, you know you do you For me. I'm like no, I want them to respect me. I know they're going to be so much better behaved if they respect and love me and that comes from me respecting and loving them. That's a huge one. So you don't need to be harsh, to be firm, and kids crave boundaries and connection.

Speaker 1: 5:55

Focus on clear expectations and kind consistency. That's why going over those procedures and routines in the beginning is so important, because you've set the expectation. Now, if they don't follow the expectation, then we're going to deal with the consequence of that. But this is, let me remind you of the expectation. Can we try again? It goes much farther than you didn't do. That you know, that's it. You're out of here or whatever. So just be aware of that.

Speaker 1: 6:22

You want to narrate the positives that you see, you know the, I see so, and so doing this like that, that whole language, sometimes it feels so ridiculous and you don't have to say it like that. You can be like I love that you picked up your pencil and you were ready to go. I really appreciate that, timmy, that's really helpful. And then you carry on. You want to, and some kids some kids are really they get embarrassed by that. So we have to be careful of that too, because we don't want to call kids out that we don't know yet. We don't know their personality. You know, maybe we just do a gentle, like pat on the back and we walk past them, or we.

Speaker 1: 6:58

You know, I have these cones of success. They look like little traffic cones and I used to use them in my classroom regularly and they said things like you're awesome, you're great, you're a superstar. Way to go, that's what they said on the cones, and so they would get like cones of success and they get to. You know, put it on their, I put it on their desk and they get to keep it there for however long In some cases it was an hour, some cases it was the day. It just really depends on how you know how it works for you.

Speaker 1: 7:25

But anyway, so you want to, you want to focus on clear expectations and you want to be kind and consistent and you want, like I said, you want to narrate the positives. You want to redirect gently and build relationships from day one. They will be so much better for you if they love you. They will be so much better for you if they love you. They will be so much better for you when they know that you care about them. They will rise to meet you. Most of the time, now, that's not true all the time. I mean, we still have people that sometimes can't help themselves or sometimes doesn't seem like they care, but there's always underlying reasons for why it feels that way or why it seems that way. So most of the time they want to rise to the occasion, and when they don't, that's okay. It is a process. It might require repeating and practicing again, all right.

Speaker 1: 8:19

And so question number three what if I already feel behind. Oh, that's the worst. That's the worst If you were listening to this podcast in June, at the end of June, because you know I've taken a break. I've taken a long break. I don't even think I said I was going to, but I took a long break in July. I took a couple weeks off. So welcome back in July. I took a couple of weeks off, so welcome back. But if you remember that episode, I was talking about how I had friends that would wait until the last second to like come back when they had to, like they wouldn't step foot in the classroom before that because they were like no way, I am not gonna. I am gonna fight you know this as far as long as I can. So those people often did feel really behind. But this is the thing that I would remind them You're not behind, you're beginning the Pinterest.

Speaker 1: 9:12

Perfect classrooms are not the norm and real classrooms are built with time, love and flexibility. If your bulletin board is crooked or your centers aren't ready yet, breathe, your presence matters more than your prep. You're doing enough, you are enough. So that's the thing to keep in mind. We want to hold on to our boundaries and that's okay If your boundary is not to step foot into the classroom until it is time. Then you hold on to your boundaries and you'd be okay with that.

Speaker 1: 9:45

But you had to remind yourself it's going to your classroom is going to look a little bit different than somebody that spent weeks in the classroom over the summer, but that's. Their boundaries are different. It's okay to have different boundaries. Everyone can do what works for them. Just remember you are enough. All right, the questions will keep coming, but so will your confidence. Trust yourself. Take it one moment of time and remember you are the magic in that classroom. Thanks for tuning in today and I'll see you next time. Until then, here's to calm hearts and strong starts. Until next time, sweet dreams and sleep tight.