Teacher Approved: Elementary Teacher Tips & Strategies
Heidi and Emily, Elementary School Teacher and Resource Designer

Latest episode
389 episodes
- Mondays can feel overwhelming when you’re carrying unfinished tasks and trying to remember EVERYTHING that needs to happen! In this episode, we’re sharing a 5-step weekly reset to help you wrap up loose ends, prepare for the week ahead, and create a clearer starting point for Monday. It’s not about getting everything done, it’s about being prepared with a plan!
Prefer to read? Grab the episode transcript and resources in the show notes here: https://www.secondstorywindow.net/podcast/weekly-reset-for-teachers/
Resources:
Order our book: Structure and Spark
TheraICE Migraine Relief Cap
Muse Apothecary Pillow Ritual: Calming Pillow Mist
Join The Teacher Approved Club
Connect with us on Instagram @2ndstorywindow
Shop our teacher-approved resources
Join our Teacher Approved Facebook group
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts!
Leave a comment or rating on Spotify
Related Episodes to Enjoy:
Episode 93. Teacher Morning Routine: 10 Tips for Creating Your Perfect Plan
Episode 243. How to Protect Your Planning Time (So You Can Stop Working For Free)
Episode 147. Teacher Approved Tips: How to Plan Ahead for Future Problems!
Episode 228. The Simple 6-Step Plan for Resetting After a Sub - Transitions can quietly eat up valuable instructional time, especially when students start moving before directions are finished. In this episode, we’re breaking down a simple framework for making prompted transitions smoother, more efficient, and easier to manage by standardizing your approach. We’ll walk through the key steps and how they can help students know when to listen, when to move, and what to do next. With a consistent format in place, transitions can become a smoother, more predictable part of your classroom day.
Prefer to read? Grab the episode transcript and resources in the show notes here: https://www.secondstorywindow.net/podcast/smooth-classroom-transitions/
Resources:
Order our book: Structure and Spark
Ungodly Rich
Join The Teacher Approved Club
Connect with us on Instagram @2ndstorywindow
Shop our teacher-approved resources
Join our Teacher Approved Facebook group
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts!
Leave a comment or rating on Spotify
Related Episodes to Enjoy:
Episode 48. How to Make Classroom Transitions Simple With Clear Beginnings and Endings
Episode 49. Rapid Classroom Transitions: How to Save 45 Hours a Year
Episode 50. 3 Guidelines to Make Classroom Transitions Work Smarter Not Harder
Episode 254. Why Your Students Get Chatty During Transitions (And How to Stop It)
Episode 282. 3 Ways to Hold Students Accountable to Your Classroom Expectations - Your classroom culture is what teaches students how to behave, whether you’re the one doing the teaching or not! In this episode, we’re talking about how to intentionally shape a positive classroom culture that makes classroom management easier. We break down five practical steps and explain how social skills, positive peer pressure, and clearly reinforced expectations can help students take more ownership of how your classroom works.
Prefer to read? Grab the episode transcript and resources in the show notes here: https://www.secondstorywindow.net/podcast/positive-classroom-culture/
Resources:
Order our book: Structure and Spark
Hangers
Join The Teacher Approved Club
Connect with us on Instagram @2ndstorywindow
Shop our teacher-approved resources
Join our Teacher Approved Facebook group
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts!
Leave a comment or rating on Spotify
Related Episodes to Enjoy:
Episode 283. Why Reaching for a Reward System Might Be the Wrong First Move
Episode 245. How to Build a Teacher Wardrobe That Fits Your Life
Episode 150. Perfect Your Classroom Procedures with the Help of Our Guiding Questions
Episode 278. Want Better Behavior? Start with Relationships
Episode 87. 4 Important Ways to Build Classroom Community at Back to School - Hallway procedures might seem like a small part of classroom management, but they can have a much bigger impact on classroom success than you might expect. In this classic replay episode, we’re breaking down how to create effective hallway procedures by planning strategically, responding to disruptions, and teaching and practicing expectations with your students. With a little intentional planning and practice, your hallway procedures can become a simple but powerful foundation for a calmer, more successful classroom.
Prefer to read? Grab the original episode transcript and show notes here: https://www.secondstorywindow.net/podcast/hallway-behavior-management/
Resources:
Order our book: Structure and Spark
Classroom Procedures and Routines Teaching Slides Bundle
Join The Teacher Approved Club
Connect with us on Instagram @2ndstorywindow
Shop our teacher-approved resources
Join our Teacher Approved Facebook group
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts!
Leave a comment or rating on Spotify
Related Episodes to Enjoy:
Episode 150. Perfect Your Classroom Procedures with the Help of Our Guiding Questions
Episode 173. Getting into the Nitty Gritty of Classroom Procedures and Routines
Episode 75. Classroom Procedures and Expectations: How they Differ and How to Teach Them
Episode 18. Procedures for Success!
Episode 98. 5 Reasons Your Attention Signal Isn’t Working and How to Improve It 283. Can't Miss Classic: Why Reaching for a Reward System Might Be the Wrong First Move
08/27/2026 | 25 mins.Rewards might feel like an easy classroom management solution, but are they actually making your life harder? In this Can't Miss Classic, we’re taking a closer look at when rewards help, when they can backfire, and how to use them more intentionally. We’re sharing why you probably don’t need a reward system from day one, how to use short-term and surprise rewards strategically, and simple ways to build classroom community without turning every positive behavior into a transaction.
Prefer to read? Grab the original episode transcript and resources in the show notes here: https://www.secondstorywindow.net/podcast/back-to-school-classroom-management/
Resources:
Order our book: Structure and Spark
Join the Teacher Approved Club!
December Teacher Planner
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink
Skylight Calendar
Dr Scholl’s Women’s Sneaker
Connect with us on Instagram @2ndstorywindow.
Shop our teacher-approved resources.
Join our Facebook group, Teacher Approved
Leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
Leave a comment or rating on Spotify.
Related Episodes to Enjoy:
Episode 148, How to Build Positive Relationships with Your Students at Back-to-School
Episode 114, Elementary Teacher Questions Answered Part 1
Episode 103, When to Use Rewards to Boost Your Behavior Management – And When Not To
Episode 87, 4 Important Ways to Build Classroom Community at Back to School
Episode 73, 4 Reasons Why Affirming Students Is The Most Important Goal for Back to School
More Education podcasts
Trending Education podcasts
About Teacher Approved: Elementary Teacher Tips & Strategies
Do you ever feel like there’s just not enough time in the day to be the kind of teacher you really want to be? We know that feeling and we’re here to help! Each week on The Teacher Approved podcast, we discuss how to be the teacher you dream of being by elevating what matters and simplifying the rest.
Join co-hosts Emily and Heidi of Second Story Window as they share research-based and teacher-approved strategies you can count on to make your teaching more efficient and effective than ever before.
Topics include classroom management, routines for the elementary school classroom, planning, student-teacher relationships, teacher organization hacks, student engagement, classroom management, and more. Whether you’re a new teacher seeking guidance or a seasoned educator looking for fresh ideas, the Teacher Approved podcast is your guide to fostering a thriving elementary classroom!
For more teacher approved tips and resources, head to www.secondstorywindow.net and follow along on Instagram @2ndstorywindow.
Podcast websiteListen to Teacher Approved: Elementary Teacher Tips & Strategies, Business Alchemy with Jackie Minsky and many other podcasts from around the world with the radio.net app

Get the free radio.net app
- Stations and podcasts to bookmark
- Stream via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
- Supports Carplay & Android Auto
- Many other app features
Get the free radio.net app
- Stations and podcasts to bookmark
- Stream via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth
- Supports Carplay & Android Auto
- Many other app features


Teacher Approved: Elementary Teacher Tips & Strategies
Scan code,
download the app,
start listening.
download the app,
start listening.
























