Welcome back to the Not So Wimpy Teacher podcast!

Do your students forget everything over winter break? I think that’s pretty normal for all of us. 

You’re likely going to need to review classroom routines and procedures with them anyway, so there is no better time to refresh your writing instruction with them as well.

I want to chat about starting your writing instruction fresh in the New Year. A fresh start is exactly what I want this year. Does that sound good to you too?

Don’t worry about what happened before break because we’re leaving that in the past and taking this opportunity to start fresh. 

Here’s to helping your students love writing!

Episode 88 Takeaways: 

+ Start fresh. 

+ Focus on procedures. 

+ Review things that might have been forgotten over the break.

+ It’s okay to change up things that weren’t working. 

+ Get input on what’s working and what’s not from your students.

+ Celebrate good times.

+ Set writing goals. 

I’m super excited to see how your students grow in writing this year. Don’t forget to grab the free writing prompts from the link below!

I’d love to know what other ideas you come up with, so head over to our Instagram @notsowimpyteacher to share those with me! 

Resources Mentioned: 

60 Free Writing Prompts

Want more Not So Wimpy Teacher tips and tricks? Find tons of resources on our website at www.notsowimpyteacher.com and follow me on Instagram @notsowimpyteacher where I share daily!

Welcome back to the Not So Wimpy Teacher podcast!

Do you think of centers as time-wasters? 

Today we’re talking about centers and why I’ve loved them ever since my first year of teaching. 

I love an activity that stretches my students’ learning, but they also think it is fun, and centers do that for me. I’m going to teach you how to improve the quality of student work in your centers so that you don’t have to worry about them wasting precious classroom time. 

By the end of this episode, you’ll know when and how to use centers effectively in your classroom. 

Episode 87 Takeaways: 

+ Take time to model exactly what you want your students to do. 

+ Review procedures that you taught your students before winter break. 

+ Make sure your students are confident about what they’re doing.

+ Add consistency to your centers. 

+ Use centers as a review. 

+ Give your students some choice during center time. 

+ Give students a simple rubric or checklist. 

+ Make time for corrections.

+ Celebrate your students’ success.

I hope these tips help you and your students to love centers even more. Improving the quality of student work will make them more valuable in your classroom. 

I’d love to know what other ideas you come up with, so head over to our Instagram @notsowimpyteacher to share those with me! 

Resources Mentioned: 

Reading Centers for 3rd Grade 

Reading Response Menus for Grades 2 - 5

Math Centers for Grades 2 - 5

Want more Not So Wimpy Teacher tips and tricks? Find tons of resources on our website at www.notsowimpyteacher.com and follow me on Instagram @notsowimpyteacher where I share daily! 

Welcome back to the Not So Wimpy Teacher podcast!

I have a special gift for you today. 

I have 60 free writing prompts for you in two different formats. A printable PDF or Google slides that you can use in the classroom. 

Now, I know what you’re thinking.

“Jamie, you HATE writing prompts!”

It’s true. I’ve spent years teaching you why I don’t use prompts in my writing workshops. However, I recognize that there is a time and place for them, especially in a year like this. 

I also want to help you understand when and how to use them in your classroom, so that’s where this episode comes in. 

Episode 86 Takeaways: 

+ Writing prompts are best used sparingly.

+ Prompts are awesome to use for pre and post-assessments.

+ Substitute lesson plans are a great time to use writing prompts. 

+ Get to know what holidays your students celebrate. 

+ When you have a fast finisher in your classroom, you can give them a writing prompt to work on. 

+ Keep bell work short and sweet. 

I hope you can see now why I don’t think writing prompts are always bad. I actually think they can be beneficial in certain situations. We just have to be careful not to overuse them. 

I’d love to know what other ideas you come up with, so head over to our Instagram @notsowimpyteacher to share those with me! 

Resources Mentioned: 

60 Free Writing Prompts 

Want more Not So Wimpy Teacher tips and tricks? Find tons of resources on our website at www.notsowimpyteacher.com and follow me on Instagram @notsowimpyteacher where I share daily! 

Welcome back to the Not So Wimpy Teacher podcast!

Are you a teacher who spends a little too much time at school or even a little too much time working at home? Then this is the episode for you.

I want to challenge the idea that the only way that you can be a good teacher is if you work really long hours, and that only the teachers who work really long hours are doing a great job. 

News flash: your value is not tied to the number of hours you work. Your value is what you do with those hours.

I’m going to share a little of my own story as well as some strategies that I used to take back my life while still being a great teacher. It doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive. 

Episode 85 Takeaways: 

+ Your value is not tied to the number of hours you work. 

+ It’s okay if being a mom isn’t your only calling. 

+ You don’t have to give up your personal life to be a good teacher. 

+ Taking back time for yourself will actually make you a better teacher. 

+ Use your calendar wisely. 

+ Decide on your work hours and put them in your calendar. 

+ Batch your lesson planning to save time. 

+ Protect your planning time. 

+ Use routines. 

+ Grade smarter. 

Here’s what I want you to take away from this episode: your value as a teacher is not determined by the number of hours that you work, but rather what you do with your time when you are working.

You were meant to be a teacher. Your students need you, but they need the very best version of you. So rediscover who that is by spending less time at work and more time with friends and family, on hobbies, and just being alone and taking care of yourself. 

The teacher who has boundaries and balance will have the most energy to teach and make a difference in the classroom.

I’d love to know what other ideas you come up with, so head over to our Instagram @notsowimpyteacher to share those with me! 

Resources Mentioned: 

Episode 33: Save Time Lesson Planning With Batching 

Want more Not So Wimpy Teacher tips and tricks? Find tons of resources on our website at www.notsowimpyteacher.com and follow me on Instagram @notsowimpyteacher where I share daily! 

Welcome back to the Not So Wimpy Teacher podcast!

Do you have students with ADHD in your classroom that you wish you could support better? Well wishes come true. 

Today’s guest, Jillian Starr, is a struggling student turned passionate educator. Her dyslexia, ADHD, and sensory/auditory processing issues went undiagnosed for most of her educational career. Now she uses her own experiences to help students in her classroom, as well as help educators have a bigger impact. 

She is the teacher behind the website and social media accounts Teaching with Jillian Starr. She has been in education for 15 years and has been a classroom teacher for the past 12 years in grades 1, 2, and 3. 

Teaching with Jillian Starr is based on the idea that it's really important that we serve all students, and we’re going to dive deeper into that today. Jillian is sharing her own personal experiences as a student and teacher, as well as some amazing and important information about how we can better serve students with ADHD in our classrooms. 

Episode 84 Takeaways: 

+ ADHD will show up differently in everyone.

+ ADHD is not one size fits all. 

+ If you have one idea of what ADHD should look like, you’re going to miss it in your students. 

+ What signs to look for in your students.

+ Treating ADHD with medication is a personal decision.

+ The side effects of medication will be different for everyone.

+ Be on the same team as the parents. 

+ There are strategies besides medication that you can use to help your students. 

I cannot stress how important it is for us to learn these strategies as educators so that we are better prepared to serve all our students. 

I’m so grateful to Jillian for opening up about some deeply personal experiences so that we can learn from her. Don’t forget to check out her resources below! 

I’d love to know what other ideas you come up with, so head over to our Instagram @notsowimpyteacher to share those with me! 

Resources Mentioned: 

Follow @jillianstarrteaching on Instagram

www.jillianstarrteaching.com

Join the Elementary Teaching with Jillian Starr Facebook Group 

Want more Not So Wimpy Teacher tips and tricks? Find tons of resources on our website at www.notsowimpyteacher.com and follow me on Instagram @notsowimpyteacher where I share daily! 

Welcome back to the Not So Wimpy Teacher podcast!

Today we are talking about one of my very favorite topics: writing. 

I know that writing isn't everyone's favorite subject to teach, but it is my favorite topic to help teachers with. Whenever I go on social media and ask what your least favorite subject to teach is, writing always wins out.

I'm here to make teaching your least favorite subject so much easier. 

I know what it feels like to hate it. I used to hate it too. But I want to give you the tools and strategies you need to build confidence, and maybe even start to love teaching writing. 

Today we’re specifically talking about how to get your students to edit their writing. I've got nine tips for you that I think will help you to make the editing time in your classroom more effective. 

If writing is the subject that you dread every day, be sure to tune in to this week’s episode! 

Episode 83 Takeaways: 

+ Mistakes happen. 

+ All writers make errors. 

+ Reward students for taking time to look for mistakes.

+ Leave room on the page for editing.

+ Don’t edit too soon.

+ Set aside a day or two for editing.

+ Give your students resources to help them edit. 

+ Focus on one type of edit at a time.

+ Read the writing out loud. 

+ Don’t edit for your students.

+ Perfection isn’t the goal. 

I hope this gives you a lot to think about as you help your students to become better writers. 

Remember, perfection isn’t the goal, growth is. If your student’s paper is better than the last one they wrote, that's a success that deserves to be celebrated. 

I’d love to know what other ideas you come up with, so head over to our Instagram @notsowimpyteacher to share those with me! 

Want more Not So Wimpy Teacher tips and tricks? Find tons of resources on our website at www.notsowimpyteacher.com and follow me on Instagram @notsowimpyteacher where I share daily! 

Welcome back to the Not So Wimpy Teacher podcast!

Do you love teaching reading? Whether your answer is yes or no, I know you will find so much value in this episode!

I invited a good friend of mine, Sara Marye, to join us on the podcast today. Sara is a former teacher and administrator and she has a huge love for teaching reading. More specifically, she really wants to help her students find their love for reading and has so many great strategies to share! 

Today we are specifically going to talk about using different genres to get our students excited about reading. Yes, genres! Interesting right? 

Episode 74 Takeaways: 

+ We’re all readers, you just have to find the right book for you.  

+ Give your kids books that make them excited to read.

+ Let them decide what books they really like. 

+ Genre helps students identify their reading preferences.

+ When students have a solid understanding of genre, it gives them a roadmap to understand the texts that they're reading.

+ Be intentional about using your read-alouds to introduce students to a wide range of genres. 

+ You can include picture books in your read-alouds.

+ Give your students the tools to help them understand each genre.

+ You can study genres in your book clubs.

+ Validate your students’ reading preferences. 

I love learning new ways to get students excited about reading but have never thought about using genres this way! 

Take a look at the resources below to learn more about Sara, and catch some of the goodies that she shares with you in today's episode.

I’d love to know what other ideas you come up with, so head over to our Instagram @notsowimpyteacher to share those with me! 

Resources Mentioned: 

Genre Interest Survey

Genre Challenge

Visit The Stellar Teacher Company on Teachers Pay Teachers 

Follow @thestellarteachercompany on Instagram 

www.stellarteacher.com 

Want more Not So Wimpy Teacher tips and tricks? Find tons of resources on our website at www.notsowimpyteacher.com and follow me on Instagram @notsowimpyteacher where I share daily! 

Welcome back to the Not So Wimpy Teacher podcast!

Do you find teaching grammar kind of a nightmare? Are you scouring the internet for new fun grammar activities every week?

Yeah, I was you once too. 

Until I found a much easier way to teach grammar that saved me time and made learning easier for my students. So that’s what I want to share with you today. 

This episode is for you if you teach grammar in grades 2, 3, 4, or 5. And be sure to stay tuned until the end, when I’ll be sharing a freebie that I’ve created just for you. 

Episode 81 Takeaways: 

+ Remember that grammar is hard for adults with degrees, so it’s going to be hard for your students. 

+ There is a lot to memorize when it comes to grammar, and that can be very tricky for your students. 

+ Trying to teach grammar without a curriculum can be confusing and time-wasting.

+ Routine makes it easier to plan your time and increase productivity.

+ When I found a routine for teaching grammar my students started to grow.

+ Your students won’t all be on the same level and that’s okay. 

Remember, grammar is hard for everyone, even us adults. 

If you could use some help figuring out your grammar curriculum, my team and I have created a FREE mini-course to help you out. 

In this grammar mini-course, you're going to learn how to keep students engaged when you're introducing a new lesson or skill, my secrets for using grammar interactive notebooks so they don't take so much time, a quick way to integrate grammar into writing, my favorite ways to use task cards for reviewing grammar, and my simple strategies for differentiating grammar for learners of all levels.

The videos in this mini-course are short and easy for you to get through whenever you have time, so you can do it whenever you want!

Head to https://www.notsowimpyteacher.com/grammarcourse to check it out! 

Want more Not So Wimpy Teacher tips and tricks? Find tons of resources on our website at www.notsowimpyteacher.com and follow me on Instagram @notsowimpyteacher where I share daily!

Welcome back to the Not So Wimpy Teacher podcast!

Are you feeling a bit exhausted from perpetually being told what to do as a teacher lately?

Don’t worry, you’re not alone and you deserve a break! That’s why, in this episode, I’m going to be sharing a handful of things that you probably have been doing in the classroom but really don’t need to be doing. Did you just take a sigh of relief?

We’re going to discuss how to decrease your prep and planning time every week, which activities are helping your students the most developmentally, and how to still be an amazing teacher without grading non-stop.

I know it may seem difficult to overcome the pressure of being the perfectionist teacher with the craft filled whiteboard, but stick with me, and I’ll explain exactly why all of that extra stress is not really necessary or even beneficial.

Episode 74 Takeaways: 

+ Give yourself grace

+ No need to assign a writing prompt or project every single week

+ Your room doesn’t have to be filled with craftivities on every wall

+ Spelling errors can go uncorrected once in a while

+ You don’t have to grade-non stop

So does that relieve a little bit of perfectionist teacher pressure? There’s no need for you to be stressed with creating a new craft every week that doesn’t really benefit your student’s writing skills. There is also no need to crush their spirit by pointing out every single spelling mistake on the paper they worked so hard on for the last week. We all deserve a bit of relief, especially these days, and this podcast episode is your permission to do so!

I’d love to know what other ideas you come up with, so head over to our Instagram @notsowimpyteacher to share those with me! 

Want more Not So Wimpy Teacher tips and tricks? Find tons of resources on our website at www.notsowimpyteacher.com and follow me on Instagram @notsowimpyteacher where I share daily!

Welcome back to the Not So Wimpy Teacher podcast!

Is teaching math kind of a struggle sometimes? 

I have just the girl for you. 

Today we are joined by Brittany Hege from Mix and Math. Brittany has a Master’s in Elementary Mathematics Education and she is incredibly passionate about teaching students math, as well as inspiring other math teachers to be more confident in the classroom. 

In this episode she is sharing her best tips for helping students with their word problems. 

She knows how difficult it can be to get your students to slow down, read the problem, and make a good plan to work through the process. It’s a struggle in classrooms everywhere.

That's why on today's show, we are going to figure it out together. 

Episode 79 Takeaways: 

+ There are ways that you can help students to love math. 

+ Add meaning to your numbers as early as possible.

+ You can use problem frames to add meaning to numbers. 

+ Use numberless word problems to ask what action is happening. 

+ Problem solving isn’t a linear process.

+ Isolate the problem solving process into steps. 

+ Give students time to understand the problem. 

+ Praise students for the process, even when the answer is wrong.

Brittany believes that anyone can be a math person if they just find the part of math that lights them up. 

I learned so much chatting with Brittany today and I feel super inspired, so I hope you do too. 

I’d love to know what other ideas you come up with, so head over to our Instagram @notsowimpyteacher to share those with me! 

Resources Mentioned: 

Follow @mixandmath on Instagram 

Brittany 's Problem Solving Freebie

Want more Not So Wimpy Teacher tips and tricks? Find tons of resources on our website at www.notsowimpyteacher.com and follow me on Instagram @notsowimpyteacher where I share daily!