Perfect Chaos

Research and Resources for Show NotesBlevins, R. M.(2026, October 1). The work no one does alone. From the Front Porch.https://perfectchaosporch.substack.com/p/the-work-no-one-does-alone

Edmondson, A.(1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams.Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350–383.https://doi.org/10.2307/2666999

Vangrieken, K.,Dochy, F., Raes, E., & Kyndt, E. (2015). Teacher collaboration: Asystematic review. Educational Research Review, 15, 17–40.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2015.04.002

Ronfeldt, M.,Farmer, S. O., McQueen, K., & Grissom, J. A. (2015). Teacher collaborationin instructional teams and student achievement. American Educational ResearchJournal, 52(3), 475–514. https://doi.org/10.3102/0002831215585562

Institute ofEducation Sciences. (2025). Supporting educator well-being using evidence-basedsupports.https://ies.ed.gov/rel-northeast-islands/2025/01/supporting-educator-well-being-using-evidence-based-supports

There are plenty of things people tell you before you become a teacher. But few people explain how deeply relational the work will become or how much emotional weight those relationships can carry.

In this episode, Dr. B reflects on what she wishes someone had told her about teaching: why relationships are not separate from instruction, how small moments of intentional presence can matter, and what can happen when a teacher responds to challenging behavior with curiosity, consistency, and professional judgment.

Relational teaching does not mean eliminating consequences or avoiding office referrals when they are necessary. It means understanding that empathy and accountability can exist together. Drawing from her own classroom experiences and Finding Perfect Chaos in Your Classroom, Dr. B explores how educators can hold firm expectations without treating removal as the automatic response to every problem.

She also addresses the emotional side of teaching, including worrying about students, celebrating their breakthroughs, and learning to care deeply without taking ownership of every burden they carry. Teachers are not responsible for solving every problem. They can listen, support, connect students with appropriate help, and remain steady without becoming overwhelmed themselves.

Relationships do not replace accountability. They help educators use accountability with greater purpose.Research

Blevins, R. M. (2025). Findingperfect chaos in your classroom: Becoming the teacher you always wanted to be.Independently published.

Booker, K. (2021). Ruleswithout relationships lead to rebellion: Secondary teachers and schoolbelonging. School Community Journal, 31(1), 65-84.https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1304826.pdf

Endedijk, H. M., Breeman, L.D., van Lissa, C. J., Hendrickx, M. M. H. G., den Boer, L., & Mainhard, T.(2022). The teacher's invisible hand: A meta-analysis of the relevance ofteacher-student relationship quality for peer relationships and the contributionof student behavior. Review of Educational Research, 92(3), 370-412.https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543211051428

Roorda, D. L., Jak, S., Zee,M., Oort, F. J., & Koomen, H. M. Y. (2017). Affective teacher-studentrelationships and students' engagement and achievement: A meta-analytic updateand test of the mediating role of engagement. School Psychology Review, 46(3),239-261. https://doi.org/10.17105/SPR-2017-0035.V46-3

Regional Educational LaboratoryNortheast & Islands. (2025). Supporting educator well-being usingevidence-based supports. Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department ofEducation. https://ies.ed.gov/rel-northeast-islands/2025/01/supporting-educator-well-being-using-evidence-based-supports

The students have arrived, and all those carefullyplanned systems now have to work for the actual people in the room.

In this episode, Dr. B explores how educators canestablish clear expectations while still making space for student voice.Drawing on educational research about belonging, teacher–student relationships,classroom structure, and student agency, she explains why authority and sharedownership do not have to compete.

You’ll leave with practical strategies for developingclassroom norms with students, learning who they are through meaningfulacademic work, creating an effective weekly suggestion box, respondingthoughtfully when the answer must be no, and revisiting routines once the classhas had time to experience them.

Set the tone. Hold the boundaries. Listen to yourstudents. Then let what you learn about the people in the room help shape theclassroom you build together.

Visit perfect-chaos.org and subscribe to From the FrontPorch to stay connected between episodes.

Research Referenced in This Episode

Roorda, D. L., Koomen, H. M. Y., Spilt, J. L., & Oort,F. J. (2011). The influence of affective teacher–student relationships onstudents’ school engagement and achievement: A meta-analytic approach. Reviewof Educational Research, 81(4), 493–529.https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654311421793

Roorda, D. L., Jak, S., Zee, M., Oort, F. J., &Koomen, H. M. Y. (2017). Affective teacher–student relationships and students’engagement and achievement: A meta-analytic update and test of the mediatingrole of engagement. School Psychology Review, 46(3), 239–261.https://doi.org/10.17105/SPR-2017-0035.V46-3

Patzak, A., Zhang, X., Vandenkerckhove, B., etal. (2025). Blending teacher autonomy support and provision of structurein the classroom. Educational Psychology Review.https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-025-09994-2

Korpershoek, H., Canrinus, E. T., Fokkens-Bruinsma, M.,& de Boer, H. (2020). The relationships between school belonging andstudents’ motivational, social-emotional, behavioural, and academic outcomes insecondary education: A meta-analytic review. Research Papers in Education,35(6), 641–680. https://doi.org/10.1080/02671522.2019.1615116

Gillett-Swan, J., & Baroutsis, A. (2024). Studentvoice and teacher voice in educational research: A systematic review. OxfordReview of Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2023.2257132

Back-to-school preparation can make us feel as though we should have every box unpacked, every system established, and every possible problem anticipated before we are allowed to begin. But no teacher can be ready for everything.

In this episode, Dr. B reflects on moving out of one university office and into another, with plenty of family help and more than a few trips along the way. She explores the difference between preparing with purpose and performing perfection, the invisible decisions teachers carry, what truly must be ready before students arrive, and what can be adjusted—or simply wait.

The room does not have to be perfect. The plan does not have to be perfect. You just need a thoughtful place to begin and the willingness to keep noticing, adjusting, and learning.

Visit perfect-chaos.org and subscribe to From the Front Porch to stay connected between episodes.

In this Season 2 premiere, Dr. Ronda Blevins (Dr. B) welcomes listeners into a new era of the podcast, with her stepping into the role of regular solo host. David may still wander onto the porch occasionally, and other guests will join when their experiences can deepen the conversation, but this new format makes room for the podcast to return in a way that is thoughtful, flexible, and sustainable.

This relaunch arrives as Dr. B is navigating another significant beginning: closing her chapter at Carson-Newman University and beginning a new position at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Both transitions have reinforced an important lesson: sometimes beginning again means releasing the version of the plan that no longer fits.

In this episode, Dr. B reflects on the pressure to restart perfectly, the uncertainty that accompanies meaningful new beginnings, and why changing a plan does not mean the original idea failed. It may simply mean that real people showed up with real needs—and the meaningful work begins in how we notice, adjust, and keep going.

She also shares what listeners can expect from the new Perfect Chaos Podcast, including honest conversations about teaching, learning, leadership, teacher preparation, educational technology, professional transitions, and the human side of doing meaningful work in the middle of real life.

Coming next is a two-part back-to-school special:

• Part One: You Don’t Have to Be Ready for Everything
• Part Two: Set the Tone, Then Learn the People

Whether you are entering a new classroom, beginning a new position, returning to something you set aside, or realizing that your carefully constructed plan no longer fits, this episode is an invitation to carry forward what still matters, release what does not, and begin with what you know now.

Visit perfect-chaos.org and subscribe to From the Front Porch to stay connected between episodes.

Wander a little. Wonder a lot. And remain calm in your perfect chaos.

Do you remember the days of tornado drills...or yet the more fun nuclear bomb drills in which students calmly moved to the hallways, or huddled under their desks, if not you may still be relatively new to the field of education, but there are times in which the classroom seems anything but calm, in fact it seems more like a hurricane meets a tornado, coupled with a large fire, earthquake and maybe the explosive power of a nuclear meltdown. Let's look at the strategies for some of that chaos back under control and opening the classroom for learning.

Don't forget to find us at the following:

www.perfect-chaos.org

IG: @perfectchaos7

X: @perfectchaos7

FB: @aperfectchaos7

TT: @perfect_chaos_podcast

email: [email protected]

www.rondablevinsbooks.com

Dr R: X @drrblevins TT: @rondamb

David: X: dsblev TT: @handoffmedic

Can't believe that it is already that time of year again when we are seeing the supply lists start to come out, commercials for last minute get aways and then it hits you...are you ready for the return to school. Whether you are a veteran teacher or a first year new to the field, the wishlist can help you prepare your classroom to be more welcoming to students . Unless you won the lottery, funding the wishlist can be difficulty, but we go over some of the different things you may include on your wishlist, include the latest book by @Dr. R.

So after you listen, let us know what is on your wishlist.

Don't forget to find us at the following:

www.perfect-chaos.org

IG: @perfectchaos7

X: @perfectchaos7

FB: @aperfectchaos7

TT: @perfect_chaos_podcast

email: [email protected]

www.rondablevinsbooks.com

Dr R: X @drrblevins TT: @rondamb

David: X: dsblev TT: @handoffmedic

After what seems to be a really long time, the Perfect Chaos Podcast is back. We get behind the microphones to discuss the next iterations of education from P-12 to Higher Ed, Initial Ed and Con Ed, institutional or service based. Come join us on this ride. Also, we will be looking for you to help us with some of these episode check it out and let us know about you.

Don't forget to find us at the following:

www.perfect-chaos.org

IG: @perfectchaos7

X: @perfectchaos7

FB: @aperfectchaos7

TT: @perfect_chaos_podcast

email: [email protected]

www.rondablevinsbooks.com

Dr R: X @drrblevins TT: @rondamb

David: X: dsblev TT: @handoffmedic

In Episode 54 of the Perfect Chaos Podcast, we continue to welcome back our educators to the classroom, and know that we are welcoming in several to their first year of teaching, so we discuss 12+ reasons to love Education. From the kind of humans people turn into as they grow, seeing that light bulb come on to teachable moments that transcend standards, these are some great reasons. Let us know what you think

Where to find us. 

Website: www.perfect-chaos.org

Twitter: @perfectchaos7

Instagram: @perfectchaos7

Facebook: @aperfectchaos7

TikTok: @perfect_chaos_podcast

In Episode 53 of the Perfect Chaos Podcast, we switch out of the realm of AI and into the bad words of school starting back. Not quite all, at least for some, but soon nonetheless. While we have spoken about the need for work-life balance, this sounds counterintuitive, but will also help keep you on track. Is it a little in each week, starting a few days early, but what does it mean to start slow at the beginning of the school year.

Some references: 

https://www.teachervision.com/themes/back-to-school-headquarters

https://www.hmhco.com/blog/back-to-school-articles-resources-for-teachers

https://resilienteducator.com/collections/bts/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lv6p-WJOwDo

Feel Good Tip of the Week: Don't forget about your body as you start back.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCQXCNO87TzLR8PqxFLEygQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fSgVDLdbMA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPILTd4AD3M

Where to find us. 

Website: www.perfect-chaos.org

Twitter: @perfectchaos7

Instagram: @perfectchaos7

Facebook: @aperfectchaos7

TikTok: @perfect_chaos_podcast