What if classroom culture isn’t something you set at the beginning of the year—but something you create every single day through instruction?

In this opening episode of Season 7 of The Culture-Centered Classroom Podcast, Jocelynn reframes a powerful idea many educators already feel to be true: culture is a vibe—and instruction plays a major role in shaping it.

This episode invites teachers, coaches, and school leaders to move beyond thinking of culture as just norms, relationships, or classroom climate, and instead consider how daily instructional decisions communicate belonging, expectations, and value.

Whether you’re in your first year of teaching or your twentieth, this conversation offers a grounding reminder: students learn just as much from how we teach as from what we teach.

IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL EXPLORE:

• Why classroom culture is not separate from instruction, but built through it

• How students experience culture through tasks, questions, pacing, and feedback

• The connection between instructional design and student identity, belonging, and confidence

• Why culture is not a checklist, but something students feel

• How small instructional shifts can create big cultural impact

This episode introduces a reflective pause designed to help educators turn insight into action.

COACHING CORNER:

Instructional Anchor Questions

• What will students learn about themselves through this lesson?

• What will they learn about their peers?

• What will they learn about the world?

AAA Reflection

• What am I becoming aware of in my instructional practice?

• What am I choosing to accept, challenge, or release?

• What is one small action I’m willing to take next?

You’ll also be guided to create a simple implementation intention—a small, specific step you can take this week to intentionally shape classroom culture through instruction.

RESOURCES:

To support the ideas shared in this episode, Jocelynn references tools that help educators better understand students and design instruction with intention:

• Student Data Dive – A reflective tool for getting to know students beyond the numbers

• Student Learning Perspective – A planning guide that centers how students experience learning

Links to these resources:

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/custom-teaching-solutions

FINAL THOUGHT:

Classroom culture isn’t just what we say we value, it’s what students experience through instruction, every day.

🎧 Listen in, reflect deeply, and consider how your teaching helps create the vibe your students feel.

Until next time, seek joy, affirm culture, celebrate diversity, center equity, and strive for liberation through learning every single day.