Beginning Teacher Talk

What do you do when you can't get into your classroom until one week before school starts? Here are 14 things you can do to get started right away and ensure you are ready for your school year! Get the complete show notes here: https://www.drlorifriesen.com/blog/when-you-only-have-one-week 

Learn the 5 things to think through before Meet the Teacher night, EXACTLY what information to share with parents, as well as how to set yourself up for success for the entire year after the event! Get the complete show notes here: https://www.drlorifriesen.com/blog/meet_the_teacher_night 

If you're an elementary teacher and you're preparing for your first day of school, this is for you! Listen to find out the 6 things I've learned to send home with my students on the first day - and get the free template downloads here: https://www.drlorifriesen.com/blog/the-first-day-of-school-welcome-packet 

Let's talk about my 10 favorite back-to-school books to pair with the awesome back-to-school activities we featured in last week's episode: https://www.drlorifriesen.com/blog/10-favorite-books-for-the-first-weeks-of-school Register for Dr. Lori's program here! https://www.drlorifriesen.com/yes   

If you're a kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade teacher in your first three years of teaching and you're looking for activities to do with your kiddos in the first week of school, I've gotcha covered! Check out these 10, kid-tested favorites: https://www.drlorifriesen.com/blog/first-week-of-school-activities 

The first week of school can be stressful when you don't know what to do - and students aren't the only ones who get butterflies as they anticipate the start of a new year ! Learn 4 things you can do to ensure your first day and week of school is a success: https://www.drlorifriesen.com/blog/first-week-of-school

Creating a clear and concise classroom management plan BEFORE your first day of school will set you on a path to success during your first year. Learn EXACTLY what you need to do so you can nail it on your first week! https://www.drlorifriesen.com/blog/create-your-classroom-management-plan 

I get asked this question a LOT in my work with teachers. Here is my best advice - you do not need to spend hundreds of dollars trying to fill your classroom library with books - check out these 16 creative ways you can do this cheaply: https://www.drlorifriesen.com/blog/16-cheap-and-free-ways-to-get-books

Let's talk about how to create a classroom that is authentically, beautifully, and meaningfully you and becomes a place where your students can find a piece of themselves and feel like they truly belong, all while saving you precious time and money! https://www.drlorifriesen.com/blog/the-best-classroom-theme-ever

Experiencing a successful first year of teaching means getting prepared well before the first day of school. Learn the most important and strategic ways to spend your time to ensure you are ready for back-to-school! Get the complete show notes here: https://www.drlorifriesen.com/blog/6-things-to-do-this-summer

Don't make the same mistake I did and position yourself as your students' friend... and rob them of the incredible gift you could (and should) be giving your students as their teacher. Get the complete show notes here: https://www.drlorifriesen.com/blog/they-re-just-little

I LOVE teaching, and I HATE wasting time! I’m all about working smarter, not harder, so you can be sure that the 6 games I share with you are quality, kid-tested, and simple to prepare. Get the complete show notes here: https://www.drlorifriesen.com/blog/the-best-6-games-to-play-with-your-students

One of the kindest things we can do for ourselves as educators is prepare our classrooms for the fall before we leave for our summer break. Let's talk about 8 things I did each year to ensure that going back to school in the fall was a much less stressful experience! Get the complete show notes here: https://www.drlorifriesen.com/blog/before_summer_break

WHY is it so hard for us to leave school at school? In this episode, we talk about 12 ways we can begin to leave school at school and develop a life outside of teaching - while still being the educator we've always dreamed of being. For the full show notes, visit https://www.drlorifriesen.com/blog/12-ways-to-leave-school-at-school. 

YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THIS SHOW! If you've been struggling to figure out how to get your students' attention instantly and how to create a positive and fun classroom environment, this is for you. Hear how I finally figured out how to do this in my classroom, and how you can do it, too. Learn more and get the full show notes at https://www.drlorifriesen.com/blog/best classroom management.

Are your students bouncing off the walls with spring fever? If you're an elementary teacher, you know how challenging this can be. Let's talk about 25 fun and easy ways to manage spring fever so that you can continue to keep your students focused and engaged and maximize student learning until the end of the year. For detailed show notes and to grab the FREE Teacher Cheat Sheet, loaded with all of the hot links from this episode, go to https://www.drlorifriesen.com/blog/spring fever. 

Are you trying to figure out what to get your students as an end-of-the-year gift? Would you rather give your students experiences rather than "stuff?" Learn how I create a "Special Week of Celebrations" for my class, and how you easily can do this for your students, too. You can grab your copy of all of the templates I use for this week-long celebration at TPT at my store, "Beginning Teacher Talk," or go to www.drlorifriesen.com for more info. Your students are going to absolutely love these experiences - and will ensure that this is a year they will never forget. 

Inspired by the great master edutainer himself, Walt Disney! In Part 3 of this series, Dr. Lori shares how, once we've created our own Legendary Lay-Out and established Energizing Expectations, we can then incorporate a Dash of Motivational Magic and a Sprinkle of Love and Sunshine into our classrooms. If you want to know how you can inspire your students to really want to be there every day, learn the four masterful elements that define Walt Disney's unique brand of magic - and how we can weave these into our classroom teaching. Get the full show notes at https://www.drlorifriesen.com/blog/disney3 

How does Disneyland have this almost magical way of making you want to go back there again the moment you leave? Why is it so energizing, and why do we look forward to going there so much? In this episode, find out what can we learn as educators about the incredible brilliance involved at a fundamental level in how Disney establishes "energizing expectations" - and how we can apply this strategy to classroom management mastery. Access the show notes and grab the valuable freebie to help you with your classroom management right away at https://www.drlorifriesen.com/blog/disney2 

How can you create some of the magic of Disney in your own elementary classroom? In Part One of this three-part series, learn what Walt Disney did first in envisioning his incredible Disney World theme park, and how creating our own "Legendary Lay-Out" in our classrooms can not only reduce your daily overwhelm, but improve efficiency and learning. Get the show notes and a free download to help you take the first steps towards classroom management mastery at drlorifriesen.com/blog/disney1. Dr. Lori Friesen has no affiliation with Walt Disney, and all of the opinions expressed in this podcast are her own.