The Simple Classroom Podcast
A podcast devoted to discussing simple solutions to all of our teacher problems! Each week, Stephanie Sutherland, an educator and teacher-author for a combined 12 years, discusses prompts centered around her own classroom experiences, or the difficult experiences of others, and shares her thoughts and feelings. The door is open for you to join the discussion on social media to share your own thoughts and feelings alongside other educators!
Episodes
42 episodes
The Let Them Theory and Teaching - How it Can Save you a Lot of Stress, and Where it Doesn't Work
Welcome back to another episode of The Simple Classroom Podcast!I'm talking all about the 'Let Them Theory' and teaching this week. I have four different areas I want to touch on where using this mindset shift can give you a sense of fre...
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Season 2
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37:51
3 Tools that Make Lesson Planning a Lot Faster
Lesson planning is far from a cut-and-dry task. Even if your whole group lessons are paced out and scripted through a curriculum, we all often still have small groups, RTI, things to plan for our fast finishers, homework, morning work, centers,...
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24:14
Plan Centers Faster Than You Ever Have Before with This Planning Routine
Planning centers is ALWAYS one more thing to do after planning all of your instruction and small groups.So, how can we make it faster?In this episode, I am taking you through the exact mental checklist that I go through to plan my...
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Season 2
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24:59
Team Planning Tips to Get More Done
Team planning can often feel like a balancing act, but it doesn’t have to be chaotic! In this episode, Stephanie shares her top strategies for making team planning as smooth and efficient as possible. Whether you’re planning with your grade-lev...
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24:28
THE Ultimate Classroom Organizational Guide
Feeling overwhelmed by the clutter and chaos in your classroom? It’s time to take control and streamline your teaching routine! In this episode, I’m sharing the ultimate list of organization ideas that will help you reduce stress, stay on top o...
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Season 2
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Episode 38
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21:00
Decision Fatigue in Teaching is REAL. Here's How 'Deciding Once' Can Help
Have you ever tried the Decide Once method? If one of the things that burns you out in teaching is having to make one million decisions a day, this episode will help. You’ll learn:What is Decide Once?How to use ...
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Season 2
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Episode 37
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12:39
My class won't stop talking! 3 Tips that will Keep You from Pulling your Hair Out
Do you find yourself struggling with a chatty classroom? If constant talking and distractions are preventing your students from staying on task, this episode is for you! In today’s episode, I’m sharing three effective classroom management strat...
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Season 2
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Episode 36
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32:25
Help! I feel burnt out by teaching. Will it ever get better? | The Simple Classroom Podcast Ep 035
Are you feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, or disconnected from the joy of teaching? In this episode, we’re diving into practical strategies to help you overcome teacher burnout and reclaim balance in your life. I’ll share actionable tips to set b...
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Season 2
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Episode 35
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37:51
TSC Ep 34 - Small Group Planning Tips
We’re still over here talking about thing we spend too much time on as teachers, and I’m back with a new episode this week! So far, we’ve talked about grading and parent communication.If you missed either of those emails, jus...
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Season 3
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Episode 34
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17:32
TSC 033 - Parent Communication Tips to Save you Stress
This week's episode is all about parent communication! Parent communication is critical. You can’t skip it. But you can certainly simplify it, streamline it, and systematize it. If you find yourself fretting over resp...
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Season 3
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Episode 33
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19:36
TSC 032 | Grading Tips that Save You Time
It’s time for a new series! In the month of September, we’re going to talk all about things that are important as a teacher, but that you’re probably spending too much time on. These are indispensable things. You can’t skip them. They must be d...
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Season 3
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Episode 32
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18:42
Behavior Management Strategies that Work
Welcome back to another episode of The Simple Classroom Podcast, and to a new installation of the 'There's a Hack for That' series. Today we're talking about behavior management.Listen in to get some fresh, new strategies to use...
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Season 3
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Episode 31
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21:44
Routines and Procedures that STICK
We’re back for another week of there’s a hack for that! This week, I have a teaching hack that is centered around teaching routines and procedures in a way that ensures that you students actually remember them.I'm a member of several Fac...
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Season 3
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Episode 30
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16:15
The Ultimate Hack for Student Birthdays
It's another week of the 'There's a Hack for That' series!Today's hack? Student birthdays.Student birthdays are one of those things that I think we teachers have over-complicated in the past 10-15 years. I mean, when I w...
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Season 3
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Episode 29
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15:42
TSC Ep 028 - Sub Plan Hacks that Make Being Sick Easier
Welcome back to The Simple Classroom Podcast! The show took an unexpected hiatus at the end of 2023. Surprise 4th babies and maternity leave planning will do that to a girl. But, I'm back and FULL of things to say in this new season of ...
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Season 3
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Episode 28
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20:23
TSC Ep 027 - The December Teaching Game Plan (Part 1)
I want you to picture this:It's Christmas morning. You're watching your family open presents. You are sipping hot coffee and eating snacks. You are fully rested and refreshed because you haven't touched school work since the last day of sch...
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Season 2
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Episode 27
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18:02
TSC Ep 026 | Surviving Your First Year of Teaching
I'm back this week, as promised, with some words of encouragement for our new teachers!Not a new teacher? Share this with someone who is. New teachers have a lot on their plates, and unfortunately the crushing pressure and stres...
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Season 2
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Episode 26
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26:36
TSC Ep 025 - 5 Simple Ways to Support New Teachers
It's no secret that we have a teacher crisis in America. The statistic remains that most teachers do not make it past five years in this career. So, if we know that people are entering our field feeling overwhelmed...so overwhelmed that...
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Season 2
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Episode 25
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16:15
TSC Ep 024 - What to Discuss at Parent Conferences
October is a wild time in teacher. Parent Conferences, grades galore, report cards, data meetings, RTI, etc. Everything seems to hit at the same time in October.So, let's take one stressful thing and simplify it! Today, ...
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Season 2
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Episode 24
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24:18
TSC Ep 23 - Ending Sunday Scaries for Good
Sunday Scaries are the worst. It can feel like an entire day of your weekend was robbed from you. That creeping sense of dread will start earlier in the day on Sunday, and will only get stronger as the day goes on. By night time, you can feel p...
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Season 2
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Episode 23
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24:01
TSC Ep 22 | Let's Have a Summer Book Club!
Today is the final episode of season 1 of The Simple Classroom Podcast! I can hardly believe it. When I started this show in January of this year, I had every intention of keeping this show alive for the entire second half of this year. The fac...
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6:53
TSC Ep 21 | Plan to Have a Great Summer
How close are you to being on summer break?A great summer doesn't really happen by accident, which feels unintuitive. But, chances are that you have a list as long of your arm of things you want to do this summer. Some ...
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Season 1
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Episode 21
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17:44
TSC Ep 20 | End of Year Clean Up Made Simple
Y'alllll. Have you started cleaning your room up/out yet? It's such a chore. The end-of-year checklist just hangs over our heads, being its overwhelming self. There is so much to sort through and clean off and pack away. So, whe...
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Season 1
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Episode 20
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14:17
TSC Ep 019 | End of Year FUN
The end of the year is SO near. I'm sharing today some things I'm doing in my second grade classroom in real time to make things feel a little more fun. Tons of links coming at you. PS: I appear to be battling a case of laryngitis (than...
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Season 1
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Episode 19
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19:57
TSC Ep 018 - End of Year Reflection to Simplify Next Year
This school year is winding down. In 4, short weeks, we will be done.So, I'm thinking about what I loved about this school year, and the thing I want to make sure I absolutely never do again.The list is long on both sides. I did...
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Season 1
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Episode 18
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20:55